Matthew Tamez
mtamez@foghornnews.com
“Resident Evil 7: Biohazard” is the seventh installment in the popular survival horror video game series developed and published by Capcom. Directed by Koshi Nakanishi and produced by Masachika Kawata and Tsuyoshi Kanda, the game was released worldwide on PS4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows on Jan. 24.
“Resident Evil 7” takes place during an unspecified time after the sixth game in the series and follows new protagonist Ethan Winters. Ethan has received a message from his wife, who has been missing for four years. Deciding to follow the message, Ethan finds that what is going on in this seemingly derelict Louisiana plantation is more horrifying than he could have ever imagined.
“Resident Evil 7” takes a departure from the usual control scheme that has been present since the fourth entry in the series and instead goes for a first-person viewpoint. This new viewpoint brings to mind other popular horror games such as “Outlast” and “Amnesia.” While the first-person view makes for a tense experience, sometimes it can become disorienting, especially in combat.
Unlike the most recent entry in the series, which went for an action-horror setting, “Resident Evil 7” returns to its survival horror roots. The game is genuinely tense and although jump scares are present, the atmosphere for the game also is well implemented and gives an impending sense of dread with each door you blindly open.
The voice acting and sound effects are both superb, and the game is best played with a surround-sound headset or a strong sound system. The graphics for this game are incredibly detailed as well, running on their new engine, the RE Engine.
“Resident Evil 7: Biohazard” is a triumphant return to form for the series after the weak sixth entry. Fans of the early installments, or horror enthusiasts looking for a new horror game to get into, should very well look into “Resident Evil 7.”
Story: A-
Gameplay: B+
Graphics: A+
Soundtrack: B
Overall: A-