difficult to dissect/properly evaluate horror games because, yes, this was exceedingly effective in its evocation of stress and fear due to the constant jump scares that you’re forced into due to the first person POV; the puzzles and tests are fun and engaging. but it’s also extremely over-reliant on these scare tactics throughout which causes it to become extremely tedious and repetitive to get through. also just frustrating to navigate compared to the first res. evil game it’s supposedly revolutionizing. plus, all this doesn’t even mention how absurd the story is. some really good set pieces in here (even if their utilization was subpar) that managed to get me invested so i’ll give credit where credit is at due: biohazard works.

got a bit tedious during the first seattle section (hence why i stopped it for so long) but once i came around 2 the fact that the exhaustion is symptomatic of cyclic trauma i just fell in love. the best usage of violence to create a detestation of what yr enacting. also super smooth gameplay (listen mode is great, stealth, shooting, etc.) and gorgeous visuals, specifically the fire. not a 5 bagger simply because of the repetition inherent to the way the story is framed — even tho it’s narratively crucial it just doesn’t make for the best playing experience.