At E3 2014, Hideo Kojima took advantage of the Sony conference to announce the return of the Silent Hill series to console, while specifying that a demo, called PT, was immediately available on the PlayStation Store, allowing you to acquainted with a new style in the horror game where the player wandered around a squalid house in FPS view. A real hit with players and critics, the demo had managed to bluff everyone. So much so that when the announcement of the dismissal of Hideo Kojima by Konami, many players were saddened by the announcement of the cancellation of this new Silent Hills. Faced with this monster success, Capcom took the opportunity to capitalize on the PT effect with this new Resident Evil VII. For this new episode, the developers are abandoning the TPS to make way for a horrific first-person game. A radical choice on the part of Capcom who wishes to regain the esteem of players after a Resident Evil 6 which is undoubtedly too action-oriented. So here we are in FPS view, in the shoes of Ethan Winters, a young man who went in search of his wife Mia who has suddenly disappeared. During our game session, we started the game at a late point in the demo (about two hours of play) where Ethan finds himself at the dinner of the Baker family, a kind of Ousbourne family but much trashier. After refusing to taste the rotten food of Marguerite, the mother of the family, Ethan suffers the wrath of Jack, the father, who decides to leave us alone before returning to take care of us. That's when we took the opportunity to untie our ties so we could try to escape. And from the first steps, the tension is established under the creaking of the parquet floor, which gives the impression of always having someone behind your back.
RETURN AUX SOURCES
From then on, the player will have to carry out an investigation in search of clues in order to get out of this hell. A classic Resident Evil mechanic, the gameplay required the player to find different keys in order to unlock access to certain rooms in the Baker house. If the basic keys allow you to open doors and drawers, others in the shape of animals will give access to specific doors. During our test, we had to find three statues in the shape of a dog's head to open the front door of the house. If opening a door is not a riddle in itself, you will still have to rack your brains to find the keys, some of which are hidden in specific objects. In addition to the keys, the player will have to solve several puzzles, in the form of Chinese shadows, to open hidden passages within the house. The playing field being relatively small, you will have to be careful to scrutinize all the objects in a room to avoid going back and forth in the house. Overall, the puzzles are relatively straightforward, and a good memory will make it easy for you to know which item to use and when. On the other hand, the menus and other interactions with objects do not pause the game and certain passages will force you to organize yourself effectively in order to avoid getting caught while you are looking for an object. Indeed, if the puzzles will be a good part of the adventure, you will above all have to survive the Baker family and especially the father, Jack, who takes great pleasure in chasing you throughout the house.
On the other hand, the menus and other interactions with objects do not pause the game and certain passages will force you to organize yourself effectively in order to avoid getting caught while you are looking for an object.
Besides puzzle solving, Resident Evil VII offers us a much more gory version of the game of hide-and-seek. As we told you above, the Baker family took us prisoner and they intend not to let us go. That's why Jack, the father of the family, is making rounds throughout the house to find you. According to Capcom, the movements of the father are not scripted and you will be likely to come face to face with your worst nightmare at any time. Moments rich in intensity where fear and panic quickly take over. Especially since our hero is far from being a born sprinter. If Jack Baker moves fast enough, Ethan, the hero, often drags his feet. It is therefore necessary to be very careful when advancing, even if it means having to hide behind furniture in order not to be spotted. But if you thought Jack was the worst of them all, you're still way off. Marguerite also risks haunting your nights. If Mr. Baker particularly appreciates blunt weapons, Marguerite prefers to use insects to do the dirty work. Indeed, you will come across swarms of mosquitoes and other giant beasts during your adventure. Already the house is frankly not reassuring, we let you imagine the state we were in when we discovered clouds of mosquitoes the size of footballs. Quite honestly, it's hard to show off in front of enemies and quite often players will tend to hide in order to avoid getting killed but also wasting ammo since the members of the Baker family seem to be able to regenerate.
