Title: Resident Evil Village
Type of Game: Survival Horror, First-Person Shooter
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Released: May 7, 2021
Platforms Available: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Mac, iOS
Platform Reviewed: PlayStation 5
Maturity: Mature 17+
Reading Time: 13 minutes
A New Nightmare Unfolds
The latest Resident Evil 8 (from the main numbered series), subtitled Village, is pretty simple this time around. It’s a story-driven action-adventure that takes what worked best from its famous predecessors. Still, it simultaneously tries to wrap it all up with brand-new ideas that, at first glance, seem like they don’t really belong in the franchise at all. The Louisiana home of the Baker family from episode seven has been replaced by a half-empty village somewhere in Europe. In its immediate vicinity, you’ll also find the Dimitrescu family castle, which in more ways than one evokes, for example, the Spencer mansion from the first episode. However, there are also other places, including mines, a factory, or a small area with a water dam. It’s definitely a unique setting for the series, although its originality won’t wow you. Instead, what strikes you is the atmosphere that each location exudes and the overall high quality of the workmanship instead of originality.
The Haunting European Landscape
In the half-empty village, you are not chased by hordes of undead but by werewolves, witches, and other monsters. There are, at best, a few dozen of them, but moments of silence will occur frequently, and you will never know when the subsequent shootout and fight for life will begin. It makes you feel like you’re being watched the whole time, and you often feel the urge to look behind you. Add to that the fact that the main story revolves primarily around the protagonist’s family, so on paper, it’s something that previous installments never really tried to do, and you’re either in for a total bummer that will put off regular fans… Or something that will take Resident Evil as we know it one step further. The developers have taken an ambitious project on their shoulders that could be described as a considerable risk. But in this case, one thing is true – risk is profit.
Ethan’s Quest: More Than Just Family
I’ll mention at the outset that I won’t talk much about the story here. Not because it’s bad or not in the game, but on the contrary. There are a lot of cutscenes, as well as dialogue and story moments where you find out what’s going on, why the inhabitants are becoming werewolves, why your missing daughter is of such interest, and who Mother Miranda and her children are that the locals so blindly worship. But these are all things that are good to know as little about as possible. Likewise, the role played in the game by the fan-familiar Chris Redfield, one of the series’ consistently positive characters, is put in a villainous role from the start of the game. Or how the entire eighth installment actually fits into the more expansive Resident Evil universe. Because yes, it does fit, if only a little. Without proper context, there’s simply no point in explaining anything at all, so you’ll have to make do with the fact that the protagonist, Ethan Winters, is trying to find his daughter. It was the search for his daughter that I found the least interesting part of the story. While it was the main driver for Ethan, I was much more interested in figuring out what actually happened here, why everything is so disturbing, and why Chris Redfield went through yet another redesign.
One particular thing I’ll dwell on, though, is the aforementioned Ethan Winters. Personally, I found him to be a really uninteresting protagonist in the previous episode. Although he mostly appears to have some emotion in the case of the Village, it’s still a relatively weak aspect of the story, unfortunately. It often felt like the developers just didn’t know whether to make him a fully-fledged character or leave him empty enough for anyone to take to. At times, he simply baffles you with his planked reactions, while at other times, you feel that if the writers had gone a little further, he could have been a really interesting character. This way, though, you mostly hear an emotional monologue about his daughter, which is soon replaced with a bad and indifferently delivered line after some major personal injury.
Blending the Best of Resident Evil
What I can easily and mostly positively talk about, however, is the gameplay itself. After a couple of hours, it left me with one main thought, which I kept repeating to myself while playing… It’s as if the developers found the perfect way to combine the first episode and blend the fourth and fifth with the seventh. What does that mean in practice? You’ll spend one part of it in Dimitrescu Castle, which, as mentioned, is reminiscent of Spencer’s mansion from the first episode. From the fourth installment, the game again takes relatively fast-paced locations linked together by some uniform characteristics, with a greater emphasis on just the occult and unknown mutations. From the seventh volume, you will, of course, find the first-person view and somewhat of a story-telling style, while it is from the fifth volume that the overall pace and momentum is most apparent, where you often don’t feel like you can or rather want to, stop. The pacing, in particular, is really well done. You won’t spend so much time in the slower parts that you get bored, and at the same time, the action passages never suck all the energy out of you once you start to feel like one option or another is taking too long, the game comes back with something completely new.
This, including combining elements from the older installments, is something Capcom has managed to balance really well, and I think all fans of the series, no matter what their favorite installment, will be happy, just as I’m sure complete newcomers will be delighted.
Action-Packed Survival Horror
In any case, if we focus purely on the differences between this and the seventh episode, as they are directly related, there are several. Especially the fact that the eighth episode is much more action-packed. Rather than a survival game where you have to choose well when to attack and when not to, there are directly designed action sections where a pack of enemies or a stronger opponent can charge at you. Often, you’ll have the choice to simply run on through or fight them.
