Resident Evil: Village is the latest mainline installment in the 25-year-old horror franchise. Following three years after the events of Resident Evil 7, Village takes place in a mysterious part of Europe where Ethan Winters (the protagonist of Resident Evil 7) is living happily with his wife Mia and his new daughter Rose. Things quickly turn sour when Chris Refield (the franchise’s primary hero) guns down Mia and kidnaps baby Rose.
While in search of his daughter, Ethan stumbles across a ghost town overrun with werewolves and eventually meets the four lords of the village. As Ethan, players must solve puzzles and navigate through the village in order to take down the lords and save Rose.
Following its predecessor, Village uses a first-person perspective instead of the series’s traditional third-person camera.Though unlike 7, the game is far more action-focused and almost feels like a spiritual successor to Resident Evil 4.
The inclusion of a merchant, a European setting, and a larger map all feel like callbacks to Resident Evil 4. And like Resident Evil 4, horror takes a backseat to action.
While Village rectifies many issues present in 7 (unskippable cutscenes, enemies that blend in with the environment, unnecessary second ending, etc.), the game falters in regard to its horror element. In response to a marketing poll saying Resident Evil 7 was “too scary” (referenced in a tongue-in-cheek Japanese ad), Capcom has clearly stripped away some of the more tense and phobic elements in Village.
While it may seem silly to strip away the horror elements from a franchise famous for its survival horror gameplay, Village has a decent balance of action with horror sections and puzzles sprinkled in. One segment in particular (which I will not spoil) definitely succeeds in capturing a surreal horror feel.
Resident Evil Village’s greatest strength lies in its four primary villains. Lady Dimitrescu, Moreau, Donna, and Heisenberg are all unique in character-design, and their levels are all interesting (though sometimes disjointed). What these levels lack in cohesiveness, they make up for in variety.
The game’s first major area (Castle Dimitrescu) hearkens back to classic Resident Evil with its interconnected design and gothic atmosphere. Heisenberg and Moreau’s areas make for great action setpieces. Donna’s house feels almost like a standalone indie horror game.
All these areas are brought to life by the game’s impressive graphics and presentation. When many other triple A titles like Assassin’s Creed or Cyberpunk 2077 can barely render textures, it’s refreshing to see the RE Engine used to its fullest. Textures and models often look nearly photorealistic, adding to the rich atmosphere.
However, graphical fidelity has unfortunately replaced interactivity and detail. Much of what made Resident Evil 4’s shooting so fun was how real the enemies felt. They spoke their native tongue, they would react differently depending where you shot them, and you had to utilize your environment against them.
In contrast to this, Village’s enemies are painfully simplistic. The primary enemy types (werewolves and zombies) behave practically the same and have overly-long attack animations. Taking on hordes of Village’s enemies often feels more frustrating than rewarding.
The weaknesses of the game’s combat carry over to boss fights. While the Resident Evil franchise isn’t exactly known for its great boss fights, the bosses in Village feel weird due to the first-person camera and limited field of vision. Often bosses will jump around the arena, attacking you out of your line of sight, and it feels cheap.
Storywise, Resident Evil Village seems like a game tailor-made to please fans. It has some major lore revelations, but there’s no ridiculous retcons or anything that would anger fans of the series. The game’s ending serves as a satisfying wrap-up of many loose ends from Resident Evil 7.
Resident Evil Village is certainly a game that plays it safe. It doesn’t mess with established lore or gameplay conventions, and its twists are sensible and fitting. While it doesn’t try to do anything all that innovative or exciting, it’s still an enjoyable experience.
Resident Evil VIllage is a satisfying treat for fans of the franchise, and it’s probably the best mainline entry since Resident Evil 4. If you’re a newcomer to Resident Evil, there’s definitely better games to start with. However, if you’ve played and enjoyed some of the other games in the series, I would highly recommend Resident Evil Village.
About Post Author
