If Biohazard was a great gust of cleansing wind, RE8 is the same, but with a bit of a chilled drizzle along with it. The real problem with this game is that it seems to always want to get it in its own way. There are some touches of absolute brilliance here and there is gameplay of real definition. Everything around it, though, especially the story, leaves something to be desired.
Village became convoluted rather early on with a very confusing storyline. Yes, this is supposed to be confusing, but that really doesn't excuse some of the choices being made. The fact that you have a daughter in the first place, under the spoiler circumstances, was enough of a head-turner, then they had to go and make you put her back together. Anyone with children will know that putting a parent through this nightmare scenario will bring about its own feeling of dread that goes beyond the game and this is not a good start already.
Couple that with some scenes that drag on, a village that is seldom in the game after the start and a primary villain that turned out to be a throwaway and this game starts to fall apart a little. It's like they didn't know what genre to be, so they brought multiple writers and told them all to go full tilt into their genre. Our vampire family starts with typical horror, the dollhouse goes surreal horror, the fish man goes bland and monster horror, then it's science fiction and whatever other theme and/or setting they want. Maybe a little more paying attention to game mechanics and atmosphere and less trying to shove this game full, and this could have been dealt with.
Sticking with the vampire villain and maybe some other Universal horror monsters within the starting castle and this might have been GOTY potential with praise that reached RE2 and RE4. Instead, we're treated to an uncomfortable line of characters that really do not seem to belong in the same game, as they all deal the game disorienting blows, whether it be before or after their appearance. The guy boss battle with the metal and the electric minions just did not belong in this game, and you can argue his required involvement all you want but he brings little to the table in ways of story.
The final boss is far more forgettable than the one from 7, mostly because she turns out exactly how we thought and pretty much all of the twists and turns just produce eyerolls of frustration and typical game logic. This is compounded when we find out the "twist" of why Redfield smashing into your house and shoots your wife, while stealing your daughter. If they could have actually worked this part into the story, it wouldn't have been a problem. No, as a good friend, he just pops in, fills your wife full of lead and hops on out with the daughter while dragging you along like a sack of potatoes.
To say that this was lazy storytelling would be an understatement. Who would act like this? Who would just do all of this without explanation and tell you to shut up when you complain? Is there no idea that we could just pull out a knife and start killing him? Does he know how we'll react? I certainly hope not, because I would be doing everything in my power to kill him and commit murder in the third degree to everyone he knows. The game glances over this and you're met with the same mischaracterization and dampened reactions that is our main character, Ethan.
The dollhouse and much of the starting vampire castle were the absolute highlights. The ancient feel of the castle with the ambience of candles and old time horror was a big plus. Then, everyone loved the tall vampire lady who turned out to be the meme of the year 2021. The giant monster in the dollhouse gave me nightmares in the best way and avoiding this horrid creature was something of a huge panic mode. These little bits of the game, along with the immaculate graphics and RE7 gameplay of awesome, gives this game a bit of an edge.
That edge is, sadly, attatched to a sword fitted with superglue with a wobbly hilt. It's functional and it pulls off some elements, but overall the story is what makes it hard to recommend. There's already a far better game that came out before it and if you need a clearer winner, you may as well look up the Flash vs Quick Silver, because RE7 is the Flash and it wins! This game tried so hard to tack on all of these different twists and turns while trying to keep the game fresh and well-paced but it stumbled on its own footing. All of its great elements are relegated to small portions of the game and trying to reach them is a bit of a farcical experience once you get into the grind and find out the rest of the game just isn't that great. Perhaps making the tall vampire lady the big bad was a better idea but I don't want to make you think I have some bias or anything. Look, stop analyzing these lines and just accept that she's not at all a favorite among these games.
Now, please, drink my blood!
