Going back to move forward, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard Review

Resident Evil 7 Biohazard (Xbox One, PS4, PC) ( Rated Mature)

(Video Review)

It seems the more things change, the more they stay the same. Resident Evil 7 is a confident updating of the series best elements. I say update, though it honestly may seem at first more like a reinvention, than a natural evolution of what the series was meant to be in its inception. If you are a fan of pure survival horror, you may doubt a franchise that some say has lost its way.

Personally, I enjoyed every single release, Resident Evil 4 being my favorite. 4 is a classic and still one of the finest achievement in gaming to this day. It has stood the test of time unlike any other, that is a testament to just how incredible that game is. While 4 kept a lot of the hallmarks of the series intact, they felt more like an homage instead of being part of the game’s DNA.

Resident Evil 4 was in many ways a step forward for the genre and for one of gaming’s landmark franchises. One that had been draining in popularity at that point for some time. Yet then came Resi 4, a game that at its very core is all action. Yet it kept the atmosphere that gave it that great horror tone, and that made it feel like it fit within the world and lore Resident Evil has spent over two decades creating. Resident Evil 7 Biohazard has done something rather inventive with its main concept. In going back to its very roots, it has brought the genre forward just as 4 did well over a decade ago. If you forget that the game is in first person, with some of the most jaw-dropping visual this generation, you will come to see at its core Evil has come home. No doubt that is where the Biohazard subtitle comes from.

The story may seem at first, more like a mash-up of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the 2013 remake of The Evil Dead then classic Resident Evil. As you start the game you (Ethan) are searching for your long-lost wife Mia, and this brings you to the ominous Baker family Plantation. The atmosphere is pure Chainsaw all the way through, though for the first three hours it gives a great Evil Dead vibe. Then suddenly, as your exploring this dilapidated southern plantation things begin to make sense. From the game’s very start, this is classic Resident Evil. Everything about how this game plays, is closer to the first Resident Evil than any that has come since. While the entire game is played from the first-person perspective, everything else is classic Resident Evil. You scavenge for clues and resources to uncover the mystery, survive and hopefully save your missing love.

Hint, hint… The game has multiple endings and tons of secrets to uncover, warranting multiple play-throughs. While the game is not linear in the since that your marching down a path to victory, it does reinvent many linear aspects, and bring them in line with something like a cross between Metroid Prime, and the first Resident Evil. You will spend more than three quarters, of the game’s 8 to 12-hour campaign, exploring the estate and battling the monstrous family within.

I will not give too much away about the inhabitants of this residence, but they are repulsive, brutal and horrifically captivating. For a good portion of the game one of the family may be lurking around the residence, searching for you. This does call to mind Nemesis stalking you in Resident Evil 3, or the Alien from Alien Isolation. You will die fast if they spot you and you fail to react properly. 

You can fight them, using your firearms or even your trusty yet unsuspecting pocket knife, still you can only take them out for a few moments to give you some much needed breathing room.

Your main goal is to find keys to progress further into the plantation, and face the disgusting B.O.W’s within. The more you seek out the hidden notes and clues, the closer the game gets to bringing it’s seeming unconnected story, right into Resi’s deep seeded, albeit slightly confusing lore. I was trepidatious on how the game would play, especially given the new viewpoint. Yet it just makes sense, the more you play the more it becomes clear this is how survival horror is meant to be. The immersion of always being the one in Ethan’s shoes is freighting, and then immensely satisfying as you beat the odds again and again through sheer wit.

You will have limited access to inventory space as the game starts, though you will find bigger bags which become not only a godsend, but an AH HELL YES! kind of moment.  I really loved that add to the immersion factor, The same really goes for any useful item or resource you find, while ammo and healing items are more than enough to survive on the normal settings. Madhouse mode, makes you truly fight for your life, and is not for the faint of heart. I also loved that you have to seek out coins to open special bird cages, that contain new upgrades or special weapons. 

Combat is deeply satisfying due to it’s solid, intuitive and smooth controls. While their selection of firearms is very, very limited. They prove not only useful, but downright thrilling to use. The firearms are superbly detailed and, feature some of the finest modeling work I have seen. When you couple that with the tight controls, and great sound design, even the weakest pistol is a blast to use. The knife is also surprisingly satisfying to swing, or stab a bitch in the face with.

Beyond the nearly invincible family members stalking you, you will face some rather disgusting Bio Organic Weapons (A.K.A B.O.W’s). These will seem familiar to anyone with knowledge of the Resi lore, they are also incredibly detailed and modeled with almost life like flesh and meat. The goo that expels when you score a headshot, gives you that perfect money shot that is so sweet with its life like splatter. The B.O.W’s are great enemies and make combat challenging, intense and provide just the right level of cannon fodder, to give you some exciting moments of action. The game's pacing however is much slower, than any other first person game with shooting action. You will explore, solve puzzles and steadily uncover all the secrets the dense plantation has to offer. While you do have to search for clues to find out where to head next, it was never frustrating at any point.

While the game does not show you where to go with large arrows, if you explore and pay attention to the world, things become clear with some critical thinking. Which leads to a deeply rewarding experience, in fact, I have not had this much fun with survival horror gameplay since ZombiU which is now on PS4 and Xbox One as Zombi. When you have such limited resources, and limited space every find is a triumph. On the flip side, every choice on whether to drop or store an item becomes a welcome brain teaser.

There are enough save rooms to give you a reprieve, and each room has a storage box to place your items in, they will also magically go to any other storage crate. While this slightly breaks immersion, it is a very welcome feature to keep the game from being frustrating, and creating great moments of strategic planning. This brings me to the game’s brilliant choice to be totally forgiving. While combat is challenging, especially the intense boss fights that are some of the best in the entire series. You have frequent checkpoints and this is very welcome, as it allows for effortless trial and error that is rewarding and fun, instead of rage inducing.

Resident Evil games have always been hit and miss with their sense of pacing, either it's perfect or a sluggish crawl to the end. Thankfully 7 features the absolute best pacing the series has ever seen. You will explore, hide and just when you need to unleash some rage, blast some ugly thing to hell. Which looks glorious with the games magnificent lighting and goo effects, something I also adored is how the flashlight turns on when it is most needed. Allowing some areas to be quite dark, leading to some ominous tension filled moments.

This is a scary, dark, brutal and gory game that will offend or disgust those not in love with the genre, in game or cinema. Yet for true die-hard horror fanatics, this is a dream come true. The incredible immersion has not felt this effective since the first Half Life, opening doors by simply walking into them, and seeing your hand push them open is so satisfying, even if it seems like a mundane action. Everything you do in the game from racking a gun’s slide, to stabbing or slicing with your folding blade, has a great sense of kinetic weight. This is what makes the game feel so visceral.

While the game may be over in a flash if you get totally soaked in, it is simply because it is that good. When the game is over, your angry not that it ended at the wrong moment, but due to it being over. Thankfully, there is so much to see and do, that you'll be coming right back to the Baker estate.