On March 22nd, 2021 Capcom celebrated the 25th anniversary of their flagship survival horror series Resident Evil. Shortly after this celebration, on May 7th, 2021, the 8th installment of the franchise cleverly named Resident Evil VII.I.AGE released. Over the past 25 years, this series has taken crazy twists and turns in story and genre. Most importantly, Resident Evil has gone from a fixed camera perspective to creating the famous over-the-shoulder camera perspective in Resident Evil 4. This perspective revolutionized the action genre of video games, bringing players games like Dead Space, Mass Effect, and Gears of War.
Resident Evil 7 took on a new camera perspective as well. Instead of following its predecessors RE 4 to 6, it opted for a first-person view. It also had the player take the role of a new character, Ethan Winters, as he tries to save his wife, Mia from a crazed and infected family, the Bakers, in Louisiana. Each family member had their odd quirks and lurked in the shadows waiting to snuff Ethan out. Lucky enough for Ethan, Resident Evil 7 ends with him and his wife, Mia being saved by Chris Redfield, one of the franchises’ longest-running characters since the first game back in 1996. For the latter half of RE 7, Ethan discovers both he and his wife Mia have been infected by a deadly superorganism called Mold. During his time at the Baker residence, Ethan manages to get a hold of a vaccine to cure himself and his wife. Flash forward 3 years later, Ethan and Mia now live in Europe under the order of Chris Redfield, but they are also now a mother and a father. After Ethan sets his baby Rose to sleep, he talks with his wife Mia, and out of nowhere, a bullet burst through the window, shooting Mia. In a panic, Ethan hits the floor to take cover from the incoming barrage of bullets. Just then the table he is hiding behind is pushed away and we see long-time protagonist Chris Redfield gun down Ethan’s wife and steal his baby, Rose.
Resident Evil Village has Ethan Winters on a rescue mission to save his baby daughter and search for answers on why Chris killed his wife. There is also a bigger narrative at play which ties into the rest of the Resident Evil series, and its main antagonist the Umbrella Corporation, which caused the events of the first three games.
Design:
Having completed the game on standard difficulty, I can say I had a blast. It is important to note, I am a huge Resident Evil fan. I played on PC and have a decent set-up that allowed me to get the best experience out of Village. From beautiful graphics, amazing sound design, terrifying enemies, and a colorful cast of characters, this game is a celebration of the Resident Evil franchise. Village pays homage specifically to Resident Evil 4 in many ways.
The Setting:
Village may still follow RE 7’s first-person perspective, but the setting alone is reminiscent of Resident Evil 4. In RE 4 the protagonist, Leon fights against crazed denizens of a village in an undisclosed area of Spain. When you play as Ethan, you enter a village (in an undisclosed area of Romania), and a swarm of enemies attempts to overwhelm you, and you must hold them off for a certain amount of time. If you survive a cutscene is triggered and bell tolls beckoning the monsters away. This echoes the opening of RE 4 to the T.
Inventory system & Merchant:
Another aspect it mirrors is the inventory system and a merchant-like character. The inventory system in Resident Evil 4 was an Attache case that formed a grid, making players play an almost mini-game of Tetris to manage their inventory. This Attache case could be upgraded via a merchant that shows up in specific areas within the game. Village has its own rendition of the merchant, the Duke. Both the lively merchant and the Duke offer supplies, weapon upgrades, and allow you to sell any treasures you find or collect throughout your harrowing adventure.
Combat:
As a first-person shooter/survival horror, RE Village’s combat feels great. Each weapon has the right amount of kickback. Landing a hit on your foes is satisfying, and it makes you feel slightly safer than you felt the moment prior. It also has a good balance of keeping you on edge. It makes you second guess if you should craft more ammo or healing salves. The fight or flight aspect kicks when you become overwhelmed by zombies, lycans and bat-like creatures. Combat is a constant reminder that the odds are stacked against you. However, I have found personally that playing on standard difficulty has not been as much of a challenge for me. I think this is because I have been playing Resident Evil games since Resident Evil 4, which was released back in 2005. It is worth mentioning if you are new to the franchise. I’m sure standard difficulty will do the trick for new players. If you are a veteran of the series, I recommend playing on hardcore, but if you want to play on standard do it, all that matters is you have fun!
Mother Miranda & The four lords (Characters):
Lastly, there is no way we cannot mention Resident Evil Village’s colorful cast of antagonists. Quite early on we hear about a mysterious woman named Mother Miranda, who is the big bad wolf of this title. Mother Miranda has some unknown plan involving Ethan’s daughter Rose and a ceremony. Aside from Mother Miranda, four lords have control over different districts of the village. First is internet sensation Lady Dimitrescu and her three vampire-like daughters. Lady Dimitresu is a whopping 9 feet and 6-inch-tall woman that resides in a castle. Lady D’s stature is imposing as she looms over Ethan, hunting the player down as you try to navigate the castle halls. The second lord is Donna Beneviento, a dark cloaked doll-maker, and ventriloquist residing in a mansion. The third lord is Salvatore Moreau, a repulsive-looking fish-man living in the reservoir…anyone for a swim? Lastly is Karl Heisenberg, a mysterious hammer-wielding man that seems to have a telekinesis ability who looks after a factory.
So far in my second playthrough, I have finished my time in the castle, and I am heading to Beneviento’s mansion. In my opinion, this section of the game is the creepiest. You lose all your equipment and must solve puzzles and hide away from a giant baby-like monstrosity that calls out to you. Once you escape this dark basement you must run away from dolls scattered around Beneviento’s mansion that leap up at you.
Final Thoughts:
I am enjoying Resident Evil Village even more on my second playthrough. I highly recommend picking it up if you are a long-time fan or have been itching for a good action/survival horror experience. Resident Evil Village’s story was satisfying, with a few miss-steps in the narrative that I wish were more fleshed out. Overall, this title offers nostalgia for long-time fans by paying homage to Resident Evil 4, while managing to stay true to its survival horror roots (aside from the last 30 minutes of the game) and keep the series fresh. I am excited to see where the franchise will go after Resident Evil Village’s interesting conclusion.