I'm finally playing these games from the start, after a lifetime of a weird on and off relationship with this series involving playing RE5 and RE6 in co-op as a kid with my brother and cousin, a more recent playthrough of 7, and me watching Smosh's walkthrough of 7 and 8. I knew buzz words like T-Virus, Leon, Chris Redfield, Jill, and typewriter, and it feels good to finally be at the start of it.
The game is unique. Immediately, the camera is something I never really got used to. You'd think after a couple hours in that you'd get a feel for the navigation, but so many times, I'd catch myself doing 360's after three back-to-back camera switches in New York apartment-sized bedroom. At the same time, the tension created by the locked camera is great. Entering a new space and hearing a set of footsteps rushing towards you from somewhere off screen is terrifying. So there are pros and cons to the camera.
My biggest gripe with the game is the inventory management and saves mechanic. Both of these things feel at home in this game, that's not necessarily my issue, though they can be annoying. My main problem is that it made it difficult for me to try to play the game. There were numerous days during which I had maybe 30-45 minutes to sit down and play a game, which usually works fine for me. The problem is that I didn't want to risk the possibility of playing 30 minutes and then having to get off, losing all my progress because I either can't find a save point or because I spent all 30 minutes getting ultimately nothing significant done because I had to run around the house, collecting things and then running back to safe rooms to drop them off because I don't know their purpose yet. Maybe that's because of the my playstyle. Or maybe I'm just dumb. Either way, it broke the flow of the game for me.
Outside of that, I had a fun time when I did have the time to play. It's not really that scary compared to other games out there, but scarcity of resources and the combat make you count every bullet, herb, and ink ribbon and think about their worth. My favorite is the world and lore. The storytelling through the notes you find and the environmental clues around you is subtle in an amazing way. That being said, I will be watching several YouTube video essays to learn about everything I missed.
Anyways, I'd recommend the game. It's good.
