izigame.me

I want to mention right out the gate that I'm speaking as a Cajun here. Louisiana born and raised. This game nailed it with the scenery. There are little things around the game that I was genuinely surprised to see because typically only locals know about them/do these things, so Capcom must've done their due diligence with research for this game! Seeing the water out behind the old house, the storm damage to the buildings, the textures on the docks & walkways - it really feels like home, which added so much to this game for me. And on top of that, the accents! In most media, southern accents are over exaggerated and never sound accurate. Jack and Marguerite were perfect, especially in the Daughters DLC! Textbook definition of southern parents. The only one that sounded remotely inaccurate was Zoe, and even then it fits if they're far enough south, and it's clear by the scenery that they are. Judging by voices, condition of the buildings, scenery, and all else, near as I can figure the Bakers probably weren't too far off from Dulac, though probably a bit farther south of it.
The Molded as a concept is fascinating to me. I'd have loved to see more variations of them, more twisted aberrations and mutations! The pacing through the game left a bit to be desired, and Ethan has very little personality, but it's really refreshing if I'm going to be totally honest. Ethan is a character with so little to him in a series where every character is ridiculously extra - it's nice to see a protagonist who's just a normal guy. The dinner segment of the game was weird, I'll admit, but after that things really settled into place. This game does a solid job of adding an eerie, unsettling atmosphere! When I first played this game back in 2018 I didn't get further than the trailer in the yard, decided it was boring and I didn't like it. I'm glad I came back to give it a second chance because this is an excellent return to form for the series! It left a bit to be desired, sure - but hey, it's a LOT better than the absolute dumpster fire that was Resident Evil 5, and that's all that matters. And as for Chris in this game - it just amuses me that Capcom, even after all this time, still can't decide on a set appearance for Chris Redfield. Different every game! That being said, personality-wise this was the closest he's been to his RE1 variant since Code Veronica X, so that was a pleasant surprise!
If you're reading this as a fan of the classic games and are questioning whether to give this game a shot, I say do it, but don't go into it expecting it to be like the classic games. It's very different, but mostly in a good way! Though funnily enough, monsters aside, the most unrealistic thing in this game was the Baker family home being that big in Louisiana's economy. All in all, I give Resident Evil 7 a solid 8/10.
Oh, and the Resident Evil Outbreak reference was perfect. <3