The least we can say is that Capcom has done everything to cover their tracks and not reveal anything about the Resident Evil 7 scenario which takes place after the events of Resident Evil 6. Even in interviews, the developers do not slipped a word and contented themselves with recalling what we already knew; and with hindsight, we realize that they really gave us a cold. Basically, we have to embody Ethan Winters who has gone in search of his wife, Mia. His investigations eventually lead him to Dulvey, a fictional town located in Louisiana (USA) where the Baker family lives. As you know, these hosts have a funny idea of hospitality, especially with people who aren't locals. Naturally, Resident Evil 7 has plenty of references that fans will grasp at first glance, while laymen will never feel left out. Anyway, Capcom has ensured that the game meets the new standards of survival horror, and fans of Outlast, for example, will have no trouble finding their mark. Another element that shows that Capcom has decided to put the church back in the middle of the village: vulnerability. To subscribers absent since Chris Redfield started pushing in the room, it weighs much more in Resident Evil 7 even if we completed the solo campaign with the blind of items. In fact, it is above all the passages during which our inventory is empty that give some cold sweats. When you have a knife as your only means of defence, you are clearly less proud.
Since the release of Resident Evil 4 in 2005, never an episode had shown such mastery, both in terms of staging and the sacrosanct balance between horror and action.
In any case, THE novelty is obviously the choice of the subjective view. We feared a lack of mastery from Capcom, the canonical episodes having always been practiced with a 3rd person view; but at the end of the adventure, we must admit that the title achieves a flawless. Better, we rediscover from a new angle situations that we knew by heart, and the impact is not the same when we put ourselves in the place of the character. Result: some ultra-effective jump scares, even for experienced players. We no longer proceed at all in the same way when it comes to exploring a place, and dark places again inspire anxiety, fear of the unknown. This is perhaps where we would have liked the developers to go to the end of the concept, because we finally have the impression that Resident Evil 7 still has some under the pedal. Afterwards, it's true that it was also essential to intelligently alternate between terror and calm, so that the player does not settle in a comfort zone. On this point, the game does the job and we are always on the lookout, just in case. Compared to the reflexes that we worked on over Resident Evil, again the FPS view redistributes the cards. As much as we could have fun zigzagging between the zombies since the camera allowed it, as much Resident Evil 7 imposes to manage the distance differently and to position oneself so as not to be taken as a traitor. Indeed, Ethan has no eyes in his back, and even with the quick U-turn, sometimes it's too late to extricate himself from a deadly embrace.
WASH YOUR DIRTY LAUNDRY AS A FAMILY
Since we are talking about monsters, it is impossible not to mention the combat system which, on the whole, does not upset habits. We note however the appearance of the guard which we do not really use to tell the truth, and the subjective view is a strong ally to perforate the opponents with maximum efficiency. The trick of aiming for their legs to slow their progress has become a classic, Resident Evil 7 also taking the time to avoid the QTE pitfall. Some "unbreakable" are there and have been brought up to date, like the grass that we must now mix with chemical fluids in order to improve its healing values.. There is also a way to recover gunpowder to make your own ammunition, and even to use a separating agent to extract certain components and create other mixtures. In short, there is always a solution when you are in a mess of items, provided you take the trouble to comb through each area. Moreover, taking psychostimulants makes it possible to locate objects without squinting, knowing that it will be necessary to bring together the various elements of large weapons (the flamethrower, the grenade launcher) before they can be used. A priori, it is possible to overcome Resident Evil 7 without having the entire arsenal, which probably explains the relative ease of the game.
Exploration has become queen again, the zombies are no longer about thirty jumping on you, and the graphics are deliciously disgusting.
And since the less adventurous should absolutely not be discouraged, certain skills of Ethan (power, reload speed, physical resistance) can be permanently boosted thanks to ancient coins. In order not to discourage neophytes when it is necessary to struggle a few round trips, the developers have decided to indicate the objectives to be achieved, as well as the actions to be taken to achieve them. It allows you not to lose the thread after spending your time escaping Jack's deadly ax, or Marguerite's poisonous darts. A kind of stressful game of cat and mouse that brings a breath of fresh air to the series, even if purists will quickly find the two or three tricks that allow them to thwart their vigilance quite easily. This is also what we regret with the Mycomorphs who show a certain idiocy, since they are unable to open the doors. At no point did the lock jump, even with the creatures crossed at the end of the campaign. When we compare them to the Necromorphs of Dead Space who are able to slip into the air ducts to better surprise you, it's rather light. What's also tricky are the puzzles that are more simplistic than expected. In this area, Resident Evil had accustomed us to much better.
THE HOUSE OF HORROR
Nevertheless, we took a monster foot with Resident Evil 7 which allows Capcom to start again on healthy, solid and coherent bases. Yes, consistent because throughout the adventure, we feel that Ethan is not an overtrained agent and that he suffers events despite all his good will. The sometimes rigid movement of the character is part of this logic, and even if the quick U-turn brings a little fluidity, you have to constantly stay at a respectable distance so as not to get your jugular bitten. In the same spirit, we also appreciate that the number of zombies has been reduced, so that the action never takes precedence over survival. On the sound design side, the work is remarkable, the breathing of the protagonist becoming chaotic or calming down depending on his state of health and the course of events. The squeaks, clicks, grunts, metallic noises, discreet music and other suspicious murmurs are in order, and then the VF is far from shitty. With psychopaths like that, it was better not to make a mistake in the selection of voice actors. Graphically, Resident Evil 7 is really dirty and stinks of the morbid. The RE Engine thrives on mold, rotting wood, dark places and candlelit rooms. The Bakers have virus-ridden faces, and Capcom has worked hard to provide a visual identity for each major area of the game. In short, a great show.
Graphically, Resident Evil 7 is really dirty and stinks of the morbid. The RE Engine thrives on mold, rotting wood, dark places and candlelit rooms.
Finally, it is impossible to complete this Resident Evil 7 test without mentioning the sensations provided by the PlayStation VR, the famous virtual reality headset from Sony Interactive Entertainment. In summary, it only amplifies this feeling of terror introduced by the subjective view, which necessarily implies some recoil reflexes that we do not have when playing in a traditional way.. The panic is therefore present, but we regret certain decisions which, no doubt, were taken in order to reduce the effects of motion sickness as much as possible. In fact, we see that camera movements have been removed during cut scene/gameplay phase transitions, and that they have been replaced by brief black screens. No matter how hard we looked in the menus, it seems that no option allows these sequences to be kept as they are. On the other hand, there is a way to modify the speed of the camera, to opt for an angular or classic rotation of the character, or even to soften the crouching system; all this so as not to have the sheaf after a few minutes of play. Again, it depends on the sensitivity of each, but know that we lasted an hour without the slightest side effect. And when it comes to graphics quality, Resident Evil 7 does less well with VR as you might expect, but that's the price you have to pay to get over it with a smile.
