Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

Resident Evil 7 is one of the most enjoyable horror gaming experiences to date. The visual jump scares seldom feel cheap in part due to the masterful sound design. Making people jump isn't a difficult task. However, making people terrified to progress the plot is a daunting task to pull off. Resident Evil 7 absolutely succeeds in pulling off what developer/publisher Capcom set out to accomplish. After the failure of RE6, the need for the series to return to the survival horror genre became clear. Horror is all about maintaining an atmosphere. Walking down a corridor, Ethan Winter (the surrogate for the player) might hear some variety of crash off in the next room or in the room above. The mansion is lived in (a slightly inaccurate phrase) and a sense of foreboding never escapes the player except for around the ending. The sound design mixed in with phenomenal limited lighting merge in encouraging the player never be overconfident in a given environment. Unlike previous entries, the locations are realistically scaled down. The Baker homestead never features a room or ground that feels out of place. In other words, the property is very much one a person might find in reality. Conversely, the game's need to feature a puzzle at every turn suspends belief every once in awhile. In the end, the limited environmental scope aids in augmenting the horror. The developers painstakingly created the home to a disturbing degree. Every nook and cranny of the home serve a purpose in telling the Baker family's story. The player is rewarded at great cost for exploring the environment. In addition, the exploration feeds into a very enjoyable item management system. All of the items encountered are useful. In order to make backpack space, the player has to really decide what is the most useful item in a given situation. Looking through your inventory doesn't stop the game time. You could be looking at the very low ammo of a given gun and suddenly come under attack. In most fights, the best solution is often to run away until a more advantageous moment. The narrative lasts little more than ten hours. The duration of the experience ensures the plot never drags or overstays its welcome. The mysteries of the circumstances surrounding Ethan Walker are more than enough to ensure the player fights their fear. The player won't be able to stop themselves from enjoying their twisted adventure with the Baker family.

This is my third favorite game in the series (well for now anyway till the next good volume), once again the franchise has taken a new road once more which I always felt was the strength of the franchise because as time goes on one gameplay approach they've used for so long starts to get really old and loses something along the way. This was a great choice because it brought something crucial to the series back actually being scary.

The gameplay is great this time it's more first-person perspective however this isn't the typical gun in front approach. There is action but this game is one where your more focused not just on fighting but on surviving and investigating at the same time. You do collect the usual weapons and medicine along the way but remember most of the time the supplies are a distance from each other and depending on the area you in can be a little scarce sometimes, so you need to pick your fights and shots carefully. I do like the boss and mini boss battles as each are always different like fighting each of the nasty family members from the mom that looks like Henrietta form "Evil Dead 2" and the husband whom becomes a nasty eye monster, the battle have a moderate difficulty to them and I like that there each different which keeps the action interesting but also causes you to adjust your tactics in defeating them.

However, to me what really powers the game is in the developing story/mystery along with just the horror element itself. I really love the graphical presentation which is just dark grotesque beauty all around. I like the fact that it takes place in some swampy area which is a perfect arena for horror, I always felt the swamp land at night was always spooky because you never really know what else is in that swamp but also it very dangerous to venture at that time. Really like the looks from the swamp land down to the run-down house that looks like Leatherface's pad. From how detailed everything is it's just palpable you just feel the grit, dirt, grim, cold, and dampness, it almost make them game at time feel a bit similar to a Giallo horror film because the house and even the swampland you go out to just emits a oppressive, disorienting, evil atmosphere that you feel is completely against you. The music is great it is just memorable as it just sings intensity and evil throughout the game, I even like that there is a little strangeness to it including the theme song this just once again adds to the game as the game is disorienting, everything were familiar with has gone out the window and nothing is ever what it seems.

Even like the designs of the monsters, these are different this time as their not zombies but mutants. Which that's cool and it's true to the title as it's called "Resident Evil" which doesn't just mean zombies. These mutants I thought were a great change of pace and were good opponents as you have some nasty black mold monsters that emerge, that look almost like the Rot monsters from the "Swamp Thing" comics or the tar zombie from "Return of the Living Dead". But of course, the most memorable are the Mutant Family themselves who are the ones to watch out for the most, they are just so upright looking from how grey and white their skin as if they have some sort of skin pigmentation disease down to their eyes which just are yellow and convey cruelty and evil.

The suspense is great as you are constantly on high alert even in the quiet bits because you feel that danger can come at any moment and it usual does, which is why you can't afford to let up for one moment. I remember constantly hoping my weapons are loaded but also in some of the places I've never ventured to walk carefully as something could either be hidden in the next room or even pop out. I'm even also trying to thoroughly map out the room and environment in my head so that if there are certain situation were, I can't fight or can avoid it, I would remember where the next door and hiding spots are, which is crucial to surviving.

