Review | Resident Evil Village
About a year or so ago, I sat, doomscrolling on Twitter (as we all were for most of 2020) and saw Resident Evil trending. Being an avid fan of the mainline series and some of the films, I pondered why for a moment. When I opened the trending tab the word Village was splattered all over the leaks. ‘The next Resident Evil game will be set in a village’. I could only assume a natural progression from the Bakers house in the previous game: House, Village, City? Needless to say, my eyes were peeled for more information but info was scarce.
Fast forward a bit and we soon got teaser images, the occasional leak and trailers. Oh and an eight-foot-tall and blood-sucking woman. Like everyone else on the internet, I fancied my odds in that situation, roll on May 7th. The official promotional images dropped teased a return of series protagonist Chris Redfield (of Resident Evil 1 & 5 fame) as well as… wolves?
Allow me to Clarify
It takes playing RE Village to understand two key things, the first being that we have been a bit deceived by all this marketing. Chris is not our protagonist but rather Ethan Winters (from Resident Evil 7) is. Secondly, it’s not wolves all over the posters. Any fan of the Underworld series of movies knows what I mean. They’re part wolf, part something else.
I feel now is a good time to mention that, upon my two hands I can count the hours I spent finishing this game, but that runtime is pretty common for RE games. What I do take issue with is I can on count one hand my time with Lady Dimitrescu. I feel Capcom saw the collective thirst of the internet and used previous releases to influence marketing.
OH NO. THIS SEEMS BAD….. Bbbbbbbut…
Lady D -as I shall now refer to her- will hunt you round her mansion, in a similar way Mr. X did in Resident Evil 2. However she doesn’t chase you for all the game, the rest of RE 8 looks to the other entries in the series. The houses in the village allow you to fend off the Lycans by barricading doors, like in Resident Evil 4. The game is set in an old, out of time, European region, again very like 4. For lack of a better phrase, Resident Evil Village wears its inspiration proudly on its sleeve. This game takes its fair share from Resident Evil 4 come to think about it… and 2 X 4 = 8… WAIT A SECOND!
How Did We Get Here?
Fun Fact: all European villages actually have statues like the Gates of Gondor nestled somewhere in there.
How Ethan gets into this situation is a rather complicated question to answer. But let’s just say it was not by choice. Regardless, we are here now. Our boy Ethan finds himself in this rather run-down rural village in Romania - probably close to Transylvania given the vampires and all. Anyway, we’re stuck in a village, filled with vampires and werewolves.
Things can’t get worse, at least.
Wrong. That’s not even half the issue. This game does something different. It doesn't cater to the traditional horrors of the franchise: zombies, bugs, life or death puzzles, no, no, no. The game ups the horror aspect to a new psychological level. There are still insects and the like but long gone are the days of Gilgamesh and Dracula. We now have paranoia and body horror. Overall this is a fantastic change as it is a much more unsettling and realistic depiction of fear. Subtle fear but still powerful stuff.
Resident Evil Village takes the fear of being alone, lost and confused and cranks it up a notch. You have the whole village to explore and within that you have smaller labyrinths to contend with. Lady D's castle is one such. However, with the lady of the house and her three daughters looking for you, this mansion feels more like a two-bedroom maisonette as you are stalked and shocked around each corner.
So, What Has Changed?
SHOOT EVERYTHING! EVEN IF IT DOESN’T MOVE. JUST KILL, IT KILL IT ALL!
As to what has changed, not much when you compare 8 to all the previous games. You buy weapons and ammo as opposed to relying on crafting and scavenging but this is somewhat negated by the fact that the enemies are absolute tanks. Even if you have pinpoint perfect accuracy and leave a hole in their head the size of a coffee cup, and they will still keep coming. Having 100+ bullets is great, but there are now tens of enemies coming at you. This does a good job of upping the action over 7 without the game losing its horrific edge, these monsters are still incredibly dangerous and imposing.
Another change (but to the detriment of the game) is obsolete weapons. The sniper rifle serves one purpose in two small areas of the game, then you’ll find yourself lugging it around in your briefcase, “just in case”. But “just in case” never comes. Lycans are too fast, “ghouls'' are too unpredictable, bosses always have one specific way to beat them, yet you will convince yourself to drag it around “just in case”. Certain weapons also just become unviable and you either have to dump them for the next gun of that type or upgrade them so they can keep doing reasonable damage.
This issue is somewhat mitigated as weapon upgrades also make a triumphant return. Be it parts to aid guns’ handling or straight stat increases, The Duke has you covered. Most of the weapons you don’t even need to buy. As per the norm in previous titles, you can find these weapons early, along with their upgrades.
This is actually just a can opener.
We see a return of previous elements of the franchise and all your ridiculous convoluted puzzles are still here. We also have the treasure collection that matters more than the bobblehead collectable from RE 7. Some valuables that you pick up can be sold for a pretty penny in order to afford upgrades.
Overall Thoughts
Personally - I did enjoy Resident Evil Village. It is fun albeit not very scary. I feel Resident Evil as a series has evolved. Yes, it is taking some of the tropes from previous titles but the team have mastered their craft here.
Chris looks like he’s about to be added to Warzone.
To me, Village has taken the best parts from previous games, removed a lot of the bad aspects, made room for new ideas while still catering to the fans. There is also a light sprinkle of Call of Duty in there. Granted, this is only a short 10-minute section, but it’s a jarring switch to go to this section, from what you were previously doing for a few hours prior. Like I said though: It’s short-lived and you go back to the status quo immediately after.
Many people say that the best Resident Evil game was the fourth installment. And after the six hours and forty-seven minutes I spent with Village, I can say for certain, it feels like an extension of Resident Evil 4.
When you compare the two you could argue that many more elements were recycled than what you initially take in, and I would agree, to a point. -- When I said this game wears its inspiration on its sleeve I was not joking. There are multiple parallels to be drawn between RE4 to this game. A hub-like town, a big ass castle, a fight with a water creature. Even The Duke (the weapons dealer). He’s everywhere! He even pays blatant homage to the dealer in RE4 by saying “Whad’ya buyin’”. At least Ethan has the common sense to question who the hell The Duke actually is!
To me though, the major difference is in execution. RE 4 is one of the greatest games ever but it is hard to argue that it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Whereas Village is short and beautiful, it continues the franchise’s story and leaves you with answers to questions you never knew you had. By far there are some stupidly absurd parts to this game, but it’s all explained and executed well. Resident Evil Village feels like a natural conclusion to RE7 - its dramatic beats and tender moments are blended with all that horror you’d expect while staying grounded. It won’t be remembered like The Bakers house but it has its own memorable moments - and they will stick to you like glue.
