RESIDENT EVIL 7 Biohazard Review. Can You Escape The Nightmare?

Biohazard takes Resident Evil back to its more survival horror-exploration oriented roots, departing from the action-based transitions that we had seen in installments 5 and 6.

Graphics — 5/5

Biohazard’s graphics capture the spirit of Resident Evil perfectly, with eerie bosses and a final boss that looks something right out of the Abyss. The setting is a bit narrow, but then again this might be because of the storyline. The characters are almost perfectly rendered, and there are no framerate dips that might make them look awkward. The background score should also keep your heartbeat at an unhealthy rhythm as you don’t know where the next attack might come from.

Gameplay — 5/5

You play as Ethan Winters, a civilian who receives a message from his missing wife, Mia, about her whereabouts. He tracks the communication to a manor in a plantation off Louisiana and encounters new antagonists known as the Bakers, who have been infected by a bio-toxin. A lesser opponent is known as the Molded also springs up an attack occasionally, but you can quickly neutralize these. The infected Bakers can’t be swiftly killed, only temporarily disabled. They have powerful regenerative abilities induced by the bio-toxin, so prepare for a constant fight.

Biohazard goes back to the survival and exploration genre of the original R.E, departing from the more military action style seen in installments 5 and 6. As Ethan, you’ll need to scavenge for items and solve puzzles before the next clue can be unraveled.

The game is played from the first-person perspective. The first few levels are generally exploratory with minimal combat. However, as you progress through the game, you’ll encounter more aggressive boss fights and a reveal of the final storyline.

Controls — 5/5

What I like about the controls is how easily I can shift between the items thanks to the quick select on the D-pad. Movement is quite streamlined. However, I did occasionally find it difficult to back away from an attack when in a closed corner. The fluid controls come in handy when you are engaging a relentless boss and have to quickly skim through your weapons inventory and make runs at the same time.

Replay Value — 5/5

Biohazard initially lets you soak in the exploration of the spooky Baker’s mansion, and you might get a little bored at first, but the action eventually starts coming faster and more brutally as you progress. The storyline meshes perfectly with gameplay, and the ending (and alternate endings) is, in fact, the most significant incentive to play. The boss fights are epic, and you’ll want to play again so that you kick the ugly out of them.

The Bottom Line

While I was a little skeptical when I heard of this departure from the regular Umbrella Corp storyline and characters we are used to, the ending of RE7 was worth it, and I won’t be the one to give a spoiler. It goes back to its horror roots, with less action, but still offers a storyline that makes every second on the couch worth it. If you want a real scare, maybe you should try the VR version.