I really love the mystery throughout the whole game, throughout the game I'm constantly wondering who the heck the main character and his wife really are, what the hell is going on, is she or is she not connected with this mutant family, is what's happening connected with Umbrella or not, the answers slowly but surely reveal themselves making everything fall into place and the story much clearer.

The characterization is also supposing really good from our opponents the mutant family the Bakers whom are just a detestable bunch you just plain hate, from their nasty behavior, sick mockery toward the main character you play and your wife, just the more we learn about them the more you just want to put them in their place which is Hell. It's gratifying doing it, one I defeat one of them I'm thinking "One Down." Just a moment of bad assness. But also, this family is the one with a few of the keys to the mystery which once again adds to the intrigue and story.

But I most of all like the characterization of the main character and the wife, the more you see what they go though but also uncover certain bits of depth between the two the more I actually sympathized with them and wanted both to survive and win; also their depth also are keys to the mystery so that also motived me to win as I wanted to solve it.

"Resident Evil 7" is a welcome return to form and worth entering if you dare.

Rating: 4 stars

If you like horror games, this is essential playing. The super claustrophobic atmosphere will get your palms sweating as you plot your escape from the Baker house.

It mainly sticks to the RE mechanics of item management, sparse ammo and limited opportunities to save which all adds to the tension. It has some decent puzzles to solve and does the usual uncovering of items to unlock new rooms/areas.

The last section outside of the house kind of loses eith way a bit. But nonetheless a great addition to the series.

Having not played any of the other resident evil games besides 4, take this with a grain of salt. It is not only one of the best looking games of all time, but contains a seriously effective and oppressively grim atmosphere. This game really had me unable to play for more than an hour at a time it got me so stressed out. I really enjoyed it, but I cannot say I would be able to do it again. The Bakers are repulsive villains and they seriously intimidate, harm, and brutalize Ethan as he tried to rescue his girlfriend. The boss fights and the ever looming presence of the big bad rednecks in the quieter moments means you hardly have moments to feel like you can breathe. There are quieter sections but they are weaved and laced masterfully with tense sound design and crisp, creepy environments. If the ending stuck the landing I think this would receive a perfect score but just because I didn't particularly care for it, the rest of the game is not diminished in my eyes.

There are already many reviews available for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. So why should you read mine? What do I have to offer that separates me from other reviewers? For what it's worth, I'm writing this review as someone who has never thoroughly played a Resident Evil game before. (I vaguely recall watching a friend play one of the original games when I was younger.) Also, I promise not to spoil anything.

Overall: Biohazard is a top-notch survival horror game. The graphics are excellent, the gameplay is challenging, and the story is interesting. The game isn't perfect, as I discuss below, but it seems to me that the pros outweigh the cons.

Graphics: Superb. Did they combine live action footage with computer generated imagery in the beginning of the game? I'm not sure. Either way, I'm impressed. But this isn't true for all of the game. If you're a stickler for graphics, you might notice some objects which aren't rendered to your liking. Otherwise, I doubt you'll have complaints.

Gameplay: Challenging. I haven't died so much in a game in a while, yet I never felt frustrated when I died. I always recognized some flaw in my playing style which needed to be addressed. Resident Evil 7 is tough, but not arbitrarily so. Although, I am somewhat new to the survival horror genre of video games, so veterans might not have such a tough time.

Story: I often cringe at the sophomoric storytelling in video games; Biohazard is a pleasant surprise. I found myself engaged with the story, wanting to know more. However, depending on your knowledge of horror movies, you might find some aspects of the story too derivative.

Common Complaints: Lack of monster variety; easy puzzles. I agree that there is a lack of monster variety, but, for the most part, it feels natural given the game's small setting. Though, one does wonder why there aren't any zombie alligators or other creatures given the game's location in the woods in Louisiana in the middle of nowhere. Nevertheless, the "molded" are terrifying enough to carry the game. Imagine Baraka from Mortal Kombat and Tarman from Return of the Living Dead have a baby, which is adopted and raised by Satan. I agree that most of the puzzles for the main story of the game are fairly easy. But in the game developer's defense, there is a lot of hidden stuff which isn't as easy to find. Also, I found a puzzle towards the end of the game challenging, though perhaps this is due to insufficient cognitive capacities on my part.

Quibbles: Why in the world can't you manually turn your flashlight on or off? This would have been such a great feature in the game! It gets frustrating when you're walking in near complete darkness, but you know that the protagonist is carrying a flashlight. Moreover, this could have added a great survival aspect to the game (conserving battery life, hiding from enemies in the dark, etc.). Why can't you pick up certain items? For instance, there is a baseball bat in one room, yet you can't pick it up. This would have been handy when battling the molded.

Despite some minor complaints, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard comes highly recommended. 8.5/10