Set in sunny Louisiana, Resident Evil 7, is a welcome turn to the Resident Evil franchise. It follows the sixth game, which most of the fanbase decides to not acknowledge due to the convoluted story line. Resident Evil has redeemed itself with the seventh installment to the franchise.

Now with a new engine, the game runs very well. Also a new story line so no more contradicting plot points. The game also comes with a very serious shift in view. Coming from over-the-shoulder third person, to a much more immersive experience into first person.

Gamers play the protagonist Ethan Winters, in search of his wife Mia, whom has been missing for the better part of three years. Ethan makes his way down to an old plantation in the swamps of Louisiana. The former plantation is home to the Baker family and some rather suspicious disappearances within the last few years.

Within the first hour of gameplay the player is introduced to Mia. For the first few minutes all seems well. But that would just be too easy. Mia has been granted with “the gift.” This allows a subconscious entity to take control of Mia and give her superhuman abilities and immortality.

Shortly after being introduced to Mia, the player meets the Baker family who tries to force feed Ethan so that he can also be part of the family.

Refusing this game the family become the main antagonists of the game.

With four members of the family; Jack, Marguerite, Lucas, and grandma Eveline, each is in charge of their own area throughout the story. Each enemy is the master of a certain area.

With this installment of the game focusing more heavily on horror than action, this game stands apart from the rest of the franchise. Enemies that emerge from the ground called the “molded”, and the player is introduced to an enemy that it is more efficient to run away and conserve ammo than to stand and fight. With enemies that take three to four headshots to kill, it makes more sense to flee and conserve the scarce ammo that the player has collected.

However, some things still remain true in Resident Evil 7 to the rest of the franchise. The game encourages the player to play through multiple times, rewarding them with new weapons and abilities for the other playthroughs.

Similar to many other games than just the Resident Evil franchise, the player is faced with an ultimatum towards the end of the game. This choice affects the ending the player gets, whether it be the desired ending, or the lesser of the two.

With a five-year gap from Resident Evil 6, the graphics in the new game look stunning. With new technology comes new opportunity. The newest installment allows the player to use the virtual reality feature on the Playstation 4.

Overall the game is a blast. With a great story, mechanics, and a feeling of horror leaving the player on the edge of their seat, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is a solid 9/10.