Resident Evil 7: Biohazard review by Tyson

Overall

Buy

     There is a time when any video game franchise needs to try something new to stay fresh and for Resident Evil this is the time. Resident Evil 7 introduces many new characters, settings, and a first person viewpoint and I ended up loving it. I would recommend any survival horror fan to pick up Resident Evil 7.


Gameplay

     When you think of Resident Evil it is easy to think of characters like Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, or Leon Kennedy and things like zombie viruses and the Umbrella Corperation. Yet Resident Evil 7 really throws those away and goes with something new. Our main character Ethan Winters gets a message from his missing wife of three years saying to come rescue her. This takes him to the Baker residence in Louisiana. Yet the Bakers aren't like your normal family. Something seems off about the Baker family and they want Ethan dead. Thankfully Resident Evil 7 does keep some of the classic Resident Evil story telling mechanics such as finding notes to further the backstory of the game.

     Earlier Resident Evil games have used a 3rd person viewpoint with a static camera as you explore your environment. This helped create a lot of tension as you never knew what would be around the corner or inside the next room. Resident Evil 7 keeps this kind of tension but now replaces the viewpoint with a first person viewpoint and I found this to work out very well. The games puzzles are pretty much similar to previous resident evil games. You will collect objects at one spot in the environment to be used at another spot in the environment. The new puzzle mechanic added is also one of my least favorite additions to the game. These new puzzles have you use an object and a light source to creat a specific shadow on a painting. Other classic mechanics like limited inventory, specfic save rooms, and storage boxes are also included and this helps give the game a classic Resident Evil feel.

     Even with the first person viewpoint the combat hasn't change much at all and I found this to be a good thing. You still get various guns and melee items like knifes to attack not only the Bakers but also the few enemies different types in the game. Overall I found the combat to work well but the boss battles with Bakers felt way to bullet spongey. Thankfully a few of the boss battles have some tricks to them that can help you save lots of ammunition and health. The only real downside to the combat is that you only fight a few enemy types outside of the Bakers. There are these mold like zombies and some giant bugs that are your common enemies. The upside to this is how the Bakers are the main threat and how they chase you at certian points throughout the game adds so much tension to the game. Thinking that you safe to only have one of the Bakers bust through a wall to come after you adds lots of crazy tension to the game.


Control

     The control setup is well designed. You use the analog sticks to move your character or control the camera. The face buttons allow you to go into your inventory or interact with objects. While the top trigger buttons are mainly used for combat actions.


Graphics

     Oh my goodness does this game look fantastic. The way the swampy vegetation looks is fantastic. The environments look creepy and have excellent use of lighting effects. Character models look great as well but not being able to fully see your character is a bit disappointing. I also didn't experience any major framerate problems but there are times where object detail can pop right into view.


Sound

     Just as the graphics the audio in the game is also well done. I liked the voice actors for the characters and certian background music like the save room is well done. I really liked the Aunt Rhody theme song as well. Certian sound effects like doors closing or creaks in the floor really add to the creepy atmosphere.