It’s been a long wait, but we finally got our hands on Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. Originally I bought the game on the PC, which was fun for the first hour before it would repeatedly crash. It became such an issue that I had to rebuy the game on the Xbox One just so I could play it. I did some research and it seems this is a fairly common issue. Because of this, I am forced to not recommend the PC copy to anyone. Does that mean this is a bad game? Only on PC, on the Xbox One however, it’s the game we all wanted.

I played the demo several months ago and I was excited. I didn’t know what to expect in terms of story and depth. As I loaded up Resident Evil 7, I noticed that the graphics were slightly downgraded from the demo, which isn’t unusual. As the car pulled up and gave me control, I was pleasantly surprised at how everything felt. The atmosphere was there, but it didn’t really settle in until you make your way to the guest house.

The further I got into Resident Evil 7, the move jumpy I got. It wasn’t that the game is terrifying (even though it is), it’s that it never allows you to get comfortable. The game makes you backtrack several times, but they keep the area fresh with new scares or enemies. The audio is probably the highest quality I’ve seen in a game in recent years. I would hear a noise in one room, go to investigate and all of sudden, BANG, from right behind me. Resident Evil chose the path of suspense and jumpscares mixed with a truly eerie and disturbing atmosphere.

Let’s speak for a moment about the Bakers, Jack and Marguerite Baker (supposedly not backward, but my source died on that one.) The Baker family are the main antagonists for this exciting and curious tale. I’m willing to call them the best villains in a Resident Evil game because they pose a threat to you and you alone. For once we don’t have an epic adventure to save the world or the president’s daughter, we’re just trying to survive.

The boss fights surrounding these family members only get more difficult and terrifying as the game progressed. The fight where you take on Marguerite actually played off of one my actual fears which made me have to take a break afterwards. These are your classic hillbillies with a dark secret, but you can find notes and letters that will paint the picture of what happened to make them be this way.

The first person view is what made this game work. While Resident Evil has typically been a third person shooter, I truly believe that first person will be the series new, permanent style. This return to form was a breath of fresh air that the series needed. Situations are more tense, more frightening. Enemies look bigger which in turn makes them look more threatening. The series only benefits from this new perspective.

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is a must play for a veteran of the series or if you’re looking for something to get your heart racing. While there are puzzles and inventory management, I find that I spent far less time than in previous games trying to figure those things out. The story is phenomenal and keeps it going through cryptic clues and discoveries. While the PC part of the game suffers from bugs, if you’re a console gamer, indulge on this exciting and unnerving new installment to the Resident Evil series.