I'm generally a big fan of the Resident Evil series and have played most of the titles and to this day Resident Evil 4 remains one of my favourite games of all time. Resident Evil 7 looked to reinvent the wheel yet again in January 2017 moving the survival horror experience to first person. Does it work once more for Capcom? Or is RE7 yet another example of a familiar franchise that just doesn't cut it anymore?
The story has you playing as Ethan and little is known about his backstory. You find yourself on your way to Louisiana to search for your wife Mia in a very creepy mansion and it is apparent that Resident Evil is going back to its roots in more ways than one taking a sharp turn from its action orientated predecessor. It is also true that the up close and personal first person gameplay absolutely works and can even heighten tension at certain key moments. You will face a variety of enemies in the game but it's probably fair to say that while it does drive up the horror, RE7 is still fundamentally an action game at heart.
---Summary--- (Scored out of 10)
Graphics 10 Really good and it's one of the best looking games you will see on the system.
Sound 8 It checks all of the right boxes with solid voice acting and some good music.
Gameplay 8 It's typical Resident Evil but with a first person twist.
Lifespan 7 I beat the game in about 10-12 hours but there is reason to go back at least once to get an alternative ending.
Resident Evil 7 is not my favourite RE but it is a very enjoyable title nonetheless. As far as survival horror goes it is one of the better experiences you can have on Xbox One and does have its moments that will genuinely unnerve you which marks a change from more recent titles in the series. If survival horror is your genre this is unlikely to disappoint. It's not outstanding but it is solid and is less likely to get people mad like Resident Evil 6 with a return to atmospheric horror.