Resident Evil 7 / Biohazard 7 Teaser: Beginning Hour

Some ideas may appear to be all but exhausted when it comes to movie or video game ideas, but they can all be reimagined in different ways with enough creativity. Hence, the underlying concept is always simple even in the most complex stories, but the presentation is what matters the most. Games like Penumbra featured a simple “stuck in an underground facility” story, but the atmosphere made the whole experience memorable, or even traumatic.

Resident Evil 7 / Biohazard 7 Teaser: Beginning Hour heralds the arrival of the seventh episode in the ancient Resident Evil series, but it takes a slightly different path. Thus, instead of zombie invasions and cheap jump scares, the game concentrates its efforts on making you feel claustrophobic and alone, which is obviously a lot better in regards to atmosphere. On top of that, the visual quality helps a lot with immersion as well.

The story is fairly standard, given the fact that it puts you in the role of a man stuck in a haunted house in the middle of nowhere. However, the atmosphere is very thick and engaging, since you are always bothered by shadows moving in the corner of your eye, or sounds behind your character. It’s actually a very nice experience, at least in this short teaser.

The actual gameplay is fairly basic as well, given the fact that most of your time is spent exploring and searching for items that might come in handy later on. Survival is important, so hiding is a priority in most cases, since this is not exactly a shooter. Granted, the teaser is too short to be an accurate representation of what the full gameplay is going to be like, but if it’s any indication, this is more like Penumbra and Amnesia than it the previous episodes.

Lastly, the graphics quality is great as well, and the engine is designed to run smoothly on weaker PCs. Don’t expect a revolution in terms of texture resolution or visual effects, but the level design is good enough for that not to matter too much. Obviously, the sound effects are extremely important too, and they are expertly designed to send shivers down your spine at all times.

All things considered, Resident Evil 7 / Biohazard 7 Teaser: Beginning Hour is on the right path to success, although it remains to be seen if the full game is going to stay true to this teaser. Hence, if you want a great horror experience and you don’t plan on sleeping for the next couple of nights, this fits the bill perfectly.