Though I arrived fashionably late to the Resident Evil party, I’d like to think I’ve settled in quite comfortably. I’ve cowered at the echo of Mr. X’s heavy footsteps. I’ve winced at Leon Kennedy’s endless one-liners (still adore him, of course). Yet there are still a few entries missing from my collection.

One of them was Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, a game my wife insists is “the most different” of the series. Turns out, she was right, because that difference made it one of the scariest and most unsettling Resident Evil games I’ve played so far.

Biohazard trades Chris Redfield and Leon Kennedy’s expertise for Ethan Winters, a presumed Average Joe caught in a nightmare while looking for his wife. After three years, Ethan gets a call from her, leading him to the enigma that is the “Baker House.” As you may have guessed, it’s not exactly a bed-and-breakfast. The place is a haunted maze filled with terror, Saw-like puzzles, and dead bodies galore, all typical things you’d expect from a Resident Evil game. What truly sets Biohazard apart, however, is its use of a first-person perspective, bringing the horror dangerously close and personal.

All those years playing Resident Evil, I never realized how good I had it with the series’ third-person view. For the most part, you could see everything coming from a mile away. Sure, I still got the occasional jumpscare, but nothing that made me cower in a corner the way Biohazard did. This game’s first-person view made me terrified of two things: opening doors and climbing ladders. Sounds normal, right? Wrong. Every door, every ladder carried the risk of some heinous fiend trying to rip my head off. It got so bad that I closed my eyes when entering new areas, only to be jumpscared anyway.

The classic horror chase scenes were even worse through this lens. I refused to look back at whatever monster was chasing me, just muttering “find a happy place,” like in Finding Nemo. Not only were there monsters, but the Baker family still lived there to stir up more trouble. Above all, what truly scared me was the dead silence of the house. The sounds of sweet nothings always seemed to be followed by a jumpscare.

Amid the terror, one moment stood out, a perfect storm of fear and embarrassment where my dog’s camera even mistook my screams for barking. One of the Baker family members jumped at me, and I launched my controller into the air. It did two full 360s as my wife laughed at the sight of me, but at least I was cool enough to catch it mid-scream.

Besides the horror aspect, the first-person perspective also means we never really get to see Ethan’s face. His appearance is left a mystery, much like the many questions that haunt the Baker House itself. At times, I felt a certain detachment following a faceless protagonist, but I was equally drawn to the intrigue that came with the unknown. Biohazard shifts the spotlight away from the hero and instead focuses more on the player’s experience and the side characters.

I was honestly surprised that those side characters, the Bakers, actually drew me into the story. They weren’t exactly the friendliest bunch, especially when Ethan ended up sharing a homemade dinner of intestines and guts with them. Eventually, they started to grow on me in their own twisted way. Each of them had their own quirky skills that made them stand out. Lucas quickly became a personal favorite with his playful attitude and very dark sense of humor. His challenges, which often felt like classic Resident Evil puzzles, were a nice break from the constant gunfights.

While I had my favorites, the Baker family as a whole still felt like your everyday horror movie antagonists. The game carried that vibe perfectly. You’ve got your haunted house, demented family, and a soundtrack that will send chills down your spine. All pretty standard stuff, if I do say so myself, but Biohazard uses these familiar elements to tell a story that stands on its own.

Unlike past Resident Evil games, which were heavily rooted in lore and featured key characters shaping the franchise, this one doesn’t require any prior knowledge. I’d even consider it a great introduction for horror fans who haven’t played the series but enjoy first-person horror games such as Outlast. Although I will mention that if you shoot something in the head, it doesn’t guarantee a kill. I learned that the hard way many, many times before in previous Resident Evil games.

Thanks to its cinematic feel and overall gripping narrative, I managed to play Resident Evil 7: Biohazard practically in one sitting. I found myself captivated by every second, eager to unravel more about the sinister truth behind the house. Fortunately, it wasn’t one of those endings that left me asking, “That’s it?” Instead, it tied things up well enough to leave me satisfied with the answers I got. I would have been content with that alone, but I’m glad the story continues in Village. I’ve always been curious about the infamous Lady Dimitrescu, and I’m intrigued to see what part Ethan plays in this game.

Finishing Biohazard feels like crossing an important checkpoint in my Resident Evil journey. It pushed me harder than the earlier games ever did, not just with its scares but with the way it redefined how the series delivers them. Now I don’t feel like an outsider catching up anymore. I feel fully part of the ride, ready for whatever comes after. So I guess Village is officially on my list. Here’s to another Resident Evil entry that keeps me up at night.