Resident Evil 7 Offers Variety from Classic Gameplay

By: GooseOne of the most recognizable franchises out there is Capcom's Resident Evil. Now with seven titles, the series has ran since 1996 on nearly every generation of console. While a few titles may have missed the mark (Resident Evil 6 wasn't exactly a gem...) the franchise as a whole has changed the way that we look and interact with horror titles. I'm happy to say that Resident Evil 7 continues this tradition of raising the bar.There were some doubts when trailers for RE7 first came out. Previews showed it being very different from the typical gameplay they offered, and people weren't 100% on how it tied in with the rest of the series. I can offer some words on those factors. One, yes - it is different. Different does not mean bad though. Two, one must play through the series itself to truly understand the connection and storyline and I can say yes, it does connect. To the doubters out there, ignore those points and please realize that Capcom hit it just right with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard.RE7 offers gameplay in first-person form. This is different from the usual third-person offered by Resident Evil. Compared to the other games, this personally made it a lot scarier. In third-person form, you can visualize enemies approaching you with ease. With first-person, it is a lot harder to see your foes surrounding you, allowing for a lot more jumpscares. It also, throughout the entirety of the game, made me a whole lot more paranoid and definitely very tense. This factor really enhanced the environment, and to be honest it made me feel like I was right there in the action.The storyline is perfect, in a morbidly disturbed way. It takes playing through the whole game to get it completely, but a summary will do just fine (without spoilers!). The main character that you will play as used to have a girlfriend named Mia. She had a job with the government on a very important and secret mission. To your dismay, she disappeared and left you, never to be found again. Several years later, you had received a video message from Mia and also a few hints of her location, which happened to be a mansion deep in the woods. You set out to find her, only to be met with a psychotic family called the Bakers. Jack Baker is the crazy father that tries to kill you over and over again, and he seemingly is indestructible. You will face him and his crazy family, and they will torture, beat, and attempt to maim you while trying to rescue Mia. Without revealing too much, the family is actually possessed by a little girl that you will have to destroy.This is actually a pretty complex game, meaning that you actually have to be decently smart if you want to play it. There are a lot of puzzles that actually require some thinking, and this game will surely take a decent amount of time to play through. Another cool factor that other RE's offer is item storage. You must wisely store your items as there is a limit to how much you can carry, and your battles must be intelligently planned out if you want to survive.There are so many additional DLC packs that make Biohazard a fantastic game. The graphics, considering it is on the Xbox One and Playstation 4, are phenomenal. They are some of the best horror graphics I have ever seen in my life, making the experience that much more disturbing. To be honest, it actually ends up being kind of sad. You will have to make a choice that means life or death for your girlfriend and another survivor you encounter, making the game somewhat personal. Besides the sob story, there are a lot of sick and twisted parts that will make your stomach turn. It is awesome!Anyway, Resident Evil 7 was literally almost perfect. There are really no huge complaints about it. The enemies you face are original and creatively made, the game environment is huge, and the story is brilliant. It is absolutely worth playing, yet is not one of the scarier games I have ever played. Take into consideration that it is in fact scary, but the storyline really makes it more than just a heart-pounding adventure. The other aspects, such as the puzzles and boss battles among many others (find out yourself!), really make it an astonishingly fantastic experience that any horror fanatic or Resident Evil fan will surely love.