If you have read the review of Resident Evil 7 biohazard for PlayStation 4, at this point you will have had more than an idea about what are the key elements of the adventure, and in general about what they are, in terms of mechanics and not. only, strengths and weaknesses of the expected return of the series. It is therefore clear that that article remains the point of reference for all those who possibly want to deepen certain aspects of the game in terms of playability or longevity, given that in this sense, if we exclude some technical features such as support for the PlayStation VR viewer, the two versions are identical. In this review, therefore, in addition to offering a second point of view on the game, we will focus on what are the possible peculiar aspects of the Xbox One edition.
Resident Evil 7 biohazard brings the series back to the origins of survival horror
At the roots of fear: old and new meet
A few years after the last appearance as the main series, Resident Evil has changed a lot: what we have tried in so many hours of play is in fact a different experience than the one to which the saga had accustomed us, even if in some ways, like we will see shortly, it remains ideally similar to that of its historical chapters. From a stylistic point of view it is undeniable that Resident Evil 7 biohazard seems almost a reboot, not only because it partially deviates themes and stories told from the traditional ones (but don't worry, the links are there), but also because, while keeping many of the classic elements of the gameplay of the series on a conceptual level, it radically changes the setting, passing from the typical view of a third person adventure to the first one, to create an experience where the subjective view, but also the scenography, endowed with a certain evocative power, have at least equal importance compared to the careful planning of one's movements from one dark corner of the house to another, or to the solving puzzles.
The Louisiana scenery, with its large swampy areas and the gigantic tangle of canals that transform the foggy areas into isolated areas where reality seems suspended in time and space, is in this sense perfect for the purpose, and seems to come out of one of the black fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Resident Evil 7 biohazard has in fact a dark and gloomy setting, made of dense forests of palm trees and cypresses populated by unhealthy creatures and deformed monsters in place of the traditional figures of wolves, witches and trolls, and domestic areas where terrible acts of blood occur. The perfect setting to stage a story starring an ordinary man, Ethan Winters, who in search of his missing wife finds himself catapulted into a daydream, forced to fight step by step to try to survive in a scenario which pays homage to films such as Don't Open That Door, Wrong Turn and, in a couple of ideas, to American Horror Story: Roanoke. A story perhaps not very original, therefore, and which precisely for this reason exploits some of the clichés typical of dozens of genre films, but which in any case works at the service of the playability and staging of a story capable of restoring an atmosphere and a involvement like few others. The gamer thus finds himself in a desperate situation with no escape route, forced to approach each phase in a different way, even hiding and fleeing when needed, also given the presence of enemies that cannot always be killed., at least in a conventional way. Plus a heavy feeling of extreme loneliness and constant danger excellently amplified even by the details such as the few healing objects, the scarcity of bullets and the need to optimize the resources in one's possession to survive. Which then, if you think about it for a moment, are just some of those aspects that characterized the concept level, as we wrote before, the first chapters of the saga. After all, when Shinji Mikami "invented" the first Resident Evil he started from these assumptions: as we told you in an old article on the subject, the game designer gave shape to "his" personal world of terror, where fear would always be around the dark corner of a corridor or dirty window panes in a room, and the gameplay would place some emphasis on the concept of survival through game elements such as the few means with which to defend oneself from enemies, the inventory with limited spaces to manage, the puzzles to be solved or the use of notes scattered here and there as an additional "ingredient" to the canonical narration that took place via dialogues or intermission scenes. All elements that, coincidentally, are present in this Resident Evil 7 biohazard, and that make it the same as the first chapters despite its "diversity". To further confirm what we have just described, there is also the return of an old element of the series, the trunk, which brings with it as a consequence a strategic management of resources and objects to carry around, with the need to make more trips in case you find yourself in a tight spot with the spaces available. And that of the rescue system at pre-established checkpoints, this time however usable through the use of recorders instead of traditional typewriters.
Xbox One achievements
Resident Evil 7 biohazard offers 37 Achievements for a total of 1000 points. To get them you have to complete certain challenges, such as completing the game in the three difficulty levels provided, or by collecting a specific object or resisting the attacks of a family member.
