Gamers with early copies of Capcom's Resident Evil 7 reveal the game's three difficulty settings, including one that brings back classic gameplay mechanics.

Some gamers have managed to get their hands on early copies of Resident Evil VII, resulting in a slew of previously unknown information flooding the Internet. Besides story spoilers and the game's 10 hour length, gamers with early copies have also revealed the game's difficulty options, which includes a special setting for hardcore survival-horror fanatics.

As reported by This Gen Gaming, the hardcore difficulty setting in Resident Evil VII is called Madhouse, and it serves as a nod to earlier games in the franchise. The Madhouse difficulty setting cranks up the difficulty quite a bit, removing checkpoints from the game and making enemies deadlier. Madhouse difficulty players are unable to enjoy the benefits of regenerating health as well, not to mention there are limited saves, with players only able to save their progress if they find special cassette tapes hidden around the Baker family plantation.

The cassette tape saving mechanic is a nod to the ink ribbons in older Resident Evil games, and should ensure that, despite its many changes to the franchise formula, Resident Evil VII still feels like a Resident Evil game. Veterans of the series looking to make the game as scary as possible will want to consider the Madhouse difficulty, though it's unclear if the setting is available right from the start or has to be unlocked by beating the game on a lower difficulty setting first.

As it turns out, there are two lower difficulty settings for Resident Evil VII players to choose from. The easiest setting is Casual, where players will enjoy frequent checkpoints, unlimited saves, and weak enemies. When playing on this setting, players should be able to breeze through the game, and it sounds like even the dynamic encounters with the evil Baker family will be made much less dangerous when playing on this mode.

Between Casual and Madhouse difficulty is the standard Normal difficulty setting. Normal difficulty has unlimited saves and checkpoints, but the checkpoints are less frequent, the enemies are smarter and deal more damage, and health doesn't regenerate quite as fast. It sounds like Normal difficulty will offer the most balanced experience out of all the difficulty settings available in Resident Evil VII.

Even so, fans of classic Resident Evil may be tempted to try the game on Madhouse difficulty to start, even if it's just for the retro save mechanic. With limited saves, returning characters, green herbs, and other returning features, it's clearer now how Resident Evil VII is a true Resident Evil game, despite its first-person viewpoint and limited focus on action.

Resident Evil VII will be available on January 24, 2017 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.