Resident Evil 7:Biohazard
The sixth installment of Resident Evil, although it earned Capcom a lot of money, showed that the formula invented on the occasion of the revolutionary "four" has burned out and the series needs changes.
For twenty years, Resident Evil remains the strongest brand in the yellow-blue portfolio, but its history can be reduced to three specific titles. Released in 1996, the original set the standard for console survival horror for years, the "four" released eight years later popularized the view over the shoulder and turned the series into - as the creators themselves described it - an action horror movie. The final collapse of the series came in 2012, when Resident Evil 6 was released, which, although sold very well, rejected the lion's share of fans. The incredible scale of the events, powerful melee attacks, the gameplay focused on pure destruction, a huge amount of QTE sequences, a terrible script or terrible cutscenes staggering between the convention of romantic realism and anime poetics, left an unequivocally negative impression. Correct interquels in the form of the handheld Revelations and its solid continuation still drew more from the newer installments of the series than the classics, which fortunately the publisher decided to remind us of, spitting out reissues of the excellent REmake and RE 0, available only for Nintendo consoles for years. Putting the "six" and the remake of the original side by side, you can clearly see how much the authors have deviated from the original assumptions of the cycle. Here a revolution was needed, which had to be accomplished, even at the cost of worse financial results. Capcom had the courage to do so.
Richard Pearsey, the creator of the script for the memorable Spec Ops: The Line, is responsible for the script of Resident Evil 7. For the first time in the history of the series, the storyline for the canonical version of the saga is not the responsibility of the Japanese, which - bearing in mind the last few episodes full of kitsch and trash - was a great move already in the initial development phase. After watching the end credits, I can say that it was a bull's eye. The action of the game takes place four years after the events of the "six", although the knowledge of the series is irrelevant, because in the field of scenario the newest part almost completely separates from its heritage. As an ordinary middle-aged guy, Ethan Winters, we receive a video message from Mia, the main character's wife, who has been dead for over three years. The woman informs her husband that she is at the Baker's plantation in Dulvey, Louisiana, but also asks him not to come for her. The protagonist, wanting to find out the truth about the disappearance of his spouse, moves to the address indicated. On the spot, it turns out that the Bakers are completely crazy, but inexplicable things are happening in their ruined household.
Capcom made the game at a cost, and the entire experience was developed with virtual reality in mind, resulting in shallower gameplay. It's not true. The latest episode is an intelligent, classic survival horror, which is what every iteration of Resident Evil should be. We have here most of the elements for which we fell in love with the cycle years ago. The need for wise inventory management, saving ammunition, a manual save system, puzzles that require perceptiveness, the ability to "play" opponents, memorable battles with bosses, various endings or an additional challenge level, and fresh poppers unlock after completing the adventure.
Despite the change to the first-person perspective or the resignation from many stationary points of view, the "seven" is played similarly to the classic versions of the PSone and GameCube era. We traverse a huge plantation, including a mansion resembling Spencer's house, exploring the environment in search of the items necessary to push the action forward. Importantly, the authors managed to differentiate the "problems" encountered by the protagonist so much that the scheme "find the key/card to the next door", which he could wear out even in the excellent Alien: Isolation, does not apply here. It is worth looking into every nook and cranny, as it may turn out that we have just discovered a shortcut to an important location. Level-design, as in the classic trilogy, Code: Veronica X or Zero, is the highest shelf. However, what you will be looking for with the most persistence will be weapons, ammunition and green plants.
In the game, you will not meet zombies or other mutated mammals. The standard adversary we see most often is the mold-covered creature, which comes in several varieties and looks a bit like the Ooze mutants from the first REvelations. Clashes with them raise adrenaline both in the first part of the game, when we only have a gun, and later, when they attack in groups. Unfortunately, they are not able to overcome ordinary doors, as long as we close them behind us, so it is relatively easy to outmaneuver them. With time, they make up for the lack of forceful arguments in numbers, but then we already have a shotgun, magnum, flamethrower or grenade launcher.
The authors consistently stick to the goal once chosen, so that survival will accompany us all the time, only occasionally proposing sections on slightly different principles, but even then survival is the number one goal. Then you can see which titles the developers drew their inspiration from, and there are some of them. Several times we are forced to play a game of cat and mouse with an indestructible stalker, which raises the tension in the same way as in the aforementioned Alien: Isolation or horrors from the hide-and-seek subspecies, such as Outlast. In some parts of the game, the game tries to build an atmosphere of fear with the same means as the popular walking simulators like Layers of Fear or the unforgettable P.T., which turns out pretty well. There was also something from The Evil Within, namely traps that one of the characters sets for Ethan. As in the production of Shiji Mikami - the father of Resident Evil - we can save some ammunition by giving the opponent an explosive surprise. There is nothing wrong with peeking at the best, after all the authors were extremely sparing in adding something from themselves.
