I'm a casual RE fan, having only finished OG 4 and 5 beforehand. Been finally going through my backlog and got around to this one and it's good.
The biggest trouble I had with this game was getting used to the playstyle. My experience with horror games is minimal, so the generally limited options were a bit of a shock to the system (the first attic boss almost made me ragequit, looking back it's pretty silly now).
I've read this is the scariest game in the series, and I will likely agree when I complete the series. I had my headphones plugged in and it is genuinely one of the most tense experiences I've had playing a game and it was genuinely scary. Also love the nods to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Blair Witch Project, Evil Dead, and Saw, among others. The vibe and atmosphere is engrossing, and the resource management makes decisions matter so much more than other types of games. Most of the combat encounters can actually be skipped, which saves you ammo and other important resources (and you can also be cheeky and force despawns). The gradually unfolding story gets better as it goes along, which makes both endings worth it.
The forced combat that there was, however, definitely feels rough and not in the intended survival horror way. Most of the bosses are huge damage sponges, even on easy mode. Plus the story starts to diminish by the last quarter, when you enter the haunted ship. Then there's the final boss, which was pretty unsatisfying to finish.
Still, it does a lot more right than it does wrong and it's worthwhile for anyone interested in horror games. I don't think I'll platinum this one (madhouse difficulty and its save limitations can eat my entire ass), but that first playthrough was very memorable for me.
8/10
The biggest trouble I had with this game was getting used to the playstyle. My experience with horror games is minimal, so the generally limited options were a bit of a shock to the system (the first attic boss almost made me ragequit, looking back it's pretty silly now).
I've read this is the scariest game in the series, and I will likely agree when I complete the series. I had my headphones plugged in and it is genuinely one of the most tense experiences I've had playing a game and it was genuinely scary. Also love the nods to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Blair Witch Project, Evil Dead, and Saw, among others. The vibe and atmosphere is engrossing, and the resource management makes decisions matter so much more than other types of games. Most of the combat encounters can actually be skipped, which saves you ammo and other important resources (and you can also be cheeky and force despawns). The gradually unfolding story gets better as it goes along, which makes both endings worth it.
The forced combat that there was, however, definitely feels rough and not in the intended survival horror way. Most of the bosses are huge damage sponges, even on easy mode. Plus the story starts to diminish by the last quarter, when you enter the haunted ship. Then there's the final boss, which was pretty unsatisfying to finish.
Still, it does a lot more right than it does wrong and it's worthwhile for anyone interested in horror games. I don't think I'll platinum this one (madhouse difficulty and its save limitations can eat my entire ass), but that first playthrough was very memorable for me.
8/10