Resident Evil 7 synopsis, lead character Ethan and mansion setting revealed by ESRB ratings board

Upcoming VR-enabled horror is about a man called Ethan searching for his missing wife.

Capcom's Resident Evil 7: Biohazard has been rated M for Mature by US ratings board ESRB. That in itself isn't exactly news, but the rating information has confirmed the game's first plot details, a mansion setting and revealed who its protagonist is.

On the ESRB website, a rating summary states: "This is a survival-horror game in which players assume the role of Ethan, a man searching for his missing wife in a derelict mansion.

"From a first-person perspective, players explore the environment and use pistols, shotguns, flamethrowers, explosives and chainsaws to kill mutant creatures. Combat is accompanied by realistic gunfire, screams of pain, and exaggerated blood-splatter effects.

"As players progress through the story, cutscenes can depict instances of gore and intense acts of violence: a character's arm dismembered by a chainsaw; a man's leg taken off at the knee with a shovel; a character impaled through the face with a shovel. Some areas also depict mutilated corpses with exposed organs/viscera."

Update: ESRB has since taken down the listing, but a screengrab of it can be seen a the foot of this article.

Resident Evil 7 was revealed at Sony's E3 2016 press conference with a playable demo released that same evening. It is a first-person game that PS4 users will be able to play in virtual reality with the PlayStation VR headset. The game recently released a second demo teasing the game's tone, how it'll play and elements of the plot.

To date all Capcom has revealed about the game's story is that it takes place after Resident Evil 6 and will be set in rural America. The mansion setting has been inferred, but not stated outright by the developers.

The new information fits with latest trailer for the game, released in mid August, which depicted a woman in a dilapidated setting trying to get in touch with someone called Ethan. We can infer that the woman is who players will be searching for.

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is set for release on PS4, PC and Xbox One on 24 January 2017.