Is Resident Evil 7 a scare? In a few moments, definitely yes, and in addition, we feel anxious all the time - the greater the less careful we are when using firearms. However, I must admit that something was missing. Do you remember Crimson Heads from the remake of "one" or hard-to-beat Leechman from RE 0? Here, a similar, stressful and unpredictable factor is not implemented. This flaw is partially compensated by the ghostly Bakers, but the encounters with them are scripted, so the tension after such sections evaporates for a long time. The checkpoint system is also a bad idea. Although the game can be saved only with tape recorders, the death of a character does not mean going back to the last save. It is a pity, because the penalty for death is lower, and therefore the player is more willing to risk. After all, this is probably the only element that shows that the producer would like to reach as many players as possible. The lack of components of the last two numbered RE episodes, i.e. cheap gimmicky, Quick Time Events sequences, moments straight from the shooter on rails, or rendered film inserts, makes me very happy.
The plot is at least ten hours of intense survival in the old Japanese style, so it turns out that the authors did not lie, telling in interviews that they are going back to their roots. The manufacturer has definitely abandoned the MT Framework multi-platform engine, developing new technology for Resident Evil 7 - RE Engine. This engine provided the game with high-quality, photorealistic graphics, and some compromises, such as less accurate models of individual elements of the environment or average-quality shadows, compensate for the tricks with lighting and sixty frames per second on all platforms. The creators did not express interest in creating a version for the Switch, although it seems to me that the Nintendo console would bear this title. I have already mentioned great voice-acting, a strong point of the game is also the sound, so important for survival horror. I was impressed by the soundtrack prepared by Akiyuki Morimoto (Lost Planet 2, Resident Evil 6). The musical setting sounds completely different than in the riotous "five" or "six" - here it is very economical, the guitar dominates, and the whole thing perfectly corresponds to the atmosphere of the American province. PlayStation VR owners can play the whole adventure with goggles on their heads, although I did not have and will not have the opportunity to test the reviewed position in virtual reality.
I have respect for Capcom for the fact that in the case of Resident Evil 7 he took up such a project. The "Seven" is less affordable and effective than the latest achievements of the series, so the publisher probably expects worse sales, but sometimes it is worth taking a step back to take two forward. Resident Evil 7 is a successful return of the series to its roots, reconciling the classics with modern solutions. Not everything sounded right, the checkpoint system and scripted clashes with the pursuers dilute the dense atmosphere of terror and hate, and the adventure could take a little longer, but the seventh episode of the famous series should satisfy all fans of survival horror, especially RE fans, who will find a lot of flavors here. or references to old, iconic parts.
Resident Evil Village
"Success is only rented, and the rent has to be paid every day" - this is the maxim repeated by the outstanding football coach Hansi Flick. After completing the latest installment of Resident Evil, I have no doubt that they also adhere to this principle at Capcom.
Resident Evil Code: Veronica X from 2000 has one particular scene within it. Trapped on the island, Claire Redfield discovers a secret passageway leading to the Ashford Mansion. At some point, the camera moves away from the character, and in the background, the player can admire the spooky castle illuminated by lightning. The father of the series, Shinji Mikami, admitted in one of the interviews that the above scene is one of his favorites and best defines what Resident Evil means to him. The creators of the mentioned title from Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 partially abandoned the poetics of American zombie films, instead drawing inspiration from the achievements of European artists.
The authors of the series actually experimented with various sub-genres of horror from the very beginning, although for most players the series was defined by views referring to Hollywood images about the living dead. However, Capcom's games have evolved like a virus over the years, and therefore we received titles maintained in different conventions. European influences were visible to the naked eye in Code: Veronica X or Resident Evil Zero, while the very successful "seven" took full advantage of the achievements of American slashers. Meanwhile, thanks to the reviewed Resident Evil Village, Mikami's dream came true, who wanted to see a game in the poetics of gothic horror.
Although the version in question functions without a number, in fact, Village, is an "eight" cleverly hidden in the game's subtitle. The story is a direct continuation of Resident Evil VII: Biohazard, focusing on the fate of Ethan Winters and his family. Three years after the dramatic events in the Baker's household, Ethan and his wife Mia are living a quiet life in Europe. They are happier than ever because their daughter Rosemary was born six months earlier. However, one evening it all ends. Chris Redfield, a former member of the elite S.T.A.R.S. and the legendary BSAA agent, along with his team attacks the Winters family. He kills Mia in front of her husband, kidnaps Rose, and orders Ethan to be imprisoned. A few hours later, the hero wakes up on the road leading to the mountain village ...
