Resident Evil has been a lifelong passion of mine, it is also the root of my love for survival horror games. This series has bordered on nearly 19 years of my fandom, and often my infatuation. I played the games, I had nightmares about them, and I watched all the movies. I poured over details for every game, read all the texts in the game and tried to pry all of their secrets out. All of this went away with the newer titles in the Resident Evil franchise; they became simpler and more approachable as a game, but the story grew so out of hand and so out of reach that it was almost impossible to be invested in anything they had to offer. This lack of focus for the Resident Evil franchise lead me to grow disinterested in Resident Evil. Then when Resident Evil 7 was announced, I met it with a lackluster, “We’ll wait and see.” Survival Horror was at a peak low for me.
I played the demo of Resident Evil 7 when it came out, and I was immediately sucked back into this series. It was tense, it had teases to what the story could be, and it had a mystery to it. In short, this demo had everything that I wanted in a Resident Evil game. Its tone was back to survival horror and not just “action game with monsters in it”, Resident Evil was coming home.
I played the demo of Resident Evil 7 when it came out, and I was immediately sucked back into this series. It was tense, it had teases to what the story could be, and it had a mystery to it. In short, this demo had everything that I wanted in a Resident Evil game. Its tone was back to survival horror and not just “action game with monsters in it”, Resident Evil was coming home.
"I found myself talking out loud as my wife watched in shock; it escalated and escalated, and then all goes quiet. Resident Evil 7 knows how to keep the tension tight." |
The return of Survival Horror
Then the real deal came, and the game surpassed my expectations. My first thoughts on the new Resident Evil were good. The first hours of Resident Evil 7 were some of the most intense I had seen in this franchise for a long time, and I loved every bit of it. The setup for the story was much simpler, more akin to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in tone and setting. This was a breath of fresh air for me and the franchise, given the bigger and bigger events that showed up in the previous couple of Resident Evil titles. Your name is Ethan, and your wife has been missing for 3 years; suddenly you get a video message from her. She says she is sorry she lied, and says that if he receives this message, stay away. You find yourself in the remote Louisiana swamps, embarking on a journey to find her; and that is where you, the player, begin.
Unrelenting Horror
Resident Evil 7 showed off its inspiration from movies, like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Evil Dead. It also echoed a similar beginning to Silent Hill 2, a game that is renowned for its story. The dread and detail of the world had me looking at all corners, sometimes I jumped at shadows; the game builds a wonderful presence, and then it began to subvert my expectations. Events start ramping up, I found myself crawling through a decrepit house and I was left wondering when everything goes to hell. And when things went to hell, the game never let up on it. I found myself talking out loud as my wife watched in shock; it escalated and escalated, and then all goes quiet. Resident Evil 7 knows how to keep the tension tight. I knew things were going to get worse, but Resident Evil 7 lingers on this quiet until the moment I felt most safe; and then it tossed the first true encounter. The first battle had me scramble all over the environment to get an advantage. I ducked and I hid behind doors to get some distance. It had me bide my shots until the last moment, as ammo was sparse; and I could die at a moment’s notice. In short, it was amazing and it was a true return to survival horror after a 13 year hiatus.
"It was the first time in a long time that Resident Evil felt like itself again, survival horror is back baby!" |
Welcome back Resident Evil
I’m about three quarters of the way through now, and the game has not let up on its pace. The moments of panic, followed then by long stretches of quiet. I found myself running and yelling; panicking when I made a mistake or came around a corner to something unpleasant. My wife found herself watching intently as I played. Groaning at what was to come when I opened a door, or when she glimpsed something dreadful. The game knew when to ramp up, and when to let you soak in the horror around you; it even knew when to throw a knowing nod to the old games, many times making me laugh. It was the first time in a long time that Resident Evil felt like itself again, survival horror is back baby!
And I’m loving it. Happy twentieth birthday, Resident Evil!