BAKER & HOLOFORM
However, do not think of avoiding all the fights since during our test, we had the right to three boss fights where we face members of the Baker family. Relatively difficult, the boss fights will require you to show unfailing composure. These fights take place in very small spaces where the player will have to constantly monitor his ammunition, but also the movements of the enemy so as not to be dismantled in a jiffy. Here, the player will inevitably have to go to the confrontation and you will be forced to use your weapons in order to get out of it. In addition to these boss fights, players will encounter holoforms, monsters that seem covered in a layer of oil and whose origin is still unknown. Unlike Baker family members, holoforms are less resilient and you can rely on your weapons to get rid of them. During our test, the holoforms appeared in very specific places and unlike Jack, you will not be able to meet them in any place. However, if we met the Baker family members one by one, you could very well end up with several holoforms in the same room. Luckily for you, the monsters are quite slow and will give you some time to shift around and aim for the head properly. Indeed, although weaker than Jack and the rest of his family, the holoforms are still quite strong, and you won't be able to get rid of them other than by aiming for the head.
In addition to these boss fights, players will encounter holoforms, monsters that seem covered in a layer of oil and whose origin is still unknown.
If Resident Evil VII focuses above all on the survival aspect, you will not necessarily have to hide permanently. Like previous Resident Evil, the player can count on a varied arsenal to overcome enemies. In addition to the classic pistols and shotguns, we were also able to try the flamethrower during our game session. While some weapons will be available simply by picking them up, others will require you to find each piece separately before you can access them. to assemble. Survival requires, your ammunition will be limited and you will have to be vigilant at all times to avoid running dry. If the game contains hiding places where ammunition can be found, the player will still have to create his own ammunition by combining different objects. In addition to weapons and ammunition, the player will also have to pay attention to his health and can rely on various potions to recover after a violent confrontation. Here too, players will have to find materials such as green plants in order to make healing potions.
HORROR AND SQUEEZE
As you will have understood, Resident Evil 7 will require you to be a seasoned collector. However, you don't have the Mary Poppins bag with you and you will have to be constantly careful about the contents of your inventory so as not to run out of space. Fortunately, players can count on chests, present in each save room. Protected from enemies, these rooms will allow you to breathe a little before returning to the lair of horrors since none of the enemies can enter them. The chests are all linked together, so you can drop items in one chest to pick them up later in another. Apart from saving and storing items, these coins are also used for shopping. Indeed, each save room contains birdcages in which are various weapons and bonuses for your character. To open them, you will need to find the antique coins scattered throughout the Baker property. Some cages will only cost you one coin while others will ask you for 5 to 6; the most expensive cages often contain powerful objects such as a Desert Eagle, capable of doing more damage than a classic pistol.
Resident Evil VII manages to set an almost paralyzing atmosphere where the slightest noise will be likely to freak you out like never before.
While Resident Evil 6 had been strongly criticized for its atmosphere, Resident Evil 7 seems set to be the episode most faithful to the first games. The level design has been very good so far and certain elements of the scenery will be reminiscent of certain places well known to players from Resident Evil 1 & 2. What's more, the game is graphically cleaner than the previous demo, thus making less bland textures and much less aliasing. The house perfectly plays its role as a theater of horrors and the filthy rooms, where each parquet slat creaks under our feet, helping to reinforce the immersion of the player who will take a long time to scrutinize the rooms in search of clues to progress. in the adventure. Resident Evil VII manages to set an almost paralyzing atmosphere where the slightest noise will be likely to freak you out like never before. The only downside to our gaming session could come from footsteps. Indeed, very often, we have happened to jump because of one of our footsteps, which arrives out of step with the image. Nothing too serious, but given the stress imposed by the game, it would be better not to scare yourself unnecessarily. If the house seems quite small, it seems that we are not at the end of our surprises since the players will have to go to the garden or even to a secondary house. The terrain has therefore not been fully revealed and Resident Evil 7 should still have some major surprises in store for us on the day of its release.