An extremely strong and intriguing beginning heralds a ride without handlebars, and it is also true. For obvious reasons, I will not reveal even the smallest script secret, but I will write one thing for sure - the reviewed Resident Evil Village offers the most interesting and simply the best story I have experienced in the series! Virtually everything played here, i.e. a shocking opening, an atmosphere of great mystery, shocking twists, well-written characters, numerous references, and consistency with the Resident Evil universe, there were also surprisingly emotional moments. It is worth noting that although you can watch a short summary of the events from the "seven" before the start of the game, I strongly encourage you to read the title before Village because both items are closely related to each other. More than anyone could imagine.
As in the case of RE7, an English-speaking writer was hired to work on the Resident Evil Village script, which only confirmed my belief that the games in this series are best interpreted by people from the Western cultural circle. It does not change the fact that the Japanese developer has done a fantastic job styling his work into a gothic horror movie. From a spooky atmosphere and a sense of threat, through medieval architecture, the themes of death, madness, or disease, to the creations of antagonists and parenthood as the leitmotif, we will find here everything that an eighteenth-century horror novel should contain. The authors have already proved that they can deftly redefine the well-known horror convention for Resident Evil, but in this case, they went a step further. Anyone who thinks that Village is "from a different story" should definitely finish it first.
The reviewed Resident Evil Village is not only the result of the developer's 25 years of experience but also the result of numerous inspirations from such titles as Silent Hill, Fatal Frame, and The Evil Within. The core of the game is a classic survival horror in a nutshell, i.e. combat and exploration of terrifying scenery, limited range of player avatar movements, the need for wise inventory management, shortage of ammunition or a manual save system. However - due to the development of most known systems and the implementation of themes from other games - the "eight" has its own identity.
Excluding pageviews with numbers 4, 5, and 6, each canonical part of Resident Evil usually offered one main location where the player spent most of the time playing, possibly a few more minor ones. Resident Evil Village is much larger than any episode of the series, offering a partially open field of action. The eponymous village can be safely described as another heroine of the story - dangerous, mysterious, unpredictable, and hiding many secrets. At the very beginning, we only gain access to its central part, where people used to live, but as the game progresses, we visit new locations. The main plot is completely linear, but the Village offers the freedom to perform optional activities and exploration on a scale that we could have previously dreamed of. At the same time, the creators managed to avoid typical side quests such as orders from survivors or courier missions - there is nothing here that would knock you out of the main story.
However, the biggest impression is still made by huge, closed locations. In order not to spoil your fun, I will mention only one, well-known from the promotional materials of the castle, Lady Dimitrescu. The multi-story building is full of hidden rooms, shortcuts, secret passages, and valuable treasures to find. Exploration is then the same as in Spencer's villa from the original or at the police station of the "two", so we are looking for ways to get to the next places and we move forward methodically. The reviewed Resident Evil Village follows the same principle as in every main installment of the series - the more places we visit thoroughly, the better the rewards we get. The Vampire House is just an example of how well the site designers, whose designs are reminiscent of Bloodborne, have done their job well.
In the Resident Evil Village review, I can't help but mention the recurring theme of the indestructible stalker. During the last few parts, we ran away, among others before Jack Baker, Tyrant, or Nemesis, so these mechanics could not be missing also in the "eight". I know that there are people in the room who do not like such a procedure, but my reaction to similar complaints can be reduced to two words - survival horror. The most important feature of this genre is to exert pressure and stress on the player. The stronger the better, hence the popularity of invincible torturers since the times of Nemesis and Pyramid head. In the Village, we will meet several of them - some move freely within a given location, while others attack only in scripted sequences. Traditionally, I will not reveal much, I will only mention one such antagonist, whom everyone who follows the materials from the game has already met.
Alcina Dimitrescu became the face of the promotional campaign of the peer-reviewed Resident Evil Village a little by accident. Internet deviants aside, he is a character as interesting as he is dangerous. A nearly three-meter-tall vampire trapped in the body of a 44-year-old aristocrat will not rest until she interrupts Ethan's search for her daughter. Over time, the death of the hero becomes a personal matter for her, so it is not the epitome of pure antagonism like a dispassionate Tyrant, but it cannot be taken lightly. However, if - like the proud Indian Billy in the Predator movie - you have enough of escaping and decide to face an unequal duel, beware. To sum up, in the subject of adversary-persecutor Village does not add much from itself, rather using the patterns developed in the "seven" and the remake of Resident Evil 2, nevertheless, as a fan of this type of attraction I feel satisfied.
