INTRODUCTION

Resident Evil is a series that has lost its identity a bit in recent years. Starting out in 1996 as one of the earliest and most influential survival horror titles but devolving into an ever more bombastic Michael Bay esque action series by the time fifth and sixth installment came around. The series had strayed far from its horror roots that is until 2014 when the studio decided to take a step back with the intention of returning the series to where it began. The team took inspiration this time for more Western horror elements such as films and the narrative design for the first time in the core series was headed by a westerner Richard Peary who is perhaps best known for his work on the expansions of 'fear' and 'SpecOps two-line'. How well does the new entry stack up? Will these changes along with the newly developed re engine go on to successfully return the tone of the series back to horror while at the same time reinventing the Resident Evil formula where it belonged? Lets find out.

STORY: 7/10

Let me just clear this doubt from everyone's mind, even though the latest entry in the series is a numbered one, you need not play the previous titles to get a grip on what's going on. It's a completely new story with a whole new host of of characters.

Now, to the story. You take on the role of Ethan Winters whose wife mysteriously disappeared and was thought to be dead. Three years after her disappearance Ethan receives a mysterious email from someone claiming to be Mia and tells him to stay away but too concerned with answers and consumed by the possibility that his wife is still alive Ethan of course does precisely the opposite of what was asked of him and travels to Dulvey, Louisiana in search of Mia. This search inevitably leads him to the Baker family plantation deep within the swamps where he will face a terror unlike anything he has ever expected. Compared to the cold, medieval interior of the still-beloved Spencer Mansion, the Baker household actually feels like a lived-in space rather than a grandiose maze of traps and hidden laboratories.

The story like past Resident Evil games, is your average B-rated horror movie. But an indulging one nonetheless. A lot of instances in the game feels like a shout out to 80’s and 90’s horror movies.

GAMEPLAY: 9/10

Where Resident Evil 7 really pivots from past entries is in it's gameplay, gone are the 3rd person perspective gameplay with over the shoulder action packed moments for a much slower paced, first person perspective gameplay. Everything about this game screams “SURVIVAL HORROR!!” Resources are limited, almost every single enemy can and will overpower you if not approached carefully. Guns have a noticeable weight and recoil that makes them satisfying to use. Ammo and Health conservation is key for survival in this game especially if you intend to ramp up the difficulty. Even your carry-on is limited, meaning you can't go ahead and pick-up everything you see. Similar to the first 3 Resident Evil games, there are loot boxes to store away items you don't need for the moment. These crates are located at safe houses where you can also save your game. How the carry works is that items are placed in slots and each item requires 1 slot with certain large items such as shotguns needing two item slots. You start off with 16(4X4) slots which you can increase as you progress. It works really well. The game tests your item management skills without much punishment that in the end it feels rewarding.

One new combat mechanic is Ethan’s ability to block. Blocking significantly reduces the damage taken from strikes, and you’ll quickly learn how vital this mechanic is during combat, and for a player like myself I suffered some initial growing pains combining blocking and running.

 

The game is littered with various boss fights which are not so fun and impressive and then there are puzzels present in the game. They are very rare and straightforward. I felt like I simply stumbled upon answers more than I did employed any kind of real problem-solving to get there

PERFORMANCE: 9.5/10

The game runs at a native 1080p at 60fps on both PS4 and XboxOne with 4k-60fps options available for PS4 Pro and PC. HDR(High Dynamic Range) is an option available on all platforms ie, Standard PS4, PS4 pro, XboxOne S and PC (Note:- HDR isn't available on the original XboxOne as that feature is not supported. Also, in order to play in HDR or 4k, you must have an HDR/4k or both compatible television). For those of you on Sony’s platform will be able to experience the whole game in VR but while on VR mode, expect a hit on the visuals as the system isn't powerful enough to handle the visual fidelity you would see on your T.V. Frame rates are locked on a super solid 60fps almost all the time on ps4 with a few drops to the 50’s on XboxOne. Though both systems run the game at a native 1080p neither images are sharp. This was an intentional move by Capcom to give it that VHS footage vibe to it. It works well and looks good. But comparing both platforms, the XboxOne version looks like it has more shimmering on display while compared to the PS4. It could be that Capcom used Post-process and temporal anti-aliasing solution while on XboxOne they might have used a simpler post-AA method. Other than this they are identical. There are also moments when higher texture quality is replaced with lower ones on both platforms.

VISUALS: 9/10

There is not much I can really say about the visuals except that it is what you would expect games to look like in 2017. Graphics look really good while there is a bit of uncanny valley feel to a couple of characters for the most part the people, creatures and environments are handled very well really giving away a sense of realism and menace particularly the Baker family themselves. The level design and locations are fantastic and feel very real given the reality of what's going on the estate. Textures look fantastic like the dynamic effects such as bleeding wounds during boss encounters, welts from bug bites and cuts on your hands and arms as you take damage and even the over-the-top moments of gore lend a lot of credibility to the intensity of what is taking place. It's disturbing sometimes but disturbing in the way that good horror should be. Creature design is also very well done though a bit more variety in the enemies would have been appreciated as they can seem a little repetitive at times.

AUDIO: 8/10

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Soundtrack of the game

Audio is what plays a major role in much of the scare factors in Resident Evil 7 and they nailed it. Everything from doors closing behind you to things falling down, helps create a certain tension that there is something in the room with you and it's just waiting for you to turn around for it to grab you. The times when I’m sliding through a narrow passageway, the music rises and rises as if something is approaching so that I begin to expect Jack to grab me by the throat as I reach its end, or open a door to a new room expecting to be thrown through its walls by him, it doesn’t happen. Now, I don’t know what to expect, so rather than build myself up to the scare, I’m left in constant dreaded expectation, meaning any sudden sound has me on edge.

Audio quality being top notch still has it’s share of problems, many audio settings seems to be inaccessible such as Audio Dynamic Range and Audio output medium such home theater or headphones. Voice audio seems to get overpowered by other in-game audio assets due to which most dialogs are inaudible and you will have difficulties understanding what the characters are talking about if you have subtitles turned off.

Overall Score: 42.5/50  

Story: 7/10

Gameplay: 9/10

Performance: 9.5/10

Visuals: 9/10

Audio: 8/10 

85% approval rating.

CONCLUSION:

Resident Evil 7: BIOHAZARD is Capcom’s way of saying,'We’re still kings of the survival horror genre’ and they proved it with this game. The game can occasionally frustrate you with excessive boss fights and very simple and straightforward puzzles, but it’s still a scary and violent blast of survival horror that paints a bright future for the franchise.

Now, we have to wait and see how Capcom moves forward after reclaiming the throne.

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official trailer

Note: All Screenshots of the game were taken during my play session. I review the games when bought and edit the reviews for steemit