So I'm finally taking a crack at re7 for the first time on my own, and even though I've watched playthroughs of the full game, I cannot stress enough.
How much.
I loathe this fucking game.
Its quiet set up and beautiful setting mixed with eerie music and the subtle sounds turned up to max have immediately put me on edge. I have not played for more than five minutes, and I feel like I'm about to jump out of my skin.
Also, I never noticed while watching other playthroughs, but there's a subtle mechanic where you have to let your vision adjust to the dark after looking at something lit up, and I am immediately so much more wary of everything due to the fact that I do not have constant visual information. That subtle detail alone has made me more stressed about a game than I have been in a very long fucking time, if ever.
In my ten minutes of trying to start a new game, I keep finding myself muttering, "where's Chris? I want Chris. Chris makes me feel safe. Ethan does not make me feel safe. No offense Ethan, but I want Chris here rn."
The worst part is looking at Ethan's hands that are the only thing we see of him and knowing what is to come for those poor fucking digits. Having to watch his hands constantly interact with things makes it so much more palpable and awful. I hate this.
Anyways this is easily one of my favorite titles in the whole Resident Evil series solely just for how much I fucking hate playing it and how much it raises my cortisol levels. 9/10.