Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is a premium piece of survival horror that lives up to it's name. It's paper thin premise may cause some confusion if one stops to think about it for a few seconds, but the game won't give you any time to with how quick it is to get to the meat of things. It's elegant blend of atmosphere and mechanics will hook you from the start and keep you on edge for the majority of it's run.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard trades out some franchise conventions for a more traditional horror setup. The trained shot in the form of a beat cop or secret agent is swapped out with an everyman with a shakey hand. The first person perspective that became popular in the genre was embraced too, letting you experience the series in a new way. The subdued tone throws out the action movie cliches that the series is known for.The cynical reading is that these concessions were made to widen appeal, but the end result makes it hard to see it as a mistake.
The essence of the series has been kept in the game's mechanics. A small inventory, limited weaponry and a dangerous labyrinth filled with life-saving items to scavenge and terrifying creatures are all hallmarks of the series that make you feel your back against the wall more than any other series in the genre. Decisions about what to carry with you when you leave the relief of a save room are critical as you improvise in the field to survive. You’re always given the option to fight, but resources are kept low enough that you’ll be considering if it’s even worth taking every shot and cursing yourself when a bullet misses it’s target.
A simple crafting system has you weighing every ingredient’s use. Chem fluid can be combined with other pickups to make offensive or defensive tools which let you lean into different playstyles depending on the situation. Making these decisions on the fly and having to live with them as you carve out safe routes through the game’s various decrypt mansions, warehouses and underground passages creates it’s own tension that the game’s aesthetic only highlights.
The first person perspective can seem clunky at first compared to more convenient ways to get a read on the action from previous games, but all it does is trade some of that convenience for a stronger immersive factor. Other creative decisions like going with an everyman and the first half’s grounded, intimate tone enhance the urgency of the situation. It’ll be up to the player whether these changes can make up for some of the added frustration a first person perspective brings. It becomes more difficult to judge the space of the player in relation to the environment enemy which causes problems with the combat. A cautious, evasive playstyle becomes preferable, which suit the circumstances of this game well, but the last third or so dials up the focus on combat which undercuts this angle a little.
The true stars of the game are the Bakers, the mysterious family at the center of Mia’s disappearance. They’ve been gifted with horrific enhancements and an over-the-top lust for mischief by the game’s true antagonist and a lot of the game’s tension comes from what they add to the gameplay. You spend the majority of the game lurking their respective lairs, trying to look for the path forward and solve puzzles while being stalked by these monstrosities. Their demeanours are all unique as are their methods for tormenting Ethan, giving each section it’s own memorable setpieces and boss fights.
The game starts to lose some momentum once the Bakers are dealt with and the backstory behind their Residence unfolds. The game’s tension starts to fizzle out as the protagonsts’s armory expands. The labyrinths fade into more linear hallways with deliberate encounters. The game’s combat problems go from negligible to hard to ignore. The game can’t help but end on a bombastic setpiece. It doesn’t suit the strengths of the game and unfortunately it isn’t mechanically engaging enough to justify.
The bizarre last quarter is a shame but the game is chock full of moments I’ll look back on fondly in every sense, from it’s clever puzzles to it’s strong atmosphere. Memorable characters and thrilling boss encounters. It won’t win any awards for uniqueness but there are very few horror games as successful at melding time honored tropes and mechanics together as this one.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard trades out some franchise conventions for a more traditional horror setup. The trained shot in the form of a beat cop or secret agent is swapped out with an everyman with a shakey hand. The first person perspective that became popular in the genre was embraced too, letting you experience the series in a new way. The subdued tone throws out the action movie cliches that the series is known for.The cynical reading is that these concessions were made to widen appeal, but the end result makes it hard to see it as a mistake.
The essence of the series has been kept in the game's mechanics. A small inventory, limited weaponry and a dangerous labyrinth filled with life-saving items to scavenge and terrifying creatures are all hallmarks of the series that make you feel your back against the wall more than any other series in the genre. Decisions about what to carry with you when you leave the relief of a save room are critical as you improvise in the field to survive. You’re always given the option to fight, but resources are kept low enough that you’ll be considering if it’s even worth taking every shot and cursing yourself when a bullet misses it’s target.
A simple crafting system has you weighing every ingredient’s use. Chem fluid can be combined with other pickups to make offensive or defensive tools which let you lean into different playstyles depending on the situation. Making these decisions on the fly and having to live with them as you carve out safe routes through the game’s various decrypt mansions, warehouses and underground passages creates it’s own tension that the game’s aesthetic only highlights.
The first person perspective can seem clunky at first compared to more convenient ways to get a read on the action from previous games, but all it does is trade some of that convenience for a stronger immersive factor. Other creative decisions like going with an everyman and the first half’s grounded, intimate tone enhance the urgency of the situation. It’ll be up to the player whether these changes can make up for some of the added frustration a first person perspective brings. It becomes more difficult to judge the space of the player in relation to the environment enemy which causes problems with the combat. A cautious, evasive playstyle becomes preferable, which suit the circumstances of this game well, but the last third or so dials up the focus on combat which undercuts this angle a little.
The true stars of the game are the Bakers, the mysterious family at the center of Mia’s disappearance. They’ve been gifted with horrific enhancements and an over-the-top lust for mischief by the game’s true antagonist and a lot of the game’s tension comes from what they add to the gameplay. You spend the majority of the game lurking their respective lairs, trying to look for the path forward and solve puzzles while being stalked by these monstrosities. Their demeanours are all unique as are their methods for tormenting Ethan, giving each section it’s own memorable setpieces and boss fights.
The game starts to lose some momentum once the Bakers are dealt with and the backstory behind their Residence unfolds. The game’s tension starts to fizzle out as the protagonsts’s armory expands. The labyrinths fade into more linear hallways with deliberate encounters. The game’s combat problems go from negligible to hard to ignore. The game can’t help but end on a bombastic setpiece. It doesn’t suit the strengths of the game and unfortunately it isn’t mechanically engaging enough to justify.
The bizarre last quarter is a shame but the game is chock full of moments I’ll look back on fondly in every sense, from it’s clever puzzles to it’s strong atmosphere. Memorable characters and thrilling boss encounters. It won’t win any awards for uniqueness but there are very few horror games as successful at melding time honored tropes and mechanics together as this one.