Resident Evil 7 is such a baffling game to me. It's a game that manages to be the best Resident Evil of the modern era in some respects while also the worst modern Resident Evil in others. Whenever I think about this game and its imperfections, I always find myself with a lot more to say about it than I think I did, so I decided to replay this game and it's DLC to finally be able to get it all out in words.

If you looked at just the gameplay and presentation of RE7 you would see nothing really wrong with this game. RE7 was the first RE game to shift to a first-person perspective and I think it works surprisingly well to the point that the third person perspective hardly feels like a series staple anymore. This first-person perspective also adds to the horror element of this game, which when paired with the setting adds up to make one of the scariest RE games I've played. The setting of the Bakers secluded and condemned Louisiana estate is a really good one, each area in the estate matches to one of the Baker family and they all have a different brand of horror to go with them, making each of these main sections feel unique and interesting. The puzzles, combat, and resource management gameplay are all really good here as well and what you'd expect from an RE game. The game is also just really good looking. The way the environments are crafted both visually and in terms of details just feels so real and that adds to the eeriness of the game as a whole.

So if the gameplay, setting, horror, and the presentation of the game are this good what's holding it back you may ask? Well, that'd be the story dear reader, the story is a fucking mess. To give it one thing, the basic plot setup and the way the game starts off. Ethan, being a normal guy who gets dragged into all the game's madness because he's looking for his wife is a good setup and the motivation for him to stay and try to save her is believable. It's in the unbelievablly stupid twists the game takes and the lackluster explanations of whats going on here that this game falters. This is where I get into spoiler territory so if you want to read on just press this link (https://pastebin.com/BhaFdRAE) and it'll take you into the rest of the story section.

The last thing I want to talk about is the DLC. I hadn't played the DLC prior to this playthrough, making it some of the only modern RE content I haven't touched yet and now that I've played it I can say it's alright. Starting off with the Banned Footage, which is where the main meat of this DLC comes from, I'd say this is pretty good. This shows the story of Clancy, another one of the Bakers victims that has to endure and survive their gauntlet of challenges. The Nightmare tape sees you surviving a hoard of nearly endless molded enemies as you try to survive until dawn in a sort of tower defense like mode, the Bedroom tape is an escape room of sorts where you have to use the items and clues available to you in the room all the while avoiding making a lot of noise to avoid attracting Margurite to the room and making sure to put everything back where you found it before she comes back each time otherwise she'll realise you're trying to escape, and the 21 tape sees you playing a few sadistic rounds of blackjack against another victim in Lucas' warehouse, the winner of which is allowed to go free and the loser of which is killed gruesomely. These are all pretty fun ideas that don't outstay their welcome for the most part and are neat little additions. The fourth Banned Footage tape works as a prolouge to the main story thatb shows us from Zoe's eyes the day that things went to shit, showing how Eveline corrupted the Bakers with her gift and how Zoe manages to escape meeting the same fate as the rest of her family, even if she can't leave the estate. There's also two other DLCs that serve as epilouges in "Not a Hero" and "End of Zoe", Not a Hero focuses on Chris Redfield going after Lucas Baker who turns out was much more evil than the game initially showed and is related to the Umbrella corporation, this mode is just a really short epilouge with basic RE gameplay that only really serves to tie the events of this game into the main RE story. End of Zoe focuses on Uncle Joe Baker finding Zoe in a crystalized state and searching for a cure for her all while a swampy version of Jack Baker follows him, the mode has you using Joe's bare fists and brute strength as weapons rather than guns and feels pretty fun and satisfying in that way, it's also nice to see Zoe's story get concluded so satisfyingly and brings closure to the events of the main game as a whole. Overall I'd say this DLC is mostly worth it, it's not a lot to write home about but it's something and if you get it on sale it'll provide you with a few more hours of entertainment if you liked the base game.

Despite its glaring story flaws that hold it back from greatness, Resident Evil 7 is still a really fun game and a good return to form as well as innovation for the RE series. The excellent gameplay, setting, and horror elements add up to what I believe to be the most genuinely scary Resident Evil
game and without it being made and returning the series to it's roots I probably wouldn't be such a big RE fan today.

