Our Review of Resident Evil 7
We wrote last week that time was running out for your bucket list of games that you haven’t found time to play. With the arrival of Resident Evil 7, time is officially up. Resident Evil is the first must-play game of 2017. The game is completely unlike the first six titles in the franchise, but the new direction was desperately needed for this series. The switch to first-person gameplay from third person works well and allows the game to incorporate both the vulnerability of games like Outlast and the satisfying gun battles of titles like Doom. Heck, this game is better than either of those great games. Resident Evil 7 is a bold experiment that maintains what we loved about the early games while taking the franchise in a terrific new direction.
You’ll get to know each of these guys pretty well before the game’s over. They aren’t great people.
The game starts with your hero’s arrival at a dilapidated farm to find his missing wife. Things quickly go awry and you find yourself largely at the mercy of a family of crazed, superpowerful southerners who treat you to dinner before trying to kill you. This leads to some surprisingly varied gameplay. The family members generally have to be avoided by hiding throughout the house. The other residents – chiefly the shambling molded and swarming bees – have to be shot or burned. While every Resident Evil game involves budgeting your ammunition, this title felt particularly forgiving (though I still played very conservatively). Likewise, while you can save at various safe rooms throughout the home (which you can visit as often as you like), the game also autosaves pretty generously. All this lets you feel like you can explore without too much danger of losing hours of progress.
Yeah these guys are scary. But they aren’t bulletproof (Jack Baker, on the other hand…).
Centering the story on this family is a real strength of the game as each member has their own distinct location with unique gameplay. A smarter gamer than me could probably expand on how patriarch Jack’s portion evokes movies like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, while creepy matriarch Margueritte’s portion is more shadowy and haunting and son Lucas seems to be a big fan of the Saw films. Your battle against each enemy feels distinct and different. The intensity of your early battles with Jack (and they are very intense) feel very different than your later battles of wits with Lucas. If your early cat-and-mouse, high pressure battles don’t suit you, just wait. The game changes quite a bit as you play through (and you can always save repeatedly as you explore every inch of the mansion).
Holy crap! Is there actually cake? Something tells me it may be a lie.
The graphics and music are also extremely impressive. Every scene looks fantastic, textured and detailed. The music is haunting and memorable, and the music your hear in each of the safe rooms (where you save your progress) will stick with you long after you play. What I enjoyed most about the game was the feeling of empowerment that you experience over the course of your gameplay. You feel incredibly vulnerable at the start of the game as you hide from Jack and encounter your first molded. By the end, you’ll be blasting your way through groups of monsters without thinking twice (and, as long as you’re moderately conservative, you’ll have plenty of ammunition for it).
The Bakers definitely love shadow puzzles. And maybe cannibalism.
Is there anything to complain about? The boss fights can be a little awkward; up close, Jack sometimes moves like a resident of Westworld, particularly in your nail-biting chainsaw duel. Puzzles are also a little bit silly (finding statue heads to open a door seems way too arbitrary for a game this good) and we’ve already mentioned the silly moral choice late in the game. The game could also really use a new monster type later in the game to raise the stakes (remember this guy?). Regardless, this is one of the best games I’ve played in a long time and the reboot this series desperately needed.
The battle against Jack in the garage is a real game changer early on. And, much like the food they serve, he doesn’t go down easy.
THE BEST PARTS
The whole game is solid. It’s scary, exciting, fun, and beautifully designed. I am not a huge fan of either horror games or the Resident Evil franchise, but this game won me over.
THE WORST PARTS
Replayability might be an issue for some, and the plot will probably disappoint others. Still, these are minor issues in what’s a standout game in the franchise.
OUR TAKE: BUY IT
Resident Evil 7 is a bold experiment that works amazingly well. Resident Evil 2 and 4 will always have a special place in my heart, but Resident Evil 7 is a bold new direction in the series. Definitely play it.
