Well, I did it! I've never reached 52 games beat this early in the year before, not even close. My overall goal this year is 100 games beat, but even at the 52 games milestone, things feel pretty good right now. Anyhow, let's get on with my review of the game that put me over the finish line.
52. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (PS4)
When it comes to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (RE7), the term you're likely to hear and see plastered all over the internet is "return to form." It's easy to understand why this phrase is everywhere in association with RE7; the franchise had spent the last decade deeply imbedded in the action genre thanks to the massive pivot the series took with Resident Evil 4 back in 2005. The increase in action and over the top gameplay came at the expense of the game's horror atmosphere which had defined the previous three mainline titles plus Code Veronica. So for RE7 to completely tone down the over the top action gameplay in favor of more slow, atmospheric horror was seen very favorably by much of the fanbase that yearned for RE to be scary again. However, after beating RE7, I feel like saying this game is a return to form is a bit deceptive. While yes, RE7 definitely makes the series about horror and scares again instead of mowing down entire cities of zombies while skyscrapers explode in the background, I feel like in almost every other way, RE7 just doesn't feel like an RE game.
In many ways, RE7 feels more akin to a game like Outlast, or some other horror game that took some inspiration from the Resident Evil franchise, but remained its own distinct thing. This was my experience while playing RE7, where throughout most of the game I was only given small breadcrumbs that reminded me I was playing the next game in the RE franchise and not some completely different game, or at the very least an RE spinoff. This was a big reason I avoided playing RE7 for so long despite that "return to form" declaration that 98% of the internet claimed. Still, despite the game feeling fairly divorced from the previous games in the franchise throughout most the game, at least until towards the end, I still enjoyed RE7 for the most part despite having some issues with it that have little or nothing to do with it not feeling like a Resident Evil title throughout most of it.
Unlike previous Resident Evil games, you play as an average Joe named Ethan Winters who travels to a remote area of rural Louisiana after getting a video recording of his wife who went missing 3-years ago. When you arrive at the large property where your wife is supposedly waiting for you, you quickly realize things aren't what they seem and the game takes a sharp turn into its horror aesthetic. Also, unlike previous RE games which leaned on scifi horror themes and visuals, RE7 is more reminiscent of grind house horror movies like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and even newer franchises like Saw and The Ring. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, it definitely does not feel at all like an RE game, which is complimented even further by the fact you're playing this game in first person. The first person perspective definitely lends itself to the horror atmosphere and aesthetic, and while I get limited your situational awareness was definitely an intentional design decision to ramp up your anxiety while playing, it just seems to strip away a lot of the identity of the series which relied on a third person perspective. Luckily, RE7 did bring back a lot of the survival horror gameplay and mechanics which can definitely be lumped into that "return to form" sentiment, but compared to most other entries, RE7 is still fairly linear with a lot of keys and puzzle items getting used in the same general area you happen to be in, and only a few instances where you need to go much further back to use an item to unlock something to progress. There's also the reliance on avoiding conflict as much as possible, which is particularly true of the Baker family, the main antagonists of the game. Outside a few scripted sequences and boss fights, they're all essentially indestructible, much like Nemesis or Mr. X, however, unlike the games that contained those two iconic RE monsters, you'll often know when and where to expect Jack or Marg Baker, and plan on avoiding them accordingly. RE3 Remake was heavily criticized for doing this with Nemesis, and I never understood why RE7 gets a pass for essentially doing the same thing. Like the previous RE games, you'll be managing inventory, combining items, examining items for keys or other items, and while this definitely helped with reminding me I was playing an RE game, it wasn't enough in the grand scheme of things and definitely fell into category of being inspired by RE rather than it being RE.
One of the main mechanics in RE7 that I found particularly limiting and annoying was controlling Ethen Winters. To say Ethan's movements are slow would be an understatement. Even when running, he still doesn't even feel like he's engaged in a brisk walk. This is also true of turning around to face threats coming from behind as well. His movement speed is serviceable enough I suppose, but the player and gameplay would have benefited by controlling someone who doesn't feel like he walking underwater. Of course, with RE7 being in first person, you'll also be given various weapons and guns to help fend off the various enemies and bosses you'll be encountering. Shooting in this game is okay, which aiming not always being the easiest or most accurate thing in the world, especially with how enemies sway and walk. You'll really have to pick your shots well. Fortunately, there is a fairly ample supply of ammo and healing items, even on normal difficulty. This does undermine the survival horror aspect somewhat, but I can't knock this too much since simply increasing the difficulty easily fixes this if you want fewer items available to assist you during your play through.
