Fans of the “Resident Evil” series have been waiting a long time for a true return to form. After taking inspiration from the pioneers of modern survival horror, “Resident Evil 7: Biohazard” simultaneously shifts perspective and improves while capturing what made the origins of the series so great.
“Resident Evil 7” brings players to a dilapidated colonial plantation in rural Louisiana, as the main character, Ethan Winters, searches for his long lost wife, Mia. His struggle devolves into survival instincts when the cannibalistic Baker family tortures Ethan and Mia as they attempt to escape this madhouse.
Though performances can be trite at times, the insanity of the Baker family incites fear by relying more on atmosphere instead of jump scares. The father, Jack, the mother, Marguerite, and the son, Lucas, each represent three archetypes of the incitement of fear: Jack portrays violent, in-your-face terror, Marguerite creeps inconspicuously until she catches the player off guard and Lucas creates clever puzzles and traps to test the player’s intuition. This unpredictable trinity of horror sets a precedent of anxiety that is pervasive throughout the entire playthrough.
Eventually, the story spirals further into the “Resident Evil” lore that fans know so well. Avoiding any major spoilers, the ending of “Resident Evil 7” ties into the series’ overarching narrative in a peculiar, but interesting way. Despite this, the atmosphere of “Resident Evil 7” is vastly different in comparison to the previous entries in the series.
“Resident Evil 7” is the first in the series to develop the game entirely in the first-person perspective, a feature that is both divisive and revolutionary. This directly fixes some of the issues associated with earlier third-person aiming systems in the series. Aiming from the first-person perspective is always easier to perform for the player, and this extends beyond enemy encounters.
The way the character interacts with weapons and objects strikes an interesting balance of vulnerability without seeming clunky or unnatural. Reloading guns, using melee weapons, opening doors, picking up items and interacting with the environment are all realistic animations that aren’t too fast or too slow. Overall, the player doesn’t feel overpowered, but at the same time, isn’t helpless. The player can be nervous of an unexpected attack, but will not feel hopeless in fighting back.
The majority of gameplay takes place in close quarters among dark shadows, narrow hallways, dingy basements and mysterious facilities. Much of this gameplay is exploration and fighting, but there are some puzzle elements while exploring the plantation, albeit they are a bit weak. None of the puzzles are overtly complex and are generally self-explanatory, but they don’t detract from the overall meat of the experience.
Some hardcore fans may not enjoy it, but first-person perspective accentuates the atmosphere of tight-spaced claustrophobia and anxiety to the point where it would be near impossible in third-person perspective.
The visuals themselves also contribute to the dark atmosphere of the game, with the desaturation of colors and the lack of lighting throughout most, if not all of the environments. There’s never a single room without at least one dark corner. The derelict Louisiana plantation is a broken mess that feels labyrinthine even with area maps.
“Resident Evil 7” changes the series a lot with its shift in perspective, but reinvents its true vision since the beginning: to create the quintessential survival horror experience without sacrificing action at the expense of horror or vice versa.