Resident Evil 7: Biohazard [Review of the game]

A little lyrics
Resident Evil This is not just a phrase, and not just the name of the game. The gaming industry has existed for no first decade, and we have seen many franchises, both simply popular and who became legendary, cult and simply great. But all of them, one way or another, ended or became not relevant, and only recently some of them were given another chance as Doom For example. Certainly, Resident Evil Not the only long -playing series that comes out to this day, you can remember here Final Fantasy, Divinity, Call of Duty and others. But let’s be honest: many of them have turned into a banal giving out money from fans, others are not so popular or go too rare, and some rush out of extreme, as if the developers themselves do not know what they want (hello (hello BioWare). Whereas in twenty -one years of existence Resident Evil In total, 29 games, spin-offs, reprints and remakes were released. Of course, not all of them were chosen, but we all know the saying about those who are not mistaken. And at the same time, when the main series went into a logical impasse, there was either a rethinking (Resident Evil 4), either attempts to find the right path, mixing the old and new (dilogy Revelations). And this causes even greater respect for Capcom. To experiment with a popular franchise for so many years, and at the same time do not sink it, but on the contrary, to attract more and more fans-this is something akin to magic. And not that. Almost every game of the main series possessed so powerful charisma that you can find people who are adherents of one specific part. Unlike most franchises, there is no definitely better. For example, in my environment, it enjoys special love Resident Evil 5, But I perfectly understand people who have not accepted the transition from horror to action.

In general, talk about Resident Evil It is possible almost endlessly, but if I was asked to choose one word describing the whole series, this word would be – “phenomenon”. The seventh part of the franchise looks more interesting, which just started to get to his feet after failure Resident Evil 6. Will the series be reborn again? Is it Biohazard or something else, designed for completely different people?

In truth, purebred horror I digest poorly. Thanks for this, by the way, the same Resident Evil, which in childhood scared me so much that for many years I did not digest horrors in any form. Naturally, if this is not the adventures of a brutal man named Ash. As a result of which I would miss this project, but this Resident Evil. Is it possible to resist? But of course, for starters, I ran a teaser Begining Hour, more precisely, squeezed. He made such an impression that to be honest, I burned out. Now it looks stupid, and I am even ashamed, but, returning from work on Tuesday, I was nervous. And when I turned on the computer, my hands even shook. But the game has been launched, and there is nowhere to go. The monastery of evil absorbed me completely ..

Important note. Of course, after passing this game, I have formed my own opinion. I will give him a couple of lines at the end. But then I will try to be as objective as possible and pushing my personal experiences into the background.

A terrible family

Resident Evil 7 starts with a video in which Mia, The wife of our protagonist Itana, asks for something forgiveness and begs not to look for her. Three years later, the main character again receives news from his wife. In a short message, she asks him to come to the estate of some Bakers, located in the town of Dalvi, Louisian. Actually here we are transferred to the management of Itan. We find ourselves in front of the locked gates, behind which you can see the obviously abandoned house. And as soon as we penetrate this dilapidated building, some hell begins to happen. The dynamics rolls over, one cat scene is replaced by another, and the oppressive atmosphere of darkness and hopelessness literally tangible. But after an hour and a half, everything slowly calms down. And instead of developing history, we get wandering around a terrible mansion. The problem here is what. Really the plots of the series Resident Evil are the main reason to buy these games? If you select epithets, then the stories told to us before could be any: gloomy, frightening, sometimes funny, trash, but not logical and original. Make a complaint to the plots Resident Evil, It’s like going to a summer blockbuster, waiting for a serious drama, and, having not received it, scribble on the Internet – what a stupid woodpecker screenwriter. Or maybe you are to blame and mistaken in the session? So and here. We love other things Resident Evil, And we forgive all holes in the narrative. We have cool main characters, biogrosis, an interesting adventure and exciting confrontation of people and terrible viruses. And to hell with logic. Therefore, this should relate to the new part. Isn’t it? But then I found a braid on a stone. The already mentioned teaser Begining Hour, trailers and the game itself in the first hour set up in a completely different way. Above the bans of the basics, the atmosphere of mystery and even mysticism, an unusual series, is hungry. As if in the bowels of the basement, a certain nightmare secret, which we need to reveal is hidden. Indeed, there is a secret here, but so banal and clicked that even I, a person who repeated all the time: “This is a resident evil, do not wait for anything special,” was slightly disappointed. Yes, even to assume that everything would be so simple, I was somehow ashamed. But sensations – the values ​​of extremely subjective. And I am more than sure that there are people who did not feel any mystery.

