The Resident Evil series is a successful franchise that has spanned multiple games and has birthed movie and television adaptations. Although the series began as a horror franchise that drew players in through its ability to maintain a tense, ominous atmosphere, its identity has changed over the years. Resident Evil 4 saw the series incorporating more action elements, and this trend only continued with Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6, which seemingly aspire to emulate action movies. With Resident Evil 7, however, Capcom decided to return the series to its roots and craft a terrifying horror game.
Resident Evil 7 takes on a first-person perspective and centers on Ethan Winters, a man who is on the hunt for his wife. As he explores the house he stumbles upon, he discovers that the family there is far from normal, and there are many dangers he must overcome if he wants to rescue his wife and make it out alive. Not only did Capcom give the series a needed popularity boost with Resident Evil 7, but it also produced one of the scariest games ever.
Resident Evil 7 Has Some Fearsome Foes
Part of what makes Resident Evil 7 so scary is its array of villains and enemies. Whether it be killer insects or a marauding member of the Baker family, the shadows always carry a promise of danger. The dread of knowing one will be going up against another nightmarish monster soon is enough to keep the tension high for the game’s entire duration.
Ethan is drawn to the Baker family’s home in Louisiana after receiving a message from his wife, Mia, who has been missing for years. Ethan loves his wife very much, and this is seen through the lengths that he is willing to go to rescue her. However, once he finds himself lost in the Baker family’s home, he discovers that the person he loved has become a ghoulish creature intent on harming him. This leaves Ethan with no choice but to treat Mia like any other villain. By taking what Ethan loves most and turning it into his worst enemy, the game successfully creates a sense of unease and discomfort that is hard to shake off. Thanks to the first-person perspective that lets players see the world through Ethan’s eyes, it is easy for his fear, anxiety, and confusion to become the emotions of players, allowing them to feel the terror and anguish Ethan does every time he strikes his wife.
Several other enemies seem designed to evoke nothing but pure terror. This includes spiders and flying bugs that are much bigger than they have any business being. The bugs are an ingenious inclusion, as the fear of spiders (arachnophobia) and the fear of insects (entomophobia) are quite common. Even players who do not find themselves frightened by creepy crawlies in real life may find their oversized counterparts in Resident Evil 7 just a tad too creepy.
Perhaps the scariest enemies that players encounter are the members of the Baker family. As Ethan explores the Baker family’s home, players have to deal with members of the Baker family roaming the house. Much like Mr. X from Resident Evil 2, the Bakers cannot be killed with bullets or knives, although they can be temporarily incapacitated. Hence, unloading one’s gun on them is nothing but a wet plaster on a wound, and one can be sure that just because a Baker is down, it does not mean that the terror is over. The Bakers also provide some of the scariest moments in the game where players are trapped and must find a way to deal with the Bakers trying to kill them.
The section of the game which has players stuck in a garage with Jack Baker is arguably the scariest, and the claustrophobia brought on by the tiny garage along with Jack's relentless pursuit of players effectively inspires feelings of dread and hopelessness. The terror that comes with facing these villains is only amplified by the fact that Ethan has limited inventory space and can therefore only carry a few weapons at a time. This, combined with the fact that ammunition is scarce, means that players are left feeling helpless against the hellish horrors that come their way.
Resident Evil 7's Horrors Stimulate the Senses
Resident Evil 7’s scary moments are only heightened by the impressive graphics and intricate visual design. The Bakers' home is meticulously designed, and it features many small details that tell players more about the family. Players can enjoy all these fine details thanks to Capcom’s RE Engine which, since it was first used during Resident Evil 7’s development, has proven itself to be capable of creating jaw-droppingly gorgeous games.
The top-notch graphical quality also makes the gory moments of the game all the more shocking. When Ethan is reattaching his lopped-off hand, or when he witnesses a cop getting horrendously mutilated with a shovel, players get to see it in all its gruesome glory. The scary visuals of Resident Evil 7 are complemented by the game's sound design. When players are walking down the hallways of the Baker family's home, creepy sounds of wood creaking, windows rattling, and the wind whistling ensure that players are always on edge.
The most terrifying way to experience Resident Evil 7 is through virtual reality, as the game supports VR gameplay. With a VR headset, players are even more immersed in the world of Resident Evil 7 and the horrors of the Baker family’s home. Swarming bugs seem like they are real enough to feel on one’s skin and being pursued by one of the Bakers ends up feeling like a life-or-death situation.
Resident Evil 7 is not for the faint of heart, as it contains jump scares, terrifying enemies, and sights gruesome enough to make one’s tummy twist. While Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 along with their remakes contain more than enough tension and fear, Resident Evil 7 manages to crank up the terror even higher with its first-person perspective that puts players face to face with their nightmares. Many games promise to terrify players, which has led to the oversaturation of the horror genre in gaming, but few titles have been able to live up to that promise quite like Resident Evil 7.
Resident Evil 7 is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.