Are Resident Evil 6 and 7 Connected? No, RE7 Strays from Previous Games Despite Minor References

Resident Evil 7 represents a dramatic departure from the bombastic action and global conspiracies of Resident Evil 6, with little direct storyline continuation besides minor references. As a soft franchise reboot, RE7 ushers survival horror back to the forefront with a new setting, protagonist, and first-person perspective.

Upon release in 2017, this radical change from the third-person combat and epic set pieces of the previous two numbered entries proved divisive among fans. But with 10 million units sold, strong reviews, and a Metacritic score of 86, Capcom succeeded in its goal of getting "back to basics" with RE7‘s intimate house of horrors.

RE7 Shifts Away from Recent Games with First-Person Horror

Ditching RE6‘s four intersecting campaigns spanning the globe, RE7 sticks to a single storyline focused on Ethan Winters searching a decrepit plantation home for his missing wife. This one location filled with disturbing mutants already returns Resident Evil closer to its roots after criticisms RE5 and RE6 strayed too far into action movie territory.

Table: Comparing Key Elements of RE6 vs RE7

The switch to first-person accompanied by a new protagonist signals RE7‘s desire to reinvent itself. Capcom Producer Masachika Kawata explained the team asked themselves "What is horror?" when conceiving RE7, wanting intensity impossible in third-person view.

This risks alienating fans attached to longtime heroes like Leon and Chris. But the positive critical and commercial response shows Capcom succeeded in refreshing the franchise after criticisms RE6 tried doing too much.

Indirect Connections to Older Games

Despite foregoing major characters, RE7 contains minor references tying it to the wider Resident Evil universe:

• Old newspaper clippings mentioning Chris Redfield‘s anti-bioterrorism efforts

• Notes linking the Baker family mutations to Umbrella Corp experiments

• The secret Blue Umbrella group from previous games helping Ethan

• Being set after RE6 chronologically in the series timeline

Kennedy‘s voice actor hinted Capcom intentionally scaled back cameos to establish new stories. So ultimately, no direct plot or characterization overlap requires playing past mainline games.

But fans debated if subtle connections justify RE7‘s radical changes, or are just nostalgia bait covering an attempt to mimic hot new first-person horror games.

Love It or Hate It? RE7 Divides Fans

RE7 undeniably adopts trends like atmospheric exploration popularized by games like Outlast and P.T. But this departure from recent Resident Evil‘s third-person shooting proves controversial:

Positive Feedback

• 86% Metacritic critic average shows high review scores
• Ranked among top games of 2017 by outlets like GamesRadar
• 10M copies sold makes it second most successful Resident Evil game
• Praised as return to survival horror roots after action-focused RE6

Negative Feedback

• User score of just 6.7/10 on Metacritic signifies fan division
• Players cite annoyance at forced first-person view
• Complaints it copies other horror games rather than innovating
• Lacks epic action moments expected from numbered series entries

So RE7 represented a gamble – would altering Resident Evil‘s signature formula pay off? For Capcom the strong sales showed players wanted survival horror. But vocal criticism from fans unwilling to abandon core gameplay elements shows risks changing iconic franchises.

RE8 Revisits Old and New

In contrast, 2021‘s Resident Evil Village ties directly into RE7‘s plot while featuring iconic characters like Chris Redfield. It maintains RE7‘s first-person view yet increases action, signaling Capcom tries appealing to all Resident Evil fans.

83% average critic score and strong sales proves the attempted balance largely succeeded. But debates around Chris‘s changed personality shows RE7‘s clean break still leaves some loose ends connecting new and old games.

So in summary – Resident Evil 7 stands apart with its intimate, intense first-person horror. Yet minor references and future sequels still anchor it loosely within the established Resident Evil universe that retains devoted fan interest 25 years later.