sisslethecat
There’s been a lot of negative talk on what a huge change Resident Evil VII: Biohazard is from the main series, why exactly is beyond me, but those who have been most vocal about how it seems to have nothing to do with Resident Evil‘s history should guard their tongues. The demo, released early this morning for US players on PlayStation 4, gives us a small tease as to how it links together with the previous games. Resident Evil VII is indeed set in the same universe, and takes place 4 years after the events of Resident Evil 6, so it’s only natural it would have some ties, although this is a pretty major one.
Now of course, it should go without saying, but spoilers. Spoiler spoiler spoiler, Soilent Green is Spoiler. Rosebud, dammit! Don’t read this if you don’t want this major plot point spoiled for you, and if you do, don’t complain, alright?
Okay, are they gone? Good. Let’s talk about how to get this secret.
When you play through the demo for the first time, you’ll find out that the fireplace in the room that the demo begins is hiding a chain that you can pull to reveal a secret door in the wall by watching the VHS tape. When you get the chance to open it in the present, you’ll find the key to the house’s back door. You can take this and end the demo right here, for as of yet, there’s nothing else to find. But when you go for a second playthrough of the demo, try opening up this secret door from the outset, without exploring more. You’ll find it’s just as accessible, only now the fuse that was missing from the box in the room you start in is sitting on the table just inside. You can pop that sucker right in, and head upstairs for the button marked “stairs”. This will activate a mechanical staircase that descends from the ceiling, and you can head up it to discover a third floor. Almost immediately when you reach the top, you’ll hear a telephone ringing. Answering it will give you one of three distinct messages from a mysterious woman, as well as a line of dialogue from your character, who otherwise doesn’t speak in the demo. The call is interesting, and the fanbase is currently trying to figure out if the cryptic messages you’re left with are clues on how to discover more in the demo, but the real twist is what’s sitting next to the phone. It’s a photo, with a very telling secret as to what may be happening in Resident Evil VII.
On the back of the photo is written “Are they watching us from the helicopter?”, which is ominous enough- the people hear might not have always been monsters- but the real surprise is what the photo is of. Who’s watching them? Well… now’s your last chance to back out without being spoiled.
Yes, that is exactly what you think it is. Umbrella Corporation has been watching the people in this house, whoever they are. Why? Who knows. When? Who knows that either. Could Umbrella have been behind everything in this game, linking back all the way to before they were dissolved by the US Government? We’ll have to wait and see, but this has me 100% hooked on what Resident Evil VII can bring to the table, and the lore of RE in general. Back to their roots indeed. Welcome home, Resident Evil.