So, the plot part Resident https://casinosnotongamcare.co.uk/review/golden-genie/ Evil 7 By and large there is only one drawback – This is an almost complete lack of connection with its predecessors. Each new game in the main series complemented and expanded this world. We understood that this is one big history of confrontation, lasting for more than one decade. Here we are offered an absolutely chamber adventure, as if torn from the common universe. Yes, there is a fan service, and at the end it seems like one of the main characters of previous games appears, with whom not everything is clear yet. And it doesn’t matter whether he is who seems to be, or someone else, it is important that the pairs of phrases, one name and a familiar logo are not enough to firmly tie the game to the main universe. Again, it is more like a fan service or a seal on DLC. Be Resident Evil 7 spin-off, there would be no questions. And so I can understand dissatisfied fans: instead of the full development of the world before us in fact, a small incident. At the same time, knowing the universe Resident Evil, I will not be surprised if something similar happens several times in a year. In general, the plot can upset fans, and it will most likely seem too simple for people from the side.

Well, what about the characters? After all, let Chris, Leon, Ada, Jill, Claire, it’s rustic, but there is no question of a deep inner world. But everyone has a breathtaking charisma. They are the personification of different qualities that each of us would like to possess in everyday life. We remember and love them as old friends. But the main character Resident Evil 7 is unlikely to be able to replenish their ranks, in any case. Ethan became a victim of the very rethinking of the series. Let me remind you that now we are watching all the eyes of the hero, and not from the shoulder or from the side. AND Capcom With all our might, he tries to make us associate ourselves with the main character as strongly as possible. As a result of which Ethan is laconic. He reacts to the tremble that is around, but extremely sluggish. And in general, the character is practically not known. At first, as in the case of the plot, it seems that Ethan has a worked out hero, but in the end nothing of the kind. In addition to motivation to save his wife, in this character there is nothing memorable.

You also probably remember the girl talking to the main character by phone in some trailers and teaser. I will not tell you who she is and why is stuck in this mansion, but I will grieve immediately. This character is in the game with just one purpose – to move us according to the plot, and, therefore, give out tasks. Yes, you can find several notes revealing the hero’s past, but that’s all. She is a voice from the phone, prompting what to do next – no more nor less. Here MIA comes to help, the very wife of the protagonist. She is the only one of the still uncomfortable actors who, with some frequency, does not want to kill Itan. In addition to the motivation to survive, it is really visible in it. Caring, but at the same time persistent. With your secrets and secrets. She really loves Itan and takes care of him more than about herself. It is nice to observe Zamyei, and it is practically the only one who is really remembered from the whole game.

As for Family of Bakers, then everything is not at all exactly. The head of the family Jack – The most charismatic of them. Crazy immortal old man with a shovel at the ready, always pushing monologues about the family. He really inspires a sense of fear and standing danger. Jack is like Nemesis from Resident Evil 3 Eternally overtakes Itana. Confrontation with him is one of the most interesting and exciting parts of the game. But the trouble is, this will not last long, although subsequently we will meet with him. And if you carefully listen to his words, then in the end it will even become a little sorry for this old man. But Jack’s wife Margarita – its complete opposite. Its catastrophically little. She does not scare, and a really spectacular moment with her is only one. Well Lucas, their son, something between them. He is many times more interesting than his mother. But if you do not study his room and skip notes scattered around the house, then Lucas will be just a crazy and flat parody of the protagonist “saw” films. There is another villain, The main culprit of all this madness. He is extremely boring, banal and absolutely not charismatic. What is there, Alex Vesker from Resident Evil: Revelations 2 Against the background of a local villain, it looks just a reference antagonist. And at the end, when the personality of the character is revealed, only one question arises: “Why haven’t you killed Itana before? You had every chance! Well, now I’m ready. Congratulations!»Yes, and the final battle is more like a QTE than a full -fledged fight.

