Writing this review is pretty difficult as this particular game represents a great deal more than just a game. First and foremost, it represents my success in the 52 game challenge and I'm incredibly pleased I was able to do this and will 100% be attempting next year. This is also my 52nd time I'm trying to capture my thoughts and I've got a lot of them over the year to think about. This is also the end of the mainline Resident Evil franchise that I have now played in its entirety* (not re1 original) and now I have to sift through my feelings of some pretty intense ups and downs even in the past couple of weeks. If I could plan this year out a little better I definitely would have put more time between the last couple RE games but unfortunately I REALLY wanted 7 to be my 52nd game of the year so we ended up with a 0 -> 6 -> 7 progression here that I have to work around. All in all though I'm immensely glad I completed this challenge and subsequently joined the fanbase of this, overall, superb franchise.
So anyway, Resident Evil 7. There are a lot of major departures for this entry to this franchise and the biggest I think is the perspective which has once again shifted - this time to first person. I'm an enormous fan of first person RPGs so this wasn't a difficult transition for me especially as the game maintains a much slower pace than its 3 predecessors. It also has a completely new protagonist a story almost wholly divorced from the enormous canon that RE6 tried to utilize and expand all at once, with another new virus and another new batch of enemies. Where RE7 succeeds where I think RE5 and 6 failed however (and 4 succeeded at as well) with their new infections was a sense of consistency. The new 'mold' creatures (sadly there are only a handful of varieties) have a VERY strong visual identity and have powers that seem to track with their deformities. They're damn tough as well with ammo being pretty scarce again it makes for some tense situations. The most intense one for me is in the main picture - I had to make my way through a boiler room with 3 enemies, and used all of my ammo to do it. What happens when I get to the next section? 2 more drop behind me so I go literally toe to toe with both of them and just my knife.. I scraped through with some fancy footwork and a few healing items hahaa... It was a very tense moment that drained me of my resources, but the game also let me chill for a bit afterwards to build my self up again. PACING!
The gameplay continues in traditional RE fashion - you're pretty vulnerable and have to stay on your toes to start with, but you slowly build strength over time and are blasting away foes by end game - though never quite with full confidence... The RE tradition of a giant 'FU' boss continues but thankfully they know at this point it is more symbolic - you can shoot it a few times and then you get the 'Rocket Launcher' to kill it and roll credits. No need to save up boatloads of your own ammo to get the job done. Back also are a number of small puzzles and backtracking with various keys - mercifully labeled on your map! It feels good to be trapped in these weird funhouses, literally this time by one of the antagonists!
Speaking of antagonists - the story and character of RE7 are all quite good with just a couple of issues, primarily our protagonist Ethan. Ethan is... a guy. I didn't mean to end that sentence in a generic way but I genuinely tried to think of character traits and I honestly don't think he has any. Contrasted with the Bakers (all delightful) or Mia or Eveline, characters with some real interesting depth to them (not a lot of course but enough) he just really sticks out as being an outsider. It also pretty sharply contrasts with previous RE history where the protagonists are all great characters! When the game switches protagonists about 80% of the way through I was kinda hoping we would stay as Mia, a person with real relevance to the story buuuut oh well. In terms of the Bakers, I feel like they more than make up for the lack of enemy variety otherwise with the molded. Jack is a 'stalker' Nemesis type which leads to some EPIC boss battles, Margaritte is creepy and has a weird bug thing going on, Eveline and her crazed desire for a 'family'... Good stuff all around. Lucas is a POS and I really liked the revelation he was basically garbage the whole time and more or less unaffected by Eveline's madness!
Overall, Resident Evil 7 is a superb combination of returning to form for the series but also pushing it forward in exciting ways. What was before a bombastic yet empty fireworks display is now a smaller, grittier and yet much more satisfying experience. The first person camera helps makes each hit and scare that much more real, and adds to the tension of exploring this run down and corrupted home. The characters are more than interesting enough to carry the story forward and I genuinely hoped for a bit of redemption for the Bakers at the end of it, and a twinge of regret and compassion for the 'monster' that made it all happen. A riveting experience I couldn't put down, and I don't think I've really felt that from the beginning since Resident Evil 2!
So anyway, Resident Evil 7. There are a lot of major departures for this entry to this franchise and the biggest I think is the perspective which has once again shifted - this time to first person. I'm an enormous fan of first person RPGs so this wasn't a difficult transition for me especially as the game maintains a much slower pace than its 3 predecessors. It also has a completely new protagonist a story almost wholly divorced from the enormous canon that RE6 tried to utilize and expand all at once, with another new virus and another new batch of enemies. Where RE7 succeeds where I think RE5 and 6 failed however (and 4 succeeded at as well) with their new infections was a sense of consistency. The new 'mold' creatures (sadly there are only a handful of varieties) have a VERY strong visual identity and have powers that seem to track with their deformities. They're damn tough as well with ammo being pretty scarce again it makes for some tense situations. The most intense one for me is in the main picture - I had to make my way through a boiler room with 3 enemies, and used all of my ammo to do it. What happens when I get to the next section? 2 more drop behind me so I go literally toe to toe with both of them and just my knife.. I scraped through with some fancy footwork and a few healing items hahaa... It was a very tense moment that drained me of my resources, but the game also let me chill for a bit afterwards to build my self up again. PACING!
The gameplay continues in traditional RE fashion - you're pretty vulnerable and have to stay on your toes to start with, but you slowly build strength over time and are blasting away foes by end game - though never quite with full confidence... The RE tradition of a giant 'FU' boss continues but thankfully they know at this point it is more symbolic - you can shoot it a few times and then you get the 'Rocket Launcher' to kill it and roll credits. No need to save up boatloads of your own ammo to get the job done. Back also are a number of small puzzles and backtracking with various keys - mercifully labeled on your map! It feels good to be trapped in these weird funhouses, literally this time by one of the antagonists!
Speaking of antagonists - the story and character of RE7 are all quite good with just a couple of issues, primarily our protagonist Ethan. Ethan is... a guy. I didn't mean to end that sentence in a generic way but I genuinely tried to think of character traits and I honestly don't think he has any. Contrasted with the Bakers (all delightful) or Mia or Eveline, characters with some real interesting depth to them (not a lot of course but enough) he just really sticks out as being an outsider. It also pretty sharply contrasts with previous RE history where the protagonists are all great characters! When the game switches protagonists about 80% of the way through I was kinda hoping we would stay as Mia, a person with real relevance to the story buuuut oh well. In terms of the Bakers, I feel like they more than make up for the lack of enemy variety otherwise with the molded. Jack is a 'stalker' Nemesis type which leads to some EPIC boss battles, Margaritte is creepy and has a weird bug thing going on, Eveline and her crazed desire for a 'family'... Good stuff all around. Lucas is a POS and I really liked the revelation he was basically garbage the whole time and more or less unaffected by Eveline's madness!
Overall, Resident Evil 7 is a superb combination of returning to form for the series but also pushing it forward in exciting ways. What was before a bombastic yet empty fireworks display is now a smaller, grittier and yet much more satisfying experience. The first person camera helps makes each hit and scare that much more real, and adds to the tension of exploring this run down and corrupted home. The characters are more than interesting enough to carry the story forward and I genuinely hoped for a bit of redemption for the Bakers at the end of it, and a twinge of regret and compassion for the 'monster' that made it all happen. A riveting experience I couldn't put down, and I don't think I've really felt that from the beginning since Resident Evil 2!