Resident Evil 7 - Madhouse Playthrough

A playthrough of Resident Evil 7 in Madhouse difficulty level. Unlike previous Resident Evil games, the seventh installment is a first person shooter, but this is not its only difference from the other titles of the saga. The element of horror is still here, only now it is combined with the old-school thriller feel, similar to that of films like The Evil Dead or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, to which it nods many times.

I loved this game despite the controversy, but I have one complaint to make. It highest difficulty level is like a whole new experience, practically cancelling any practice you may have gone through by playing the Easy and Normal modes. I understand that Madhouse is specifically designed to offer a new level of hardcore gaming, but then what is the point of trying to learn stuff in Normal, for instance, if everything is going to be different when it comes to Madhouse. Having stronger enemies, making the character lose health more easily, even getting him insta-killed by random hits, finding less ammo and health items, all this is not only absolutely legit but also welcome. This is exactly the point of a high difficulty level. But this is also exactly why you are supposed to be given the chance to hone your skills by practicing in a standard difficulty, so that you can then be able to handle a much tougher version of the game. 

Here what happens, however, is that the game feels and, in fact, is different in Madhouse: items are found elsewhere, tough enemies that normally appear later in the story, may now jump on you during the first half hour. And this isn't only about unneeded difficulty. It is also about lack of consistency. Certain enemies that are hidden in the basement are limited to that section of the house at the beginning, when things are still unveiled and you are in the process of uncovering the secrets of the Baker family. Only much later, when the situation becomes even worse, do those enemies invade the upper parts of the house, because at that point there is noone to control them. This is how the story goes, and it has a logic behind it. In Madhouse this logic goes down the drain, as said enemies can be found strolling around the house even before you are supposed to meet them for the first time, therefore ruining the whole point of suspense and gradual revelation.

And something else. It is probably insignificant, but it annoys me that we can never have a proper look at the protagonist. We can see Ethan vaguely close to the end via a hallucination, and also a slice of his face can be spotted through the cocoon in which Eveline traps him on the ship; but these are both scripted events, as the model itself is actually headless. I know this kind of first person design is used by many games (like Outlast) but I like to know that the character I play with actually has a head.

In this playthrough, I am using the Albert-01R handgun and the circular saw as basic weapons, alongside the others that I find during gameplay. All cutscenes are included.

Check also:
Resident Evil 7 - Albert 01R Challenge - Madhouse Playthrough