Muito divertido, me prendeu muito na parte da perseguição pela casa. A exploração é muito legal (e recompensadora se tu for zé lootinho) mas senti falta de mais sustos, tu só vai tomar susto nesse jogo pq vai sair um zumbi na tua CARA quando tu virar qualquer corredor (o FOV é bem baixo), e quando não for assim vai >>literalmente<< cair um mofado do TETO, o combate tb é meio chato mas o foco do jogo mesmo é o gerenciamento de recursos int tá tudo bem. No mais, é bem legal, gostei bastante do Ethan.

My only experience with pre-RE4 games are the remakes but even just going with those you can really tell RE7 wants to be a first person old school RE game. I feel it does a great job at that, both with the atmosphere and gameplay. Most of the game is spent just exploring a disgusting swamp area that's dark as hell and creepy because of that. As for the story you follow Ethan who's trying to find his girlfriend that went missing in the game's area. Once you do find your girlfriend you realize you got to actually rescue her and find a way out. The main antagonist is red neck family called the bakers who are clearly infected\mutated.

The gameplay involves a lot of puzzle solving and backtracking to areas with new keys\equipment to unlock more areas. You do get guns to shoot but for the most part you are meant to conserve ammo since enemies do not drop any. Which as someone who mostly played post RE4 games is a nice change of pace.

Overall the game is really enjoyable, it feels great to explore and discover. It also has good tension with being set in a disgusting place and with you not wanting to engage with enemies. I should the 2 main story DLCs (Chris's, and Zoe's) are both great additions to get game that are worth playing.

I've heard many things about Resident Evil 7 since its release back in 2017. Words like 'savior', 'masterpiece', and 'renaissance' come up whenever RE7 is mentioned. Feelings of worship and thankfulness seem to resonate with fans of Resident Evil when talking about RE7, but are these words of praise justified?

As a new fan of the series who has only touched the remakes of 2, 3, and 4: I can't quite relate to the history of the Resident Evil franchise or how it may have fell or rose in quality over the years. What I can do though is play the game myself and report on my feelings and I'll say this: the praise is much justified.

Resident Evil 7, apart from one aspect, is everything I wanted in a Resident Evil game. Survival-Horror is back, and it's never been so beautiful. Slow and suspenseful exploration where you're encouraged to check every nook and cranny, not just for items that can help you but also to sate your curiosity through environmental storytelling. Combat is just how I like it with a steady methodical pace. Resources are scarce but so are enemies, so long as you play skillfully you shouldn't get overwhelmed.

The general atmosphere is amazing in this game. The level design grounds and pulls you in immediately with a stunning attention to detail in sound design and ambient music -all working together to create a world that keeps you on your toes like any good horror should.

The story is interesting and pushes you forward at a good pace to sate your curiosity. Puzzles are well made with some really great sections and the environments are always visually interesting -especially so the starting area. Boss fights are also some of the best in the series, never once feeling frustrating or unfair yet still being difficult enough to be enjoyable.

If I had to find one issue with the game it would probably have to be with the cast. While I found the cast of antagonists both entertaining and interesting, I can't quite say the same about the protagonists. Particularly Ethan as a character is honestly lacking to the point of feeling hollow -almost as if he is simply there not as his own character but as a point of self-insert for the player.

Perhaps this is fitting in a way given the point-of-view change from the traditional third-person to RE7's first-person view. Either way he is far less interesting than a Leon, Claire, or Jill... not to say that I disliked him, just that there was nothing particularly interesting about him and he was regularly outshined by other members of the cast.

Though I still have many other games in the franchise to play (I plan on going back and playing RE0/1 Remakes as well as RE5 and 6 with a friend when I can after Village), so far Resident Evil 7 is my favorite game in the franchise. It takes everything I like about Survival-Horror and packs it into a nice and tight experience that never overstays it's welcome. A stunning atmosphere, an interesting story, and a set of great areas: what more could you want? I highly recommend this game to anyone who hasn't already played it. Seriously, it's great.

4.5/5