By: Ahmed Namek

Remember Resident Evil, that awesome game that gave us all quite a good scare? Well, it’s back! Let’s take a look at the Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, one of the best Resident Evil versions to this day.

Have a quick read and check out the timeline of all Resident Evil games, then enjoy the detailed review prepared on Resident Evil 7, the latest of all. If you like or know someone who does, feel free to order it online via Yaoota and have it delivered to your doorstep in no time.

*Prices listed in this article are the ones provided at the time of its publication, and are subject to change according to the supply and demand of the market.

So, a little trip down memory lane!

I grew up with the PS1 as my main console, and one of the games I borrowed off my friends at the time was Resident Evil: Director’s Cut. I was so hooked that I bought Resident Evil 2 the minute it came out, followed by Resident Evil 3: Nemesis.

Once I got my hands on a PS2, one of the first games I got was Resident Evil 4. It was quite different and I was a bit shocked about how the game became a shooter more than anything, but after playing it for a while, honestly, it grew on me, and the action didn’t bother me as much. Then Resident Evil 5 came out, and after it Resident Evil 6, the latter being one of my least favorite games in general.

I was thinking along with all the old-school Resident Evil fans about if we’ll ever get a “scary” Resident Evil again, or is it downhill from here?

Let’s read and see!

What’s Resident Evil?

Alright, so I know some of you are younger, but come on! It’s Resident Evil, one of the most well-known survival horror games that took the world by storm going head to head with Silent Hill.

The game went in and out of the horror genre for a couple of releases now, and it’s been strange, survival horror, first-person shooter, third-person shooter, and now back again to first-person (minus the shooting part).

The developers have obviously listened and gathered a lot of feedback, and they’ve done their homework when it comes to fashioning a horror game. You can tell by the huge difference that this release started after the not-so-beloved Resident Evil 6.

This title basically worked on starting the horror genre of games, the feeling of loneliness and fear, the need to heal but not wanting to waste the herb in case you’ll need it later … that’s what Resident Evil was all about, and now it’s back!

What’s New?

First thing you’re going to notice is the first-person view of the game, which reminds me and many others of the “PT” demo that came out on the PS4 before it was removed. This kind of point of view enables a lot more efficient scares and it readies you for trouble a lot better — just look at outlast; the view made all of it a lot scarier.

Second thing you’ll notice is that it’s not really a bunch of zombies wandering around, catching bullets with their cranium. The enemies this time are stronger, faster and characterized. Having character on bad guys is always a good addition, and honestly, that is one of the main points I’ll talk about later.

Thirdly, it’s not a fighting game by any chance; it’s a survival horror game to the core, with puzzles and a lot more things to think about and escape and not just “Run-and-gun”, which is a huge plus.

This one is also different, because it doesn’t revolve around a damsel in distress; it’s about getting the hell out of there! The guy you play as goes in to save his wife, but just wants to get out very quickly into the game.

I mentioned earlier that the characters are very interesting, and that’s true: the antagonists of the game are very unique, each serving a specific role in the game to attach them to a certain feeling you get; you start building a scenario once you see one of them.

Why Resident Evil 7: Biohazard?

The game does a lot of things that are needed in today’s survival horror games, and it does it well.

The characters that I have mentioned twice and talked about how they are very well-tailored into the game are a big factor for me. The father, Jack, is the straight-up, in-your-face, I’m-going-to-kill you kind of threat.

The son, Lucas, however, sets up a lot of “Saw” looking traps everywhere and he will make you look at things twice before going into a room or opening a wardrobe. The mother, Marguerite, acts as the stealth inducer in this game. You need to sneak around and you shouldn’t go for her straight-up or you’ll die quickly.

These characters are unique enough in a fitting environment to create a brain-squeezing situation for you every time you run into any of them.

The VHS tapes you collect are actually an awesome way of dealing with exposition. Each tape you find will show you certain flashbacks from a certain character’s point of view, making the story a bit more understandable. This game obviously favors tone and environment over action, although there are a couple of action parts scattered here and there.

With the diverse selection of weapons you have access to, you never feel over-powered; you always feel like you’re in trouble!

The game, when played with the VR system, is incredible. If you want to, try it for yourself or go online and see people playing it, and watch as they jump and scream. The game is very good with VR, but absolutely playable and amazing without.

The graphics are great: the game looks dark, dreary and lonely, a perfect atmosphere for a game like this.

Sounds Good. What’s the Catch?!

Seeing that the game is great, it’s not perfect.

Something that got to me is that the regular, generic enemies looked very normal compared to anything I’ve seen in a horror game.

Boss fights are in the middle for me; one was very good, scary, and just perfect, while annother boss fight was just meh. I got a weapon right before it and the game told me, “this is how you do a power attack, BTW!”, making the upcoming boss fight very easy to handle.

By the end of the game, some trips back to get an item to solve a puzzle (which aren’t that hard, honestly) get a little redundant; you get bored a bit by the end. I have to say.

No multiplayer, unlike Resident Evil 5 and 6, but honestly, it’s not that bad of a thing.

This Is My First Resident Evil. What Should I Do?

• Prepare your face! The game will scare you and you’re going to feel cornered all the time.
• Take it easy and think about the puzzles and the item description. The game rewards observation skills, and it requires a degree of reflexive actions.
• Try not to spoil the game by watching a walkthrough or reading a guide. The game is built for scares; if you know they’re coming, they won’t be effective.
• The game is pretty forgiving with deaths, don’t worry; you revive close by with most of your healing items intact, so feel free to experiment.

This has been my review of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, an impressive survival horror game that takes me and a lot of people back to the good old days of getting scared!

Check out Resident Evil 7: Biohazard here.

Resident Evil 7 Minimum Requirements:

Resident Evil 7 Recommended Requirements: