Resident Evil 7: Biohazard Review
Played on Xbox One (base)
Developed by Capcom
Released 24th January 2017
After the relatively poor reception of Resident Evil 6, the series was left with two options: A) call it quits and end it there, or B) reinvent the formula that's akin to what fans loved. Thankfully, Capcom conducted internal discussions about the sequel and changing its creative direction despite its development starting around the same time as RE6. This title did a lot of new things for Capcom and the series. First, using Sam Raimi's Evil Dead as inspiration, they scaled back the game to one main location, unlike its predecessors. Secondly, it was the first game to utilise the newly created RE Engine that Capcom developed. Finally, it was the first time the franchise had a Western narrative writer, Richard Pearsey who also wrote 2 of the expansions for F.E.A.R. Even with all of this and the added comparison to the infamous P.T., there wasn't a guarantee that this game would be great, however, that obviously changed on release.
Story
The story is a beautifully tense horror that was very enjoyable for the majority of the game's length. For this 8-hour experience, you'll play as Ethan Winters, a protagonist who I can only describe as stupid for even going on to this adventure. Long story short, Ethan receives a mysterious email from his long-gone and thought-to-be-dead wife to not rescue her. Obviously, he goes to save her instead of moving on and this perseverance forces him to endure the insanity of the Baker family. The first two-thirds of this game was intense and unsettling and I absolutely loved it. These horrifying moments that made up most of this game easily rank up there with other top-tier horror game scenes. They emulated the same twistedness you see from the Sawyer family from Texas Chainsaw Massacre but infused with the Resident Evil terror and bizarrity.
I say that the first two-thirds of the game was amazing because the final moments dropped the ball. It felt like a massive shift from something so dense and concentrated in horror (which I loved) to being much broader in the genre as it accepted some action-focused elements. Additionally, it was very unnecessary to have the whole final section of the game and it almost felt like Capcom were just dragging it on. However, even with the tonal shift, the game was consistently well-paced, constantly being a blast to play.
Gameplay
The gameplay is impeccable. It captures the tense horror that the series was previously deprived of. It goes back to the traditional tight inventory system that works really well. Instead of having thousands of pocket rooms to store all your guns, ammo and key items, you're forced to essentially play this puzzle of how to fit as much as possible into your limited inventory while keeping in mind what objects you'll need to pick up and use along the way. It punishes reckless management and rewards high levels of thinking and planning which I really enjoyed. Unfortunately, the crafting system doesn't invoke the same mind puzzle feel as the inventory management as the answer tended to be to make either bullets or herbs (for healing), since I'm in no way, shape or form going to make psychostimulants.
The FPS (First Person Shooter) aspect of this game works incredibly well with its simplicity. All you have at your disposal is an aim and shoot button and that's it - no covers to go behind, no combos you could do with your weaponry, nothing. These simple shooting mechanics can make for some frightening moments as you're missing point-blank from fear and becoming anxious from how you're wasting resources. Overall, this game is one of the few horror games to actually be scary.
There isn't much variety in either guns or enemies. While the bland arsenal is not a deal breaker as this issue is resolved around the third quarter of the game, the enemies didn't receive the same treatment. The lack of foes to fear and fight made some encounters slightly dull, however, it also intensified them as you know how to deal with such enemies but you just physically can't. In addition to this fear, whenever a new variation of an enemy does appear, it would be terrifying as you have to approach something that you cannot deal with or know how to deal with.
One last element that I thoroughly enjoyed was the game's versions of Mr. X and Nemesis. There are four main areas and each one has something in its environment that'll scare the ever-living shit out of you. Whether it's an unstoppable juggernaut hunting you down or booby traps that act as mini-jumpscares if triggered, you'll have this euphoric feeling of paranoia following you. The only problem I have with this is how I wish they utilised the juggernaut feature more instead of letting the player experience it in short bursts.
Bossfights
The bossfights were mostly fantastic. Every single one was visually and audibly magnificent and the duels themselves were very enjoyable, all but for the last boss of the game.
First, there was Jack Baker. Out of the three battles you have with him, you'll be pumped full of adrenaline from the sheer intensity of these encounters. They're not difficult or filled with blood-pumping action, it's just how terrifying Jack comes across. In the first fight, he's an unstoppable force simply toying with you, the second fight has you put up an epic duel of chainsaw-wielding. This fight was one of my favourites as it provoked great amounts of fear while still making it feel cool. The third fight is certainly underwhelming seeing as he occasionally slaps you around but never ferociously attacks you, making him seem more like a bullet sponge than an actual threat.
Marguerite was definitely the scariest to deal with. Her fight is the only one to make me panic this much. Her jumpscares work extremely well due to how unexpected they are and how much they string you along, while never taking you out of the gameplay perspective. Even though the fight felt more like a game of hide'n'seek, the horror behind it makes up for this flaw.
The final boss of the game was very poor. It was more of a test of how quickly you can spam the shoot button than anything else. Other than its incredible visuals, it all felt empty in execution and even possibly rushed, as if the developers didn't know how to close off this game.
Characters
The characters were great. Despite Ethan doing some of the dumbest things possible in his situation, every other character was intriguing with barely any faults. Mia's screw-loose and exaggerated emotions strengthen the horror factor of the game, The Baker family are an incredible group of lunatics and antagonists, and Zoe is a semi-cool voice through the phone whose frustration and fear are understandable.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere is genuinely terrifying. I know I've used every possible adjective to describe this game as terrifying or horrifying but it truly is. The soundtrack makes up about half the fear and anguish you'll encounter and it carries out its role superbly. I typically listen to the soundtracks of the game while writing the review to refresh my memory of them and I've had to check behind me a couple of times, simply because of how unnerving the music is. Every element of the audio is amazing: the music, the sound effects, the voice acting, I think the only problem I have with it is that guns sounded quite tame, packing very little impact, but even then it's not a major detractor.
The artistic side of the game is also great. From the enigmatic yet monstrous enemy designs to the unsettling and freaky environments, I felt uneasy most of the time. The darkness of the game really contributes to the fear as the pitch black could either be plain darkness or an indicator of inevitable enemies, both putting you on the edge of your seat.
The technical performance is pretty good as well as I've only encountered one minuscule bug in which a character model went inside an object, however, for all the gears and cogs that are working collectively to make this an unforgettable horror experience, I'd credit this as an incredible feat.
Story - 9/10
Gameplay - 9.5/10
Bossfights - 8.5/10
Characters - 8.25/10
Atmosphere - 9.75/10
Near Perfect
Resident Evil 7 and its Evil Dead inspirations are an immaculate return to the series' previously unfortunate downfall. Not only is it a great comeback for the franchise, but it's an outstanding reminder of how petrifying a horror game can be.
