"Resident Evil 7: Biohazard" Reviewed

Seventh heaven for the zombie franchise, or has the latest instalment left "Resident Evil" (un)dead and buried?

I grew up playing the Resident Evil saga, or to be more precise (and honest), I grew up WATCHING my older brother playing Resident Evil, as I was too scared to even touch the controller (I was 6 years old, I guess it’s understandable). I spent hours and hours being my big brother’s second pair of eyes, helping him solving puzzles and scaring him whenever I would jump out of my skin while sitting next to him on the sofa! Damn you, zombie dogs jumping through windows!

Then growing up I started playing myself (with the light on, of course) and it’s interesting to see all the changes of style that the saga went through. I loved all of them, but as a fan of Resident Evil’s first trilogy I had to admit that the last few games had lost a certain something compared to the first three, going in what in my opinion was the wrong direction (outside of Raccoon City, for one).

Which brings me to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. The reviews have been strong, with many stating that this was a return to the Raccoon City trilogy’s horror-and-puzzle-based roots from the more action-oriented style of the post-Nemesis games. I just couldn’t wait to play - and I’m extremely pleased to report that Capcom absolutely nailed it!

Here’s a little introduction to RE7 (NO spoilers, I promise):

In Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, you’ll help Ethan Winters in the search for his missing wife. A mysterious email leads Ethan to Dulvey, Louisiana, to the game’s primary location: a derelict mansion occupied by the creepy Baker family. You’ll get to know the house in every detail (where to hide, shortcuts, quickest ways to get from A to B). This time around, you’re a normal citizen, not a badass soldier or special agent trained to kill, adding an extra layer of fear to proceedings. My advice? Save your ammo and find your ways around certain enemies. And practice your headshot! That’s always satisfying and helps you to save precious bullets.

For the first time in the Resident Evil series, the game utilises a first-person point of view, making every scene more personal, dramatic and direct, and upping the fear factor tenfold.

I recommend this game to every fan of Resident Evil, especially to those who preferred the more contained survival horror scares of the original PlayStation versions to the scale and action of later versions. If you haven’t played Resident Evil before, don’t worry - the game stands on its own, with few references to earlier versions.

Get ready to be scared! And - in my case, anyway - sleep with the light on.

Elena

Are you picking up Resident Evil 7: Biohazard or heading to see Resident Evil: The Final Chapter at the cinema? Then check out EMP’s range of Resident Evil merchandise. Show your zombie-killing credentials with some S.T.A.R.S. dog tags, protect yourself from showers of blood with an Umbrella Corporation umbrella (very meta, we know), or pick up one of our Resident Evil t-shirts. And stay tuned to the EMP blog for more news, reviews and opinion on all things EMP from our team – as long as they’re not eaten by zombies in the meantime! Salva