A good game is one thing, but there's just something special to a thing you had little hope for exceeding far past your wildest dreams. As far as the expectations-to-final-product ratio goes, this one is a wild success. Even removed from the shock of seeing a long-running franchise like this come back into former glory, Resident Evil 7 (man, that is a great logo) is just such a well put together game it's almost astounding. It's not perfect, and the first half is noticeably stronger than the second, but everything that's done right is done so well that it's hard to imagine a more triumphant revival.
Gone - for the most part - is the pseudo-military fantasy trappings of the past games. No longer is the game in third-person, opting for a first-person perspective. Hell, the enemies are barely even "zombies" any more either. At first blush, you'd be hard pressed to even identify this game as a Resident Evil game, but if you look closer, it is still here. There's still atmospheric horror based on resource management, there's still a mysterious viral infection, there's still a grid-based inventory that forces you to think about how you approach different scenarios. The inspirations from recent horror games like Outlast, SOMA, and yes, even the borderline deified P.T. are obvious, but nothing feels lifted wholesale, and the influences are treated with class and respect, creating a game that feels like it's learned something from it's peers.
Having received a cryptic message from his wife Mia - missing for three years now - regular dude Ethan Winters travels down to Dulvey, Louisiana to investigate and soon finds himself trapped in the clutches of the Baker Family on their large plantation estate. If that sounds like the bare bones pitch for Silent Hill 2 but with, like, two nouns changed... yeah, it basically is, but where the former deals in psychological horror and an intense character study of it's protagonist, Resident Evil 7 is more about the atmospheric horror and environmental story telling. Ethan himself is separated from the series protagonists that came before him by being an average Joe, and not police or military trained in any way. He's just a guy here to find his wife, and he fights like one.
The story is fine, and the characters are believable, but that's not really the draw. While it does take center stage in the back half of the game and make an attempt to tie into the series lore (for better or worse), the simplistic and fairly standalone plot moves out of the way to let the gameplay shine. Exploration and resource gathering are balanced near perfectly with encounters and evasion as you make your way through the various locations on the compound. There are just enough healing items and bullets for the few weapons you have to keep you from ever feeling like you're in an unwinnable scenario, and that's before you take into account the crafting. Chem fluid - both in regular and "strong" varieties - can be found around the game world which can be combined with other materials to make new items. This allows for some light customization in terms of how you play, as you can either opt to use these materials to make new healing and support items and be defensive, or to craft ammo and go on the offensive more. Best of all, everything that you can make is useful in some way. Although I initially scoffed at the pyschostimulants, an item that helps to highlight other items in the world around you, they can really come in handy during a hectic encounter or boss fight where you need to be able to collect the stuff scattered around the environment hastily.
There are also some short vignettes - including the one previously found in the Beginning Hour demo - in the form of videotapes that can be 'watched' in some areas that offer new experiences, or give you an early look at a locale you will soon find yourself in. These short diversions are fun and clever, if a little easy. In fact, as a whole, the puzzles of the game are rarely that hard, most of them being incredibly simple. Only once was I ever really stuck, and it was only because I didn't notice the key item I was missing my first time through the area it was in, and had to double back for some time looking for it when it came time to use it.
Although there are some more varied locations later on, I really appreciated the consistency of the early parts as you explore the now dilapidated houses around the estate. Looking at your map and seeing all of the unopened or locked doors is actually incredibly exciting with the feeling of choice and possibility it creates. Throughout most of these areas, the members of the Baker family are often stalking you through the halls, making becoming familiar with the layout crucial. I found myself very quickly learning to close literally every door I opened behind me just so that I could throw any pursuers off my track. It became very apparent early on that it was better to hinder my enemies than it was to leave the path open for me to get through, as many enemies had trouble getting through doors.
As well as the persistent Bakers, there are also regular enemies in the form of 'the molded', black tar-like monsters in (mostly) human shape that shamble after you looking to mess you up (and to evoke SOMA again, the black goo in question looks a lot like the WAU). Although the further you get the more stocked and prepared you will be, early on, dealing with more than one enemy at a time can be a real challenge, and will require some quick thinking and conservative play. The boss encounters, however, are less fun. Often lacking good feedback on whether your actions are truly hurting them, these fights tend to be clunky and drawn out, which makes them hard and at times just plain tedious. The last one in particular was confusing and random, but at least it wasn't very long. There are only a handful of them in the game anyways, but it would have been nice to see these big set-piece moments come across a little better.
A lot of little things add up to really bring the package together. The game runs almost perfectly, and even though there is a fairly long front load on a regular PS4, there are very little load times found after you're in the game, which helps with the impeccable pacing. Just as you feel like you've figured out one location, you're off to the next, even if you can usually go back just to clear out those areas later. The visuals of the game look top-notch, and the use of sound - often a make or break point for me an horror games - is excellent as well. The one aspect I simply cannot really speak about is the PSVR support, not having one myself. I personally don't know how much time I would spend with the headset on, but the ability to lean and peek around corners is something I wish I had throughout the game, so in addition to more immersion, it would likely offer a mechanically different way to play in some regards.
Resident Evil 7 shouldn't be as good as it is. The hard pivot from the action oriented games of the last decade (or more) into this horror focus is pulled off with an execution I didn't give Capcom the benefit of the doubt on, and I'm so glad to have been wrong. The story may veer a little too heavily into "creepy little girl" tropes in the back third, and there are still some plot threads left to wrap up - surely in the free "Not A Hero" expansion promised for Spring 2017 after the credits - but the game is a solid product well worth the time of anyone who likes horror games, or excellent world design. At around 10-12 hours long, it doesn't out stay it's welcome while also feeling substantial and meaty, and the split between combat and down time is just right. I'll never know what my feelings would have been like if I hadn't already been skeptical of this "changed man" routine they were selling me, but I'm glad I did give the game a chance, as it left me happy to say I was wrong.