According to a leaked screencap from someone who has apparently played the entirety of Resident Evil 7 , the game is a total of 10 hours long. It’s unclear from the screenshot if the player in question might have missed a few things or how quickly they moved through the game. The image does say that this run was completed on the Normal difficulty, though, which means that this could be an average completion time for the average player.
Is 10 hours really too short? Well, my first assumption when I heard this was that the game was going to be fairly railroaded, and that ride was going to be damn good. Of course, there is such a thing as speed runners and that could be where the number is coming from. You could probably put that time stamp on a lot of games if you know where to go and how to level up quickly. But let’s say for the moment that RE 7 really is only 10 hours long, collectables included. This is definitely a good thing in my opinion.
For one, this means that the designers have only had to work on ten hours worth of game time. Compared to the 20 hours of other similar games for the completionist route, that kind of condensed time is awesome. The shorter time means the studio can take the time to get the game right from graphics to story. In addition, most indie games are this short (usually for budget reasons) and it normally pays off. We get a great, intense experience. Take Firewatch , for example; that game was immersive in its beauty and the amount of time it let you really think about what was going on. Then it was suddenly over and it made you think about whether you just wasted your money or if the game is trying to tell you something profound.
Indie games are not alone, either. AAA titles are often fairly short. Uncharted is probably one of the best examples of this. Uncharted suffers from wanting to be impressive while sticking to a very simple storyline. Because let’s face it, we don’t watch Indiana Jones for 2 hours because of intriguing plot line. We watch it because we want to see Harrison Ford pull another awesome stunt and get the girl while he’s at it. Impressive, but simple. Uncharted is no different. It allows the player those badass moves, but in a somewhat necessary manufactured way. It leads to a more condensed, cinematic experience.
I don’t think Resident Evil 7 is going to be quite that simple, as it is a horror game based loosely on the idea of what a global pandemic would look like. I think the shorter time will increase the details of the story and the game’s visual wonders. Second, I highly doubt that 10 hours includes the amount of time you’re creeping through doors or pressed into a corner, cowering in fear. If this game has managed to scare even the most jaded of game reviewers, I guarantee you will be having plenty of the latter moments. That said, RE 7 is probably a little too intense to play for anything more than a 1-3 hours at a time. You can only be terrified for so long before your body calls it quits, trust me. Especially if you light your handy-dandy blood scented candle to set the mood.
Needless to say, 10 hours is a good thing. If it’s truly accurate, it gives the studio far more time to focus on the details we love so much in graphics and storyline rather than spending time padding out the gameplay. In addition, 10 hours is not enough time to include being very immersed in the game. Nor does it take into account the generally short gameplay sessions simply because of the intensity each period.