Over 20 years ago, Resident Evil was the game which first coined the phrase “survival horror”. In it, the player ran around a zombie-infested mansion trying to survive, occasionally sharing hilariously bad voice acting with other melodramatic characters. Since then, the game series has had a history as varied as Albert Wesker’s backstory (if you don’t get that, you never played a Resi game). Although Resident Evil used to be a by-word for quality, in recent years creators Capcom have lost their way. After one of the greatest games of all time – Resident Evil 4 – the series has been stuck in a bit of a rut, with a host of turgid spinoff games and the main series going downhill too, with 6 being especially shoddy.
Credit: Capcom
With critical acclaim and sales decaying, Capcom went back to the drawing board for 7 – hoping to reanimate the zombie series for the second time and find the fun factor again. Like the Resident Evil: Revelations spin-offs (the only decent examples from the last few years), they wanted to get back to their survival horror roots – instead of the epic and ridiculous globe-trotting action-fest that the series had become.
The anticipation of nudging open doors keeps the tension from the original Resident Evil loading screens. Credit: Capcom
The game immediately gives a nod to Silent Hill 2, with bland protagonist Ethan Winters getting a message from his long missing wife, Mia. She tells him to come to an address out in the middle of the bayou in Louisiana. This mouldering, creepy farmhouse turns out to the be the source of much wrong-doing by the hands of the infected and insane Baker family – who imprison Ethan when he arrives. You must escape the Bakers and try to get yourself and Mia out of their rotting abode, deep in the swamp. The whole game takes place in and around this house, a welcome return for Resident Evil to a single, involving, setting.
Your wife Mia. Sadly the character interactions are really let down by some uncanny valley weird mouth movement that is as creepy as the game’s monsters. Credit: Capcom
Resident Evil 7 borrows elements from all the best Resi games, trumping action with adventure and atmosphere. And with the chance to mix the formula up a bit, the creators have cribbed from many other sources as well. The influence of other games, movies and TV from the horror genre is obvious throughout the game, with cliches and familiarities popping up everywhere. In fact the marketing and demo might even suggest a new type of game. But at its core, despite what you may think from first impressions, this is still very much a Resident Evil game, just in new clothing.
Ethan certainly takes punishment like a champ, barely phased by the multitude of pain and horrors inflicted on him during the game. Credit: Capcom
The most obvious difference is the switch from third to first person perspective. Now you see through the hero’s eyes it adds a whole new level of immersion and scare factor. Yes, this is a creepy game – although I know some people didn’t find it that creepy, I know plenty more who rate it as the scariest Resident Evil game yet. It’s rarely terrifying – but I found it unsettling throughout, and at times I was really not looking forward to entering a foreboding room, or running in panic from some horror or other. At the time I am usually cursing, but trust me, it’s a good thing.
Credit: Capcom
The atmosphere is thick and rich in this grotty house in the humid bayou. Graphics are excellent, with dramatic dynamic lighting put to great use throughout the game. Great textures, and loads of details throughout the environments really make the Baker household and the surrounding swamp feel alive and lived in (albeit, full of horrors!). The sound too is brilliant. The constant creaks, thuds and rattles of this failing abode and its grounds constantly keeps you on edge. Outside the bushes rustle, trees whisper in the wind and the swamp laps and bubbles around the jetties. There aren’t many jump scares but their inclusion means you’re never sure whether a noise is something coming to get you, or just the environment playing tricks.
Credit: Capcom
The Bakers make for interesting foes. A stereotypical redneck family with cannibal tendencies and supernatural powers, their apparent invincibility makes them challenging opponents. Obviously inspired by Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and other horror games like Amnesia, you might have to use stealth to sneak past them, fight to incapacitate them, or just run like hell and try to lose them. Although they aren’t super scary, they do make for a lot of tense moments, and are responsible for some memorable and imaginative boss fights. Their insane, hunting presence in the house is a nice fresh take on the Resi formula.
A nice family meal with the Bakers. Credit: Capcom
However, they aren’t the only inhabitants of the swamp – there are also other foes to deal with in the form of the “molded” – generic black slime monsters similar to those of Resident Evil Zero. Although creepy to begin with, there aren’t many variations of them and so the scares wear off after extended exposure. They’re tough to take down though, move fast and inflict a lot of damage if you let them get close, so encounters are stressful and can quickly turn to panic. The emphasis is on few but threatening enemies, making each fight feel weighty.