Given that you’ll have a slightly more expanded arsenal of weapons on hand than in the last installment and just enough ammo, you’ll feel like the choice to deal with each opponent isn’t a bad one either. Ammo-making materials are mostly plentiful but not overly so, and if you happen to “manage” to be out of ammo, there are other options. For example, Duke the Merchant will gladly sell you some ammo for some cash. You can also find first aid kits, manufacturing recipes, weapon accessories, or the possibility to directly upgrade a weapon for more power, faster shooting, or magazine capacity. You can also sell him a number of rare items that can be found hidden in the world, be it gems or special skulls, as well as cook a meal with him later in the game using specific ingredients to permanently upgrade some of your character’s stats. Yes, there’s even some form of animal hunting. So it’s worth exploring the various locations you get to thoroughly. But if you don’t want to, you don’t really have to. The most important treasures, such as new weapons or costly rare items, are marked on the map after a while, and even then, you don’t have to take them into account to finish the game.
Resident Evil Village really tries hard to make sure that just about any gameplay style you choose is a good one. You can use brute force, aim for the enemy’s head with your skills, or try to think a bit. Maybe you can use a good shot to expose a weak spot or shoot the enemy’s weapon out of their hand. You can try to cleverly herd them into one place and throw a grenade at them, shoot them down from a distance, or guide them to where you’ve laid a landmine. All of these options are at your fingertips, and it’s really up to you what you reach for at any given moment.
The Art of Exploration and Puzzles
But, of course, this game isn’t just about shooting. The exploration of the environment that I mentioned and also the puzzles are another vital part. In the case of exploration, there are very few things to complain about. The whole map will surprise you with its size and openness, and you’ll often find yourself returning to places you’ve visited as you unlock another path or search for another abandoned house. Sometimes, you may find a completely off-the-beaten-track area that may hold some interesting treasure, but it may be just as dangerous that you may prefer to walk away from again. And sometimes, as you progress through the main story and explore the site content, you’ll encounter just the puzzles. Like the rest of the game, I’d describe these as a bit of a mix of the previous few episodes. Sure, they’re there, varied, unique, and often so utterly nonsensical that you wonder why someone thought up and built it in the first place, but at the same time, they’re not difficult or significantly profound. In other words, you’re unlikely to get stuck on any of them. Still, I appreciate their variety. There are even some environmental ones.
Audiovisual Mastery in Terror
So Resident Evil Village does a lot very well, and I believe veterans of the series will recognize most of these elements very well. However, the audiovisual design also plays a big part in their enjoyment. The sounds, in particular, are something I’d like to single out. I’m not entirely sure if it’s just me. Still, throughout the entire playthrough, I felt like the developers weren’t at all afraid to “attack” us with deafening sounds out of nowhere. Which only added to the atmosphere and instant adrenaline rush. Still, there were several moments when just dull background noises, some screeching behind you, or a noise in the distance were enough to draw you into the game nonstop. It’s hard to describe, but the fact that I was able to perceive and enjoy the sounds like that is quite a feat.
Graphically, the game has nothing to be ashamed of. Yes, there are some things that bring it down a bit. The occasional places where you’ll run into edges a lot, the occasional worse textures, or the odd vegetation here and there are probably the most obvious, but it’s still hard not to enjoy watching this title. The lightwork is excellent, and the color palette is pretty much perfect. More than once, I was downright amazed by the sight of new environments.
Balancing Nostalgia and Innovation
It’s tough to find fault with Resident Evil Village. It’s a sequel that has combined the best of the previous installments with new ideas that simply work. Some may be bothered by the fact that the game isn’t all that scary or horror-y in the finale, primarily relying on the adrenaline sections, the parts where you don’t know what to expect, and the visuals rather than how well you can navigate the space and manage your inventory. But you’ll often be on your guard anyway. I personally didn’t mind this at all, though, and happily played through the average eight-hour campaign in one go.
Beyond the Campaign: Mercenaries Mode
And if eight hours doesn’t seem like enough, you can certainly take advantage of unlocking the harder difficulty, the special arcade mode Mercenaries, after you’ve finished the game, in which you try to shoot waves of enemies or complete a series of challenging trophies. Can you finish the game in under three hours or using just four or fewer healing items? You can find out for yourself…
Leaving Excellent RE Village
For the verdict, it’s enough to say that this one was really good. The game earns a high rating and recommendation thanks to a lot of good decisions, even for players who have no experience with the series. They may miss some of the smaller connections, but otherwise, this is a title that can easily be enjoyed on its own. And you don’t have to worry about this volume straying too far from the series’ themes as a whole. There’s more to the werewolves and witches than meets the eye.
Where to Buy Resident Evil Village
Steam (PC): Available for $59.99. You can purchase it directly from Steam.
Xbox Store (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S): Available for $59.99. Check it out on the Xbox Store.
PlayStation Store (PS4, PS5): Available for $39.99 (currently on discount for $15.99). You can find it on the PlayStation Store.
Nintendo Shop (Cloud Version): Available for $39.99. Purchase it from the Nintendo Shop.
App Store (iOS): Available for free with in-app purchases. Download it from the App Store.
Official Page: Visit the official Resident Evil Village page for more information.
Subreddit: Join the discussion on the Resident Evil Subreddit.
The post Resident Evil Village: Werewolves, Witches, and Winters’ Vengeance appeared first on WePlayGames.net: Home for Top Gamers.
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