Long gone were the days of Raccoon City in the 1990s, or the cultish atmosphere of Leon S. By the mid-2010s, the series had become something of an ugly duckling, so far removed from its roots that fans of the originals had all but given up on Capcom’s enduring franchise. If, prior to its 2017 release, someone had mentioned to you that a new installment in the Resident Evil franchise was on the way, chances are you wouldn’t have been excited. While RE7 didn’t strictly reboot the franchise, it purposefully went off the beaten path to return Resident Evil to the horror pedestal it belongs upon-and there are no soft reboot games quite as masterful as it. The next ten or so hours after that first step into the Baker house are violent, atmospheric, and emotionally exhausting-everything Resident Evil should be. The game, which released five years after Resident Evil 6 all but tanked the franchise, knew it had to divert from the formula to succeed, returning to its survival horror roots for the next generation of games. In fact, if you were to watch this first-person gameplay without knowing the title, you might be shocked to learn that you’re watching Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, the 2017 iteration of the beloved survival horror franchise. After walking through the misty undergrowth of assorted brambles in the front yard to this ominous townhouse, it’s that first step into a building laced with unknown terror that truly gets under your skin in a magnificent way. Walking into the Baker household for the first time is one of the most terrifying steps you’ll take in a video game.

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