In the swamps of Louisiana
To adequately support everything we have described up to now there is the RE Engine and, consequently, a technical sector of excellent workmanship, which rests its foundations on a sound sector worthy of a cinematographic film and on well-defined graphics. From this point of view, Resident Evil 7 biohazard on Xbox One should adopt a dynamic resolution that, depending on the complexity or not of the scene, would change the resolution "on the fly" up to a maximum peak of 1080p. Particular that, in fact, we cannot confirm 100% since we could not "measure" it and that it is not noticed with the naked eye, and therefore we report only for completeness of information. However, the frame rate is quite stable at 60 and the loads are close to zero. We write "enough" because in a couple of circumstances, we actually noticed a slight drop in performance. Stuff of little importance and, we repeat, sporadic, which we point out for the record, and which therefore could have been random, with the title that remains absolutely enjoyable and qualitatively beautiful.
The effects of light and those of shadows are in fact the best we have seen in recent months, with a series of light / dark games that make the scenarios in which the user is forced more credible and therefore terrifying. most of the time to move, being careful not to make too much noise and not to attract the unwanted attention of some threat. The various environments, both domestic and external, are treated in every detail and details such as the dishes soiled by it is not clear what, the worn and rotten wood of the furniture, the mold, the dirt in every corner, even outdoors, they greatly contribute to a sense of unease and overwhelming disgust. Perhaps some texture seen up close betrays a certain basic simplicity in its structure, but if on the one hand these do not show a particularly high detail, on the other they are appreciated for a great variety, and therefore on balance there is nothing which can affect the general quality from an aesthetic point of view. Among other things, the various particle effects that manage the dust and other elements such as the mist typical of wet and swampy areas are integrated well, which do their job well, dampening the underlying immobility and making it even more "particular" the atmosphere. The modeling of the characters is also good, at least for the "human" ones, with an appreciable effort in facial acting, and the quality of the animations, as well as the general physics, capable of leaving you speechless for the way in which it handles in a realistic way even the cuts on the flesh, the gunshot wounds and so on in a dynamic way. The only flaw in our opinion is the absence of at least some of the classic enemies of the series, which in our opinion would have been a welcome addition from every point of view. To close the technical aspect is obviously the audio. The game is entirely spoken in Spanish with a rather apt acting and dubbing, as is the music, which is no exception, given that they blend well with the environmental and narrative context of the game and contribute to increasing the degree of involvement with some tracks that are activated in the most dramatic and "horror" situations. Likewise, environmental effects adequately perform their task, accompanying the player in the exploratory phases with a whole series of ad hoc sounds, which sometimes do not fail to arouse a certain anxiety: in fact, the creaking of a door opening, or the thud of a fallen object in the next room is enough to increase the tension even without the subsequent appearance of some enemy.
Comment
Digital Delivery Steam, PlayStation Store, Xbox Store Resources4Gaming.com9.0
Readers (48)8.2
Your voteLet's face it: our initial approach with Resident Evil 7 biohazard was not the happiest, as we started playing it with a slightly skeptical attitude, worried by the idea of being disappointed by a title that we have been waiting for a long, too long time, but that from what we had seen it looked very different from the classic episodes of the series. Fortunately, however, the fears vanished in a flash, giving way to the pleasure of playing a scary game, ideally built on the classic scaffolding of the first Resident Evil, but reinterpreted to adapt to the times. In fact, the product winks at the progenitor of the series, mixing old and new elements to please both those fans who requested a return to the origins in terms of atmosphere, and those who wanted a more modern type of experience, such as that linked to titles such as Alien: Isolation and Outlast. Resident Evil 7 biohazard is therefore less "different" from its early predecessors than it may seem at first glance.
PRO
- The return to the origins of true survival horror
- Great sense of immersion thanks to the excellent atmosphere and the equally valid audio / visual sector
- Gameplay with a good level of challenge ...
- ... but frustrating in a couple of situations
- Some of the classic enemies of the series are missing, and in general a few more enemies
- Not suitable for the faint of heart
