Resident Evil 7: Part 7

**Warning: Video contains Graphic violence

Another key aspect to producing a sense of fear in horror games is isolation. RE4, 5, and 6 were not scary games at all, The atmosphere, setting, and creature designs were there, but you were the opposite of vulnerable, and you had a constant companion with you. Even if you were playing with a computer, the NPC provided a sense of ease in that it could help you out if you got in a jam.

RE7 teases you with companionship throughout the game, but always stops just short of actually providing it for you furthering your sense of dread. The cop you see in this segment meets a brutal end with the help of Jack's trusty sharpened shovel. It's here you encounter your first boss fight.

The setting of this fight is designed to give you room to maneuver around Jack, but also makes it easy to accidently box yourself in. A controller mechanic I both love and hate in this game is that while you can walk backwards and shoot at the same time, you move significantly slower which means you can't kite enemies effectively. At some point you need to do the one thing you really don't want to do: turn your back to an enemy.

Anyway, this fight is nuts. Not nuts in the over the top set pieces RE6 provided, but nuts in the sense that it highlights the kind of person Jack is, and the kind of enemies you'll be dealing with. Jack is crazy and loves to toy with you. His little demonstration at the end of the fight communicates that even if you had the opportunity to try and kill Jack, you couldn't. This heightens the threat of Jack whenever you encounter him in the game. Because this is a video game you know you'll eventually beat him, but as of right now you need to follow your first instinct and run away as fast as possible whenever he shows up.

Villains need to be threatening. If you're making a game and your villain doesn't evoke a sense of fear, or the player doesn't feel threatened by it, you've done something wrong.

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