RE7's graphics are its greatest asset. While it isn't the best looking game to come out around 2017, it isn't too far off either. Some environments and enemies look better than others, but overall, I had few compliant about the overall visual fidelity of the game or any framerate issues to speak of. One gripe I do have when it comes to the visuals and presentation have to do with there being a lack of variety when it comes to enemies in this game. There is a common enemy type called the Molded which you will run into throughout the game. There are a few variants of the molded, but for the most part they're all the same black blob-looking monsters that you'll be fighting half the time throughout RE7. The bosses are somewhat better, however I do have to give props to one of the last bosses you'll go up against which did give me massive RE2 vibes, but other than that you'll mostly just be fighting the Bakers which mostly just look like themselves, but slightly more grotesque than their normal selves. The character models all mostly look good too, although there is a but of uncanny valley going on with a few of them, particularly close up that took me out of the immersion a bit.
RE7's audio is somewhat of a mixed bag, but comes out being more good than bad in the end. The sound design in this game is very good, with you hearing various creaks, thuds, footsteps, and other things that really ramp up the tension while you're playing. Most of the time, you'll likely hear an enemy approaching before you actually see them which definitely adds to this game embracing the horror genre more than most of its more recent predecessors. Unfortunately, much of this game does not have any music while you're playing, which is another departure from previous RE games, going back to the first few games that came out in the 90s. I would have really liked to hear more ambient horror tracks playing during the game, but what we do get definitely fits, even though none of it is particularly memorable. Finally, the voice acting in RE7 is a mixed bag. You gave excellent performances for characters like Jack Baker and your wife Mia, but then you get awkward and sometimes wooden performances from the main character Ethan, or just goofy performances that really take you out of the immersion like with Lucas Baker. These bad voice overs do more harm than good, especially since they involve some of the most important characters. For a game that takes itself a lot more serious than most other RE games, it definitely clashes with the horror themes of this game.
This brings me to some of the writing and story of RE7 which is another area I had some problems with. Ethan Winters is probably the most forgettable, bland, and unremarkable Resident Evil character in franchise history. Part of that is the aforementioned voice acting of his character, but also him being a faceless protagonist that you never see emote. Beyond him just being like, "Oh crap, that was scary!" you don't get much out of him in terms of any character progression, back story, or anything else meaningful that made most other characters in the RE franchise so memorable. I also found RE7's story to be maybe the least inspired of any RE game I've ever played. More or less, the game just threw Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Saw, The Ring, and threw in a dash of classic Resident Evil and blended it all together. It's like they looked at what some popular horror movies were over the past couple decades and decided they were just going to try and appeal to fans of those franchises over their core fanbase. If not for the last hour of the game, I'd likely have disregarded RE7 and labeled it as some RE inspired, non-canon entry given how little it connects to the rest of the established franchise. Some of the writing that happens before is pretty good, but its not until the final stretch of the game where the real lore payoff happens. It's sad you have to get that far along in the game for this to happen, but as they say, better late than never.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is a pretty good, competent horror game, however it's not a very good Resident Evil game. It absolutely rekindles a lot of the missing horror than many RE fans, myself included, have wanted Capcom to bring back for decades, but it changes so much while providing so little for the established lore than its less of a return to form, and more of a reboot of the series, one that isn't nearly as interesting or compelling as the majority of its forbearers. I know some people adore this game, but from experience it seems like most of these people belong to a younger crowd with little to no experience with the previous entires in the series. I also can't help but think Capcom made the decision to make this a first person horror game due to the booming popularity of similar games among the online let's play community. As a marketing strategy, it was probably a good decision, but in terms of staying true to the established franchise, it's a bit of a slap in the face. Still, no matter what your opinion is on the changes made to RE7, I still think its worth playing as an RE fan or even as someone who wants to try and get more into this incredible series. If you belong to the latter group, jsut be prepared to be greeted by a very different experience when you explore earlier games in the series. (4/24/25) [35/50]
