I played 1-4 back in the day, but my memory of the details is pretty fuzzy. Something something Umbrella releases a new virus like iPhones every few years, something something, somehow Wesker returned.
Anyway, I hear 7 is kind of a soft reboot? Is that a good one to get back into the series with, and not have to know 12 games of plot?
And if 7 is good, does 8/Village follow directly from that without needing too much prior game knowledge?
Any game is a good point to jump into: the lore in RE is something you can look up if you’re interested, but is not particularly deep or complex, nor is it ever mandatory to understand or to enjoy a title.
I would recommend playing the games you are interested in the most, rather than the ones people deem important for the lore.