Resident Evil Village Review : Gameplay, Release Date, Where to download Updated May 2021

There are surprises in the plot, but none confirms the theory

Trailers for the new game have created intrigue: longtime character Chris Redfield, who was previously considered a goodie, kills Ethan’s wife and kidnaps his newborn daughter Rose. Werewolves run along the streets of a mysterious village, and vampires live in a castle on a hill – neither those nor other monsters in the series have never existed. In the trailers, for a split second, the logo of Umbrella is shown – the very company that caused viruses to appear in the world of Resident Evil that turn people into zombies.

This raised a lot of questions, but the developers were in no hurry to answer them. And so fans of the series began to invent theories. What if Chris Redfield is a werewolf? Maybe he decided to kill Mia and kidnap the child to save his sister Claire? Have the authors of the series completely forgot about biological weapons and exchanged the living dead for lycans and other mysticism?

In Resident Evil: Village, the developers have not confirmed any of these theories. Nevertheless, they explained everything that was shown in the trailers. Moreover, they answered the questions raised by the fans. The new horror is unlikely to win awards for the best script in a video game, but the Resident Evil series never aspired to that, it always told some pretty crazy stories about viruses, zombies and laboratories. And in this sense, the Village is a good example of a modern B-category plot. Not an example of drama, but a fascinating, sometimes very crazy story with a lot of references to previous parts.

There are few new mechanics in the gameplay, but the old ones are made perfectly

Resident Evil: Village is a survival horror game. Ethan always has less ammo and first aid kits than he needs to survive, so in battles with monsters – be it vampires, werewolves or zombies (they are here too!) – you should improvise. For example, lure lycans to a red exploding barrel to get rid of several at once. Or, say, break the windows in the Dimitrescu castle so that the cold outside will weaken the bloodsuckers. If you have the right resources, ammo and first aid kits can be created on the go. If not, it’s better to just run away: this option is also provided for by the game. If there is nowhere to run, you have to defend yourself – as before, Ethan covers his face with his hands at the touch of one button, which slightly reduces the damage from enemy attacks.

Survival resources can be found by carefully researching the levels. The Village World Map is several times larger than the Baker Mansion from Part 7. Here is the village itself with a cemetery, and the castle, where Ethan is chasing Dimitrescu along luxuriously furnished corridors, and a region with a dam, and several other territories where the hero will find himself in the story. Describing them means spoiling the plot, but believe me: the new game also has a familiar feeling from Resident Evil 7, when it seems that the game will end soon, but the next location gives you another 5-7 hours of exciting gameplay.

Capcom not only increased the size of the game world, but also diversified enemies within reasonable limits. In the seventh part of the ordinary opponents there were only monsters covered with black liquid. In the eighth, there are much more monsters – and it’s not just about those described above. So, in the dungeons of the castle Ethan will meet the evil dead, armed with swords – they move very slowly, but this hardly makes them less dangerous. In contrast to them, agile lycans briskly jump around the hero and attack in those moments when you least expect it.

Variety is one of the main characteristics of Resident Evil: Village. It is applicable to locations, and to enemies, and to puzzles, of which there are no less than in the first three parts. There is nothing fundamentally new in the gameplay of Village, but familiar elements are made better than before. The last third of the game is the same. If you have been familiar with Resident Evil for a long time, then you probably know that all parts closer to the finale almost completely abandon genre mechanics and turn into a shooter – they just overwhelm the hero with enemies and cartridges so that he can go forward, shoot and not think about anything. And in the Village there is this too – but it was done, like everything else, with the mind.

Village has similarities to Resident Evil 4, but more differences

The “village” setting of the new game inevitably evokes associations with Resident Evil 4, which also takes place in a remote European settlement. Capcom understood this very well even before announcing a new game, and therefore consolidated the associations with the help of gameplay mechanics. So, the developers added to the Village a merchant nicknamed Duke – a colleague of the mysterious guy who in the mid-2000s became the mascot of the fourth part thanks to the welcome phrases Whatʼre ya buyin? and Whatʼre ya sellin ‘?

You can buy cartridges, first-aid kits and new weapons from the Duke in the Village, he should also sell valuables and unnecessary things. In addition, it is the merchant who can pump Ethan’s guns. And, if the hero brings him animal meat and fish, then the Duke will prepare dishes for him that increase health and running speed. From time to time in the assortment of the merchant, cases appear that expand the inventory, which, like in the fourth part, is not endless and quickly fills up with weapons, healers and resources.

Despite this, there is much less in common between Resident Evil: Village and Resident Evil 4 than one might think. These games are quite different in mood, which becomes obvious within half an hour after the launch of the new horror. Then it suddenly turns out that the plot of the Village, unlike what is happening in the fourth part, is not at all about sectarians, and the eccentric owner of the castle Ramon Salazar from that game is no match for the serious aristocrat Dimitrescu from the new part. At the beginning of the second half of the Village, you will finally understand that with Resident Evil 4 it is united only by the setting, the merchant, and some of the game mechanics. And yet – the overall quality of performance.

Lady Dimitrescu isn’t the main villain, but she’s cool anyway

Lady Dimitrescu, a woman of impressive height and owner of the family castle towering over the village, became the heroine of many memes and fan art immediately after she appeared in one of the trailers for Resident Evil: Village. The videos could give the impression that she is the main villain in the new game, but this is not so. Dimitrescu is an important character, but only one of several antagonists.

Others include Karl Heisenberg, who fans first mistook for Luis Sera, creepy doll maker Donna Beneviento, disfigured Dr. Moreau, and mysterious mother Miranda. Each of the villains has an elaborate story and quest chain, each is in its own location, which is different from other decorations. And they are all well written, their characters, goals and motivation are explained by the plot.

Resident Evil: Village is the fourth truly successful game in the series in a row, counting the remakes of the second and third installments, but not counting the online offshoot of Resistance. Now Resident Evil is at its peak: the series is doing as good as it was during Resident Evil 4 in the mid-2000s. True, then, after the fourth part, Capcom released the very controversial Resident Evil 5 and the mediocre Resident Evil 6, so now the main thing is not to repeat the same cycle.