Why Resident Evil 7: Biohazard’s gory intro is so jarring
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard‘s introductory sequence still has players rattled seven years after it was first released. But what is it about Ethan Winters trespassing on the Baker Ranch that makes it so memorable?
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard puts you in the shoes of an everyman
Right from the get-go, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard reinforces that Ethan Winters is not like previous Resident Evil protagonists. He hasn’t had special training like Chris Redfield or Leon Kennedy. He isn’t trying to do something outrageous like survive a zombie outbreak or stop a shady multinational conglomerate like Umbrella. Ethan Winters is just an average guy who is looking for his missing wife Mia in the backends of Dulvey, Louisiana.
Ethan Winters is vulnerable in every sense of the word
Not ten minutes have passed, and Ethan finds and frees Mia from the Baker Guest House basement. This being a Resident Evil title, reaching a goal early is bound to have a catch. As it turns out, Mia can be influenced by Eveline – a human bioweapon who can control those who come into contact with her. A possessed Mia attacks Ethan, and we get to see just how human our main protagonist is.
Ethan is put through the wringer as he is slashed repeatedly by Mia with a knife, stabbed with a screwdriver, and has his left hand violently amputated with a chainsaw. While Ethan walks off his injuries after applying a generous amount of First Aid Med, the sheer brutality of Mia’s actions will remain in his and the player’s minds for the rest of the game.
The brutality of Mia’s actions serves a purpose
Up until this point, the Resident Evil franchise hasn’t taken big risks with their protagonists. While characters like Jill Valentine and Ashley Graham receive injuries, they aren’t life-threatening as, the characters always manage to get back on their feet (presumably for more sequels). This excludes superheroes like Chris Redfield and Leon Kennedy, the former of which can punch boulders into pools of lava, and the latter possessing the ability to suplex infected Spaniards.
The brutal acts inflicted upon Ethan Winters aren’t just for show; they violently reinforce Ethan’s vulnerability and show the direction Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is going. The first-person perspective makes Mia’s attacks feel more visceral, and seeing Ethan’s hand get chopped off makes players appreciate their remaining appendages more (even though the hand gets stapled on Ethan soon after).
The intro lets players know that nothing is off the table with regards to the deaths and bodily harm Ethan and any of the other characters can receive. Without spoiling too much, certain characters are burned, maimed, and tortured to the point where they become unrecognizable. While succeeding events in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard reinforce that the Baker Ranch and its surroundings might not be the best place for a family vacation, it’s the first sequence that shocks players the most and sets the scene for the entire game.
