The environment, sound, as well as the character and creature design come together to form a jarring, thrilling and in some cases, outright disgusting experience
I honestly don’t remember the last time a game has repulsed me the way Resident Evil 7 did when I played it and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. The environment, sound, as well as the character and creature design come together to form a jarring, thrilling and in some cases, outright disgusting experience that will leave you satisfied and glad you’re finally through the nightmare when the game ends. But these feelings work to the game’s advantage, simply because all these aspects come together and simply immerse you into the game itself, and this level of immersion is an astounding thing for a developer to achieve for the player.
You take the reins as Ethan, a man who receives an email from his wife who’s been missing for just about three years. Her email states she’s in Dulvey, Louisiana, and she needs him to come to get her. Immediately. Ethan then sets out, ignoring all warnings and common sense. He ends up at what seems like an abandoned plantation. But not all is as it seems, and it begins a harrowing almost nine-hour nightmare that you won’t soon forget.
First and foremost, the graphics, art direction and overall tone of this game were nothing short of amazing. The RE Engine is spectacular, being able to render extremely detailed environments and characters. The attention to detail is phenomenal, every book and cranny of the Baker residence being jam-packed with little details and props that pop out throughout the game. The sound design is astounding as well, with gunshots, floor and wall creaking and screams echoing throughout the house as well, really driving home the empty, lonely feeling of trying to survive this nightmare: you’re in this alone, there’s no one here to save you. The game play mechanics are standard FPS fair, nothing special or intuitive with them, though I did find the aiming and shooting very clunky and slow, although that might be because I’m so used to faster paced twitch shooters.
The storyline and the way it’s presented is fantastic, and the evolution of it was done in such a way that it completely threw me for a loop but came full circle in a sense, making the game and everything you’ve done even more satisfying. My favorite thing about the game? Just how ruthless and unflinching everything is: the grimy, gross, decrepit look of the environment, the aggressive and sadistic nature of the villains and creatures, how the developers went full bore on the survival horror aspect of this return to the series’ roots! As I’ve said before: everything comes together to fully immerse you in this vile take on the horror genre, it grabs you, takes hold and doesn’t let go until the credits roll. You couldn’t have asked for a more fitting or perfect way for Capcom to reinvent its most beloved franchise.