When enemies start popping up in the Baker house - both the Bakers themselves and some other terrifying opponents - often Ethan’s best tactic is simply to run like hell. Ethan is not a special forces agent or a police officer he’s just a regular dude with no particular combat skills. That last requirement is notable, because no Resident Evil game since the first one has done as good a job as RE7 at making me feel scared and helpless. I had to memorize secret passageways and figure out which doors I could hide behind, and which hallways could get me to safety fastest. I had to scour every corner of the house for resources. A huge portion of the game’s 10 to 12 hours is devoted to exploring the Baker residence - and not just exploring it, but really getting to know it. Dulvey, Louisiana, isn’t Raccoon City, but like the original Resident Evil, RE7 takes place in and around a single large house. While Capcom doesn’t require a degree in Resident Evil lore to jump into Resident Evil 7, there are echoes of the series’ history within it. Resident Evil 7’s boss fights are by far the worst part of the game Resident Evil 7 capably demonstrates that, given the right mix of pressure and time, Capcom still has unique design and narrative space left to explore in what is by far its most popular - and commercially successful - franchise. Now, a little over four years since Resident Evil 6, Capcom’s new numbered game in the series is more than just a return to form. Damningly, this felt like the best I could hope for from Resident Evil.
It wasn’t ambitious or particularly scary, but at least it wasn’t bad. In my review of 2015’s episodic Resident Evil Revelations 2, I said that the game “provides a road map for where to take next” - but this felt like a concession, rather than anything truly revelatory. It got so bad for me, a Resident Evil fan since 1998’s Resident Evil 2, that I essentially admitted defeat. It’s had a couple of solid HD remasters, and the Revelations spinoff series has stayed strong, but the disaster of the last mainline entry in the franchise has lingered. Resident Evil 6 was a game wildly out of touch with its own fan base this beloved horror series has struggled for relevance since. With Resident Evil 7, Capcom has proved me wrong about the Resident Evil franchise.
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