Capcom's upcoming Resident Evil Requiem will let players toggle between first- and third-person views -- supposedly to "attract more players." The game is being softened for people who can't actually handle horror, begging the question of why they're playing horror in the first place.
While older Resident Evil games weren't exactly "scary", newer titles have been trying to change this, but instead of doubling down on this effort, Resident Evil Requiem (Resident Evil 9) is giving players an escape hatch: a perspective swap to make things "less scary."
Developers confirmed that this dual perspective -- first-person for the brave, third-person for the squeamish -- was created to "widen the target audience." Director Koshi Nakanishi admitted he wanted to accommodate those who found RE7 "too scary" to play through. So instead of surviving horror, you can now enjoy a gentler ride with some cinematic distance.
This isn't innovation -- it's dilution. Horror works precisely because it pushes players past their comfort zone, trapping them in fear. Giving a "softer" camera angle for those who can't take it is like selling hot sauce with the spice removed -- it misses the point entirely.
Even worse, Capcom is pouring resources into making both modes unique, adding exclusive animations in third-person where the protagonist stumbles like a "final girl." Instead of one vision of terror, we now have a fragmented product designed to coddle the easily disturbed.
Resident Evil used to terrify because it didn't care if you were uncomfortable -- it demanded you confront the nightmare. Now, with Requiem, Capcom is building an optional comfort lane for those too sensitive to stomach the genre. But here's the truth: if you can't take horror, maybe survival horror games aren't for you.