Search in darkness.

Let’s move on to gameplay. And in general, I do not want to scold him, although there are complaints to him. At first it may seem that the worst fears have come true. Before us Outlast with guns where the weapon performs the enemy deterrence function so that it is easier to escape. But this is not so. Literally after thirty – forty minutes, the same classic appears before us Resident Evil. A rather extensive mansion is available to us from which we need to escape. We will explore it in search of a saving loot and ways to get into still closed parts of the house. Safe rooms, inter -spatial box for things, simple puzzles, both compulsory and side, special keys, backing, in general, everything is in their places. And where without craft of first -aid kits.

Unfortunately there are a couple of important “but”. Firstly, This stage does not last long. And after we get out of the mansion, the game will become almost linear. And return, if this does not require the plot, it makes sense only to the same mansion. The remaining locations for one entry. Secondly, We will find all the keys to all the doors during the plot. And we will visit all the rooms without fail, with the exception of one. But forgetting about her is quite difficult, and this is not enough. At first, looking at the card, it seems that somewhere I missed the key here from this door. Can get around the location again? But no. You do everything right. It’s just too early for you here. And it looks somewhat hacking. Why introduce a mechanic that the game practically does not use? Create the effect of antiquity? Well, make a few optional rooms, the keys to which you still have to look. Or the developers decided that young or unfamiliar gamers with a series would not figure out what to do? A very controversial solution.

But the main feature of the old Resident Evil There was an opportunity to fight, spending valuable cartridges and first -aid kits, or run away from the enemy. The developers promised to return this element of gameplay, and they did it. But here it was not without dubious moments. Indeed, sometimes the best way to survive is an escape. Opponents are powerful and deadly, and after a while there are also nimble. But here’s the snag: I really had to run away from enemies only five times. And only two of them were associated with the lack of certain resources. Here the fact is that it all depends on your attentiveness. Search for equipment is an important and best realized gamed part Resident Evil 7. Objects are hidden well and inventive. It may seem to you that you have shook every corner, but it is worth taking a special tablet that illuminates the lutus in a certain radius, as it turns out that half of the diles were not found. As a result, if it is not enough to carefully search the rooms, then you will have little resources, and you will have to run from opponents more often. Otherwise, you will find more than enough first -aid kits and cartridges to not be easy to survive a fight with an enemy, but also shoot everyone who decides that you are his dinner.

Then we touched the shooting. And I will be extremely careful in her assessment. The fact is that there is a conflict of platforms. Personally, I played on PC, and there were no problems with the shooting of enemies. The deficiency of cartridges was felt only at the beginning, and opponents are not too fast and tenacious. But I watched passing on PS4, Like just on the gamepad, and in Vr. And there people had more problems. They spent more cartridges on the same monsters. And it’s not about players’ experience here. Everything is simple and prosaic. Developers, apparently – and this claim not only to CAPCOM – again did not adapt the game for different platforms. There would be a slightly tenacious or slightly faster to the PC, no questions would have arisen. And so, I personally did not notice any crime, but there is a chance that when playing PC to shoot you will get bored after some time. And here I am obliged to tell you about the last third of the game, where everything turns into an ordinary corridor shooter without any hint of survival. No, they will try to convince us that we again got into the location that we must explore and rusted. But this is only a bad illusion. Unfortunately, some flaws of the combat system emerge here. They are associated with weapons. If the shotgun and the flamethrower are felt well, it is clear that the opponents are damaged, and the former have some kind of return, then Bizon submachine gun – Just a quiet horror. Not only does it feel like a striking replica, and it also sounds. So also eternally traveling in all directions from the short line or during movement the sight all aggravates. Plus the power “bison” is very missing. As a result, all this turns into a clowning. Turn-two, ran away, the turn, ran away. At least insert music from Benny Hil. Fortunately, we will have convenient mines in the use of mines, and then the shotgun will return. And everything will become good again.