I mentioned numerous inspirations of the creators of the "eight", both with the older installments of the series and other survival horror films. The partially open world reminds me of the great The Evil Within 2, a sensational fragment of the game that could easily play out in the title of the Fatal Frame series, a confrontation with one opponent reminded me of the unforgettable Silent Hills, there was even a pinch of hide-and-seek horror. However, the reviewed Resident Evil Village draws the most from its own heritage, including the iconic "four". As you have already noticed, the discussed item on the one hand expands all the successful elements of the first-person RE7: Biohazard, while borrowing interesting mechanics from other games. The spirit of the controversial Resident Evil 4 also hovers over all of this, which this time does not shift the emphasis towards pure action, but diversifies the Village formula.
Capcom managed to balance all the components of the game, which include exploration, combat and puzzles. I have already written a lot about the first one, and then it is no less interesting. We have an extensive arsenal, which over time includes pistols, shotguns, sniper rifles, several types of grenades and other surprises. The combat in Resident Evil Village is fast, intense and rewarding, requiring the player to skillfully use weapons, use the environment and a bit of tactics. Headshots look lush like in RE4, which also borrowed the possibility of barricading in besieged buildings, a system for organizing items in a backpack, and above all, the figure of a trader. Duke shows up in strategic places selling useful items, weapon modifications, lockpicks, and other goods. It also strengthens our character by serving meals, as long as we hunt game beforehand (simple, optional activity). It is especially worth buying schematics that allow you to create first aid kits and shells.
The element in which Resident Evil Village definitely dominates the "four" are puzzles, almost absent in the classic from 2005. Compared to other aspects of the game, this one is the worst, but still at least decent. Simple puzzles appear in the main plot, once even while escaping from a boss, and a few optional ones will test your patience and dexterity. There aren't as many puzzles as in the classic installments of the PlayStation or GameCube era, as it would certainly have a negative impact on the pace of the game. Completing the game on the standard challenge level is about 13-15 hours, depending on how thoroughly we explore the village. There are a total of four difficulty levels, and during the game we unlock internal achievements, for which we get CP points needed for purchases in the main menu. Weapons acquired in this way can be used during subsequent playthroughs, just like in Resident Evil 3.
After completing the adventure, we get access to interesting bonuses. Hundreds of character models and concept sketches are standard for modern installments of the series, but this time the illustrations have been decorated with comments from the creators, which allows you to broaden your knowledge about the events in the game. There are also some behind-the-scenes videos on how the game was made, but I left the best dessert after the campaign main course for last. The Mercenaries mode returns in the reviewed Resident Evil Village! The rules have not changed much since the times of the "four", so our task is to clean the selected set of locations with the best possible score. By collecting yellow crystals, we extend the time limit, and by smashing the blue crystals, we gain a selected gameplay modifier to eliminate enemies even more effectively. A successful mode that effectively extends the life of the product and proves that the "eight" gameplay fits even short, arcade sessions.
The graphic design is a high level of "seven" and other productions on the RE Engine. Although there were some compromises - mainly in terms of the quality of environmental textures, shadows, and dematerializing corpses - given the size of the game world, rich geometry of objects, detailed character models, trace aliasing, and almost no loading screens, the developers working on the Village deserve praise. The animation works in the range between 45 and 60fps, slowing down slightly during spectacular cutscenes, and I did not encounter any major errors while playing. PS5 and Xbox Series X / S owners can count on higher resolution, smoother animation, ray tracing, and - similar to PS4 - HDR.
The sound layer is also a strong point. Putting on the headphones, you can feel like prey in the frosty world of werewolves and vampires, scary howls that can throw shivers down your back. The music track was composed by the veteran of the Shusaku Uchiyama series, who recently signed the 2019 RE2. As the atmosphere in the title is different, the soundtrack for Resident Evil Village is not as bombastic as in the remake of the "two". It seems to me that the composer managed to find a golden mean between minimalist music from RE7 and lofty songs associated with gothic scenery. The voice actors also presented a high level.
I consider the reviewed Resident Evil Village a pearl in the crown of the series, an almost perfect summary of Capcom's activities in the entire previous generation. "Eight" is delightful on so many levels - from a sensational story, through a satisfying fight, extensive exploration, a fantastic world, esoteric atmosphere or enemy designs, to technical performance and rich content - that I can do nothing but warmly recommend it. A wonderful survival horror game, and one of the best Resident Evil parts ever.
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