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| Horror Strikes Back. |
STORY- Set after the disastrous events of Resident Evil 6, we follow our defenseless protagonist Ethan Winters as he searches for his missing wife, Mia, in rural Louisiana. However, things takes a turn for the worse when his search leads him to the Bakers, a psychotic family who may have an involvement in her disappearance-- and his worst hide-and-seek playmates yet. Throughout his journey, Ethan will battle creatures, discover the revelations of his wife's disappearance, and ultimately uncover the sinister secret of the Baker family. Additionally, the game references characters and events from prior games as well. The story pretty engaging and interesting. Furthermore, the encounters with the Bakers were terrifying and memorable as well. While mostly numb at times, Ethan was a likeable protagonist and it would be nice to see him in subsequent games.
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| Ethan's in for a wild adventure. |
GAMEPLAY- Resident Evil 7's gameplay is a departure from previous entries. Addressing the elephant in the room, the new camera system is now in first person view. Ethan is controlled from the first-person view as he navigate's the game's areas. Ever since it's first announcement, most fans were skeptical of how RE7 might deliver in terms of horror in first-person, however, after finishing the game, its use would be a welcome addition in subsequent games. Unlike most of the series' combat-trained protagonists, Ethan is a normal civilian with little to no combat expertise, giving the player a sense of vulnerability, which is ever present in first-person. He'll have to go through a lot of trouble in order to find his Mia and discover the mystery behind the Bakers. That being said, he's fortunate enough to stumble upon a nice selection on weaponry such handguns, shotguns, grenade launchers, and more along his journey. Some of Ethan's physical feats is the ability to block oncoming attacks from enemies by holding the "L2" button and make a 180 degrees turn, a mechanic present in previous games. When not engaging with the Bakers, Ethan will come across tar-like creatures called "The Molded" that form off a black, mold-like substance. They're less menacing than the Bakers as they're easy to dodge and ignore. However, it would have been great to see more enemy variations than the standard two-legged and the four-legged to keep encounters interesting.
You'll have to decide what to take what not when out exploring as the inventory- management system of previous games makes a return. Initially, you only have 12 slots to carry equipment. Weapons like the shotgun and grenade launcher take two slots. However, as you progress, Ethan will come across backpacks which will increase carrying capacity. Any items Ethan feels like getting rid of or use later can be stored in the item box as well. Dismissing typewriters, RE7 uses tape recorders as a means to save game progress. On higher difficulties such as "Madhouse", its use will be restricted as you'll have to collect cassette tapes in order to save, akin to earlier games' ink ribbons. Also, this won't be a Resident Evil game without the inclusion of puzzles as RE7 is no different. While not mind-bending, the game packs some decent puzzles that'll have you exploring to find the solution.
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| The unsettling atmosphere is a strong highlight of RE7. |
Some aspects of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis make a return as well. Along the way, Ethan will come across many supplies such as gunpowder and the series' signature healing item, herbs. Combined with the Chem Fluid, you can create ammo for weapons and a heal aid, now in the form of a bottle. For greater effects, combine with the Strong Chem Fluid to get enhanced ammo and healing aid. Just like Nemesis, the Bakers will be chasing Ethan as you navigate through the game's areas. There's also some well-hidden collectibles to find as well. There are over 20 Mr. Everywhere bobbleheads to smash, although they serve no real purpose. There's 16 antique coins that will allow grant you access to stimulants such as steroids (increases Ethan's max health) and aim-stabilizers, as well as a powerful magnum. Additionally, there are files scattered across rooms that will give you insight of events that occurred prior to Ethan's arrival. Lastly, there's video tapes where you'll briefly play as another character as he goes against members of the Baker family, they also carry solution to upcoming puzzles too.
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The Bakers are always a source of
some over-the-top fights.
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PRESENTATION- Resident Evil 7 is good-looking game. Capcom's newly created RE Engine, which succeeds the MT framework, is neat and supports VR support. That being said, the game feels like it could have benefited from a little bit of polish since some texture aren't all that well detailed. The voice performances is solid. My favorite was Jack Baker's psychotic, over-the-top performances in intense moments. As for the soundtrack, it nails the horror atmosphere the game's going for, the intro theme and the save room theme were my favorite tracks in the soundtrack.
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| "Welcome to the family, Son!" |
OVERALL- Resident Evil 7: Biohazard RE-ignites the series with the return of the survival-horror feel of the early games. Capcom has finally listened to fans and delivered a solid entry in the series. While VR technology isn't at an impressive level yet, the VR functionalities of RE7 have been praised by critics and players alike as it adds an extra layer of immersion to the base game; I might consider checking it in the near future. Despite some issues with the presentation and later half, it's by far my favorite game of the year and hopefully we'll see more of Capcom's new take of the Resident Evil series.
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