You still need to mention the technical aspect of the game. But everything is fine here. Great graphics that work entirely on the atmosphere. Excellent consecration, and no problems with optimization. Only once I noticed FPS from sixty to thirty. The only thing is that sometimes AI opponents behave a little strange, not noticing Itan literally in front of his nose. This applies to both Bakers and ordinary opponents. But these are all private cases.

Of course, you need to finish on a positive note. Remember, I wrote that the best gameplay part of the game is a search for equipment? So, the best of everything is in Resident Evil 7, This is a sound design. I have not heard anything like this in Horror since the first Dead Space. The houses will be blessed and moaning, forcing to constantly look around and check if anyone is behind you. The distant peals of thunder seem to anticipate the horror that awaits you next. And the rustle of trees encourages peering into the foliage, whether anyone was hidden there? Amazing! Sounds in Resident Evil 7 They are often more frightened than screamers, of which, in principle, a little here. Music pumped up a little. It is too standard and is completely not remembered, although it certainly also works for the atmosphere. In principle, in spite of everything, the atmosphere is exactly what Resident Evil 7 can hook almost everyone.

Result
On the Internet, I stumbled several times on the opinion that the last third of the game is raw and unfinished. That the developers, apparently, did not have enough time to bring everything to mind. I do not quite agree with this statement. Resident Evil 7 With all its frank disadvantages, it looks like a completely completed product. Simply, apparently, at some stage of development, it was decided to push into the game as much as possible. So it turns out that Resident Evil 7 too frankly crushed into components. Here we are ordinary scarecrows with scamers, and the classic Survival Horror, and the first -person shooter, and VR. Yes, we must not forget that the game is sharpened under A helmet of virtual reality from Sony. What, by the way, you can write off the chamber of the game and problems with the combat system. The conclusion suggests itself that Capcom strive to please everyone and everything, turning the iga into a team of a hodgepodge. But let’s figure out if Resident Evil 7 It turned out to be a purebred horror, where the weapon would only perform the deterrence function, which I mentioned above, or, on the contrary, a simple shooter with linear locations. Such a project would not be accepted by fans. And if you do the same Survival Horror, it is not clear how much this concept is in the form in which we remember it is viable in the current realities. And do not forget that the game should be sold. So it can be, Capcom moved not a thirst to cover as many gamers as possible, but the desire to find the right path? See what exactly we like, and then move in this direction? We will find out in the future. And at the moment, the alignment is. With technical and atmospheric point of vision Resident Evil 7 Good. Gample claims are more likely to resemble shortcomings of different sizes in interesting and promising mechanics. They just need to be brought to mind so that the game does not storm. But how bad the different genres are woven with each other, as well as frankly weak plot and characters do not allow the Resident Evil 7 high score. So only 7 out of 10. And the fact that Survival Horror is practically not left now, not a reason to offend this game. Of course, it was nice to touch this genre again, but it does not do it Resident Evil 7 Automatically masterpiece. Breakthrough in the industry, which was Resident Evil 4, did not happen. But the rethinking of the series took place, and quite successful. We are waiting for the continuation.

I promised my personal opinion. And here everything is simple. When the game ended, I was a little embarrassed. My objective beginning wanted to criticize, tear and throw. But emotionally I was completely delighted. And I want more.

P.WITH. Watching the page of the game in Steam, I have repeatedly met the statement that the Resident Evil 7 is a good game, but a bad resident evil. I don’t understand that. Since I think that the game cannot be considered good if the developers cut out everything for which we loved it. Dragon Age 2 and Fallout 4 You are an example. But does it refer to the Resident Evil 7? It all depends on what you are waiting for. If the action of the fourth or six part with a coope, then no, this is not a resident evil. Well, if something similar to original games, then definitely yes. Resident Evil is back.