It’s a shame they went down the toothy monster route. I miss all the regular zombies and creative enemies of previous Resident Evil games. Credit: Capcom
Combat is meaty and satisfying, following the trend of recent Resident Evil games, where you must stop moving to fire, but can aim freely. Getting headshots, or aiming for specific body parts is vital; as if you don’t hit the right places, enemies may topple, but then get up and come for you again seconds later. Ammo and health items are limited, making encounters tense – miss too many shots in panic and you may run out, forced to sprint away for your life or fight on with just your knife. The usual Resi arsenal is available – as ever the shotgun is super effective, but with shells low in supply – in fact thanks to low ammo for all weapons the handgun and knife still see a lot of use. It’s only towards the end of the game that combat becomes more of a focus and then tension is lower as you have more weapons, ammo and items at your disposal.
Fuel is scarce but the flamethrower is vital for some encounters. Credit: Capcom
“A game is a series of interesting choices” – Sid Meier (of Civilisation fame) said words to this effect. Resident Evil 7 largely succeeds thanks to this logic. As you explore the Baker’s residence, you will uncover secrets, locked doors and places you can return to later. There’s a nice element of freedom in how to approach and explore the area. The first person perspective and semi-interactive environment means that hunting for items by rifling through drawers and crouching to peek under shelves is actually engaging, especially as items are so vital to survival.
It’s nice to have an environment where you really need to search properly for items. Credit: Capcom
Once you’ve found them, you are constricted by the return of the small slot-based inventory of past Resident Evil games. This means that you can only hold so many weapons and items at once, making for difficult decisions and expeditions to safe rooms to clear out your inventory. Do you take the green herb now, or leave the space for some powerful magnum rounds? You can also combine items to create ammo or health tonics. You’re low on health and ammo – but should you craft handgun bullets or a first aid tonic? The game is constantly demanding tough choices from you, adding tension, risk and an added layer of strategy.
Give me some of that magical healing juice, baby. Credit: Capcom
The story is more interesting than usual for a Resident Evil game, uncovering the Baker’s secrets and exploring their maze-like house to discover what lies behind it all. A great touch is the use of flashback episodes in the form of VHS tapes. You play through these fuzzy nightmares by using them at TV’s around the property, and get to take part in past events from the perspective of other characters who have encountered the Bakers, fleshing out some nice backstory and foreshadowing events to come.
The VHS tapes are great little side stories to “enjoy”. Credit: Capcom
Unfortunately, there are niggles in the game, some of which are staple parts of the Resident Evil playbook. Like the improbably complex puzzle devices (such as “shadow locks”) that seal away parts of the house, yet serve no logical reason for being there. Immersion is somewhat broken through other Resi throwbacks like the magical healing tonics and the item chest with teleportation properties. The plot is enjoyable for the ride but on closer examination is full of holes and unanswered questions – typical for the series – but with some parts obviously left open for upcoming downloadable content to answer, instead of resolving it in the game. And thanks to new horror movie inspiration, even more cliches than usual rear their head, especially towards the end of the game.
There’s some in-game explanation as to why there are ridiculous locks and gadgets around the house, but the truth is that it’s just Resident Evil going to its roots again. I’m all for it, but here it does break the backwater spell and reminds you that you are in a very gamey world after all. Credit: Capcom
But the biggest problem is that unfortunately, in the game’s final third, the story and gameplay both deteriorate into a “normal” Resident Evil game. That doesn’t make it bad, it’s still atmospheric and fun, sure, but the game becomes a lot more linear, lacks the imagination of the first part of the game, and becomes more of a shooting gallery and retelling of cliches we’ve come to expect from the series. The end is particularly disappointing and a few choices in the game which seem important turn out to be laughably insignificant.
Credit: Capcom
Unlike other Resident Evil games there’s also little replayability after completion and it’s not that long (taking most people around 10 hours or less). It seems that DLC will be carrying on the Resi tradition of playing the same environment from an alternate perspective/timeline, rather than including it in the main game. At least the unlockable Madhouse difficulty mode is interesting in that it reshuffles items around the house, and you can only use limited cassette tape save files just like the first Resident Evil. But the essential nature of the game with its scripted scares, events and discoveries doesn’t really lend itself to replaying anyway.
Credit: Capcom
But forget all that for now. Because at least for the first half of the game, these niggles will be ignored, as you’ll be enraptured in the creepy atmosphere of the grimy, creaking house in the swamp and its monstrous inhabitants. It’s very immersive and for a long time is hard to put down, except in exhaustion from the foreboding vibe of the place. This is a welcome new direction for Resident Evil, with a fresh perspective, new ideas for the series (although hardly original in the horror genre), and it’s very effective when it all comes together. In virtual reality it must be incredible and I’ve heard great things from friends who’ve played it with PlayStation VR. It may lack originality but it’s a highly polished return to a strong single location, populated with unsettling and threatening enemies. Resident Evil 7 is survival horror, and it’s good to be back.