Capcom are coming in hot out of the gates with a port of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard Gold Edition developed for the Nintendo Switch 2, and with the power of the newer hybrid console behind it, there’s no need for cloud-based for this portable release. But does it still stack up almost a decade on from the original release? And is the Switch 2 version a dream port or a nightmare scenario?
Winter is Coming
Feeling like a soft reboot of the franchise after the intense action of Resident Evil 6, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard stars new protagonist Ethan Winters, whose wife has been missing for 3 years. Out of the blue, he receives an email asking him to come and find her in the swampy region of Dulvey, Louisiana.
Ethan quickly makes his way to her location and stumbles across an estate in disrepair. It isn’t long before he realises something isn’t quite right, and after meeting up with his wife Mia again, he starts a long and torturous trial to try and save himself and his wife from the macabre Baker family.
The story feels quite far removed from the rest of the franchise, at least in the first two parts of the game. It focuses more on Ethan trying to save Mia and escape the family as you explore the estate. Over time, you discover the history behind Jack, Margarete, Lucas, and Zoe Baker, and what went on to make this seemingly quiet family become a set of devil’s rejects, as well as how Mia ties into everything.
The story in this game feels more self-contained than those Resident Evils that came before, and Ethan is more like a blank slate, allowing you to get immersed in the dark events that are transpiring. Sadly, the Survival Horror curse is still alive, and the last act really does a number on the pacing in an attempt to up the ante and tie the game to the wider world of Resident Evil.
The Baker family deserves a special mention as an outstanding cast. There is Jack Baker, the father and an absolute monster of a stalker. Marguerite, the mother, is no slouch herself, and their son, Lucas, feels heavily inspired by the Saw films. In contrast, the daughter Zoe has managed to avoid the fate of her family and is working with Ethan to escape this swampy hell.
The more grounded narrative and setting do wonders to remind gamers that Resident Evil was the true pioneer of Survival Horror. While it was beaten to the punch by titles like Alone in the Dark, Resident Evil 1 truly brought the horror home and catapulted the genre into the mainstream of gaming. While the series lost its path somewhat, particularly with 5 and 6, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard Gold Edition was a not-so-subtle reminder that Capcom still can bring authentic horror to the table, and that comes across clearly as ever in this re-release.
Horror Starts at Home
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard was the first title in the franchise to take on a proper first-person camera, having only previously been attempted with the light gun-focused “Resident Evil Survivor” series of games. It feels like a giant leap from the much more action-focused third-person shooter affairs, slamming the brakes on the speedy action-shooter direction of the series and instead feeling like limping through mud (in the best way possible).
What this all means is the game leans much more on tension and the survival and horror elements that made the franchise so famous. You don’t have the combat abilities of Leon S Kennedy or Chris Redfield; instead, you’re just a scared “normal” person who has ventured into the unknown in order to find his wife and come across untold horrors, trying to adjust to the insanity and come out with everything still attached.
Ammo and healing items are scarce. There is a crafting system that puts you in the position of deciding if you need to heal or if you need a few more bullets to deal with the ever encroaching Baker Family and their carnival of chaos. Do you spend what you have now for some standard bullets, or hold off in the hopes you find enhanced gunpowder and can craft some enhanced bullets? The choice is there, and more often than not, it will be the decider between life and death.
The slower pace of the game and reduced enemy count mean that the combat is much more visceral and impactful. Outside of the amazing bossfights in this game and a few forced sections, combat feels more like a choice. You could stand and fight, but it could be a resource drain and not yield any results. Sometimes it is better to flee than fight, an aspect of earlier Resident Evil titles which felt seemingly forgotten during games four through six.
Puzzles also make a much-needed return and are quite fun in their execution. There isn’t anything that will completely stump gamers; instead, just a quick read of the many files you’ll pick up or even watching one of the several videotapes you find around the estate will usually give you the answer. The puzzles are a great pace setter for the game with the slower combat, and they just ooze nostalgia from the original games. You could, at times, be mistaken for thinking you’re back in the Spencer Mansion from the original game once again.
Inventory management once again returns, and with that also come item boxes and save rooms. The game really felt like a refreshing throwback to some great parts of the original games, and likely a shock to some who aren’t quite used to having a very limited inventory and having to decide if they want to carry extra healing or clear up the inventory space to pick up a key item or two.
Got Enough Inventory Space?
The game clocks in at around 12–15 hours on your first run, and it naturally gets much quicker in subsequent playthroughs. Sadly, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard Gold Edition doesn’t have skippable cutscenes, and there is the infamous “Boat” section, which a lot of gamers actively despise, as it feels like quite a substantial time sink with no reward.
There are several difficulties to tackle the game on, including the intensely hard “Nightmare” mode. There are many in-game challenges to unlock Challenge Points (CP), which can be traded to unlock extra items, weapons, and even infinite ammo. This gives gamers an extra incentive to take on the Bakers a few more times.
Once you have finished the main game, the Switch 2 version also includes every bit of DLC that was released for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. This consists of two main story packs, clocking in at around 3 hours each. Not A Hero stars Chris Redfield and is a much more action-focused affair, while the absolutely insane End of Zoe features Uncle Joe Baker, who’s had enough and decides to punch his way around the swamp. If the former DLC is considered more action, the latter is practically a first-person “Beat ’em up”, but amazingly, it works well and still manages to feel authentic to the Resident Evil 7: Biohazard format.
You also have the roguelike nightmare mode of Ethan Must Die, the score-chasing Jack’s Birthday, the deadly card game of 21, an escape room DLC, and even a horde mode. This package feels like it offers a mode of play for everyone. Each piece of DLC is worth playing at least once, but I will say I spent (and continue to spend) the most time on getting through Ethan Must Die, which is a randomly generated nightmare run.
Port Potential
The main talking point about this title and Resident Evil 8: Village coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 is how they perform. I’m happy to report that Resident Evil 7: Biohazard Gold Edition feels like a basically perfect port. As someone who has spent countless hours on the game on the PlayStation 4 and 5, I would wager it is much closer in graphical fidelity to the PS5 and remains at a consistent 60 FPS for 99% of the time. There were a few slight drops when going into new areas, but even action-heavy sections such as the “Not a Hero” DLC managed to maintain a consistent framerate.
The game looks and sounds fantastic in both docked and handheld modes. Textures just pop, and the framerate remaining consistent just helps the game and horror feel buttery smooth and immersive. The fact that all the DLC is also included just makes this the ideal way to pick up this game for console gamers, especially if you only played at launch on PlayStation 4 or have never experienced the horrors of the Baker Family before at all.
Verdict
I’ll be completely transparent with you, dear reader: Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is my favourite Resident Evil title post original Resident Evil 3. To have the complete package, playable in handheld and looking and handling the way that it does, is like a fever dream for me. While I wish Capcom had addressed some minor issues with the game in terms of skippable cutscenes and the like, and maybe offered a cheeky little bonus like the Mercenary mode from a few of the other games, the fact this port gives the full experience with nothing removed in a form I can just pick up and play is already far too enticing an offer for me to do anything other than recommend this game to everyone who will listen.
As a game and a port, this version of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard Gold Edition is basically perfect as is. It’s the survival horror that I had been missing since the series took a more action approach, and this port is a solid reminder that 7 still remains undefeated within the franchise as the perfect modern horror.
RESIDENT EVIL 7: BIOHAZARD GOLD EDITION IS A MUST BUY
If you would like to see more horror games, you may be interested in our review of FATAL FRAME II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE or the other Resident Evil games.
Many thanks go to Capcom for a Nintendo Switch 2 review code for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard Gold Edition.
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