The Resident Evil franchise is back and how! We spent an entire weekend with the game, wandering through the property of the Baker family and boy, we were impressed.
It’s been 21 years since anyone entered the Spencer mansion, the scene of terror of the first Resident Evil. After this first installment, Capcom released five other numbered deliveries, several spin-offs, a pair of HD deliveries for consoles of this generation and are preparing the remake of Resident Evil 2.
This time around, Capcom decided go back to basics by including the camera in first person and the same mechanics that we fell in love with in the first installment of the series. The game can be played in both VR and non-VR mode. We chose the non-VR gameplay on the Xbox One.
Whatever mode you chose to play in, the game offers an intimate horror with a tightly focused scope and all the trappings you’d expect from a survival game. There are no skill trees or fetch quests, just the stomach-churning tension of guiding a relatively helpless character out of a waking nightmare.
As you progress, you get to gather weapons gradually. Without giving out any spoilers, lets just say that the game respects the series traditions and there’s a lot more to Resident Evil VII than what you’ve already seen.
This new installment of the saga happens, chronologically, after the events of Resident Evil 6. However, the game in itself also includes references to the series installments from the past. So, if you have not played any of the installments in the Resident Evil series, you will still enjoy the game without feeling you might be missing something in terms of plot or gameplay.
In this game, you play Ethan, a character who enters a property apparently abandoned in Dulvey, Louisiana. Ethan is looking for his wife, Mia Winters, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances a few years ago.
However, it turns out that the property was not abandoned and belongs to the Bakers, a family whom the town itself have not heard for years, but who seem to be related to some rather murky events. The game takes you around the house looking for something that will possibly let you escape from that awful place.
Resident Evil VII is a survival horror and the game sticks to the genre like a piece of gum! It delivers some brutal tension, that will see you get hold of your chest with every sound you hear. Any noise can mean that a potential enemy, or one of the Baker, is behind us or in the adjoining room.
And yes, there are puzzles to solve in Resident Evil VII, to complete tasks throughout the game. In terms of graphics, Resident Evil VII is a visual treat. This release debuts the new generation engine RE engine that supported by the physics engine Havok , brings credibility to the way environments and objects are rendered in the game.
If you are looking for a wholesome horror game to enjoy and suffer at the same time, Resident Evil 7 is your game. Capcom has done a truly fantastic job at creating the amazing game and the overall gameplay. And for that, the game walks away with the Review Central Editors’ Choice award.
Price: $60 approx.