While Resident Evil 7 wasn’t the first game in the series to feature a first person perspective for gameplay (that honor belongs to Resident Evil Survivor), it did so while calling back to the series’ roots. Resident Evil 7 is familiar while fresh, lifting just enough from the original Resident Evil on PlayStation without being derivative. In terms of overall puzzle design, pacing, and tone, Resident Evil 7 is a return to form, but the overarching narrative is notably detached from the rest of the games.
Even though Resident Evil 7 is firmly set in canon, its story is mostly self-contained and has little to do with Umbrella or the series’ leads. Resident Evil 7 pits newcomer Ethan Winters against the horrifying Baker family, with their patriarch Jack repeatedly giving him hell. While Resident Evil 7 eventually opens up so Ethan can fight back against his captors, the early game forces players to carefully stealth around Jack Baker.
The first half of the Main House isn’t a particularly large area, but this just makes it easier for Jack to find players. Worse, if caught, Ethan can have his leg dismembered (before having it gruesomely reattached). Resident Evil 7 doesn’t hold back when it comes to the terrifying Baker family and Ethan’s fight against Jack in the Garage is a major turning point.
Dinner With The Bakers
After the boss fight against Mia in the Guest House, Ethan will be ambushed by Jack and taken over to the Main House to have family dinner. While Ethan gets his mouth cut open for the ordeal, he does survive his initial encounter with the Bakers (mostly) in one piece. After all the Bakers save Grandma have left the table, fall over to break Ethan’s chair and gain full control.
Your goal here is to unlock the crawlspace in the Pantry that leads to the Laundry Room. From the Dining Area/Kitchen, head into the Main Corridor. Make note of the Garage to the left and the Laundry Room up ahead (albeit locked). A Hatch Key can be found on a nearby stand in the Main Corridor, but walking down the hallway will trigger Jack.
To The Laundry Room
At this point in Resident Evil 7, Ethan has no means of fighting back against Jack, so your only recourse is to either run away from him or hide. In a best case scenario, you were able to get the Hatch Key before drawing Jack’s ire, but that’s not always doable. If Jack pops down the Main Hallway while you’re on the way to grab the Hatch Key, crouch back into the dining room.
Jack will eventually walk in through the Kitchen and, when he does, run down the hallway. More often than not, Jack will burst through the wall as you’re going down the hallway, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it creates a handy shortcut. Grab the Hatch Key and then run for your life.
Use the Hatch Key on the underpass lock in the Pantry and then crawl inside. Jack will taunt Ethan if he sees him crouching under the house, but he won’t actually pursue, so you’re safe. Follow the path all the way down to find a hole that leads right up into the Laundry Room. Save at the Cassette Player and pillage everything in the room before moving on.
Unlocking The Garage
While Jack might be intimidating, he actually despawns from the Main House after Ethan enters the Laundry Room. Although there isn’t anything significant to do around the Main House quite yet, you’re free to walk around and explore the area without being pursued by Jack. More importantly, a deputy will spawn by the window near the Garage.
Under extreme pressure from the night, Ethan fails to explain his case well enough to gain the Deputy’s trust, but he does get a Pocket Knife out of it. From here, head down into the Garage, knife the crate, and then cut the duct tape open to reveal a switch that unlocks the Garage Door. Unfortunately, Ethan’s conversation with the Deputy doesn’t last long. Jack quickly stumbles in, decapitates the Deputy, and triggers a boss fight.
Defeating Jack In The Garage
Jack is extremely imposing, but this is actually one of the easiest boss fights in Resident Evil 7. After Jack kills the Deputy, he’ll start beating his body. This gives Ethan enough time to run over to Jack’s work table, grab his Car Keys, and turn on the car. Once the car is on, drive it straight into Jack and just keep slamming it into him.
Eventually, Jack will hijack the car for itself and completely total it. After Ethan breaks out of the car, Jack will follow soon after. All you need to do here is stay alive long enough for the car to explode as it’ll take out Jack in the blast. Grab the Deputy’s Handgun off the floor and then climb up the ladder to trigger one last cutscene with Jack.
