Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release date: May 7, 2021
Available on: PC, PS5, PS4 (reviewed), Xbox Series X?S, Xbox One
Capcom’s Resident Evil series has been with us now for 25 years, starting out first as a very deliberate survival/horror title, morphing into an action horror with Resident Evil 4, freeing up movement with the more action oriented Resident Evil 6, and going to a first person view with Resident Evil VII: Biohazard. The franchise continues with that point of view in its latest title, Resident Evil Village, along with continuing the story of protagonist Ethan Winters. Once again, the series adds in a new wrinkle with new enemy types in the form of werewolves and vampires. While there’s still a lot of action (especially in the game’s final sections) there still a whole lot of tension and perhaps the series creepiest segment in its entire history. The result is one of the best Resident Evil games in the franchise’s history, and very much a contender for 2021’s GOTY.
The story picks up three years after the events of Resident Evil VII, with Ethan and his wife Mia being moved to an Eastern European village by Chris Redfield. The couple have a baby named Rose, and quickly the idyllic family life goes to hell when Chris and his men burst in, kill Mia, and take Rose and Ethan hostage. After a van crash, Ethan finds himself on a snowy road outside of a village dominated by a large castle, and soon finds himself in a fight for his life as he searches for his daughter. Turns out the village is ruled by an entity named Mother Miranda, who has Four Lords serving underneath her. Ethan must deal with the four as he fights to find his little girl, and that fight will take him through multiple areas specific to the four Lords, as well as learning the secrets of what’s going on within the titular village.
The game keeps the tension high, though it is a less intense affair than Ethan’s adventures with the Baker family. All of the villains are nicely fleshed out and given their time to shine. The nine and a half foot tall vampire Lady Alcina Dimitrescu may have garnered much of the pre-release press, but the other Lords prove to be memorable as well, each with their own quirks and area that presents its own unique set of challenges. That’s one thing (among others) that Resident Evil Village does very well, and that’s to continuously reinvent itself as you undergo the 9-15 hour journey through the game. The village itself feels eerie and you can be subject to mass. vicious attacks, a la the village in Resident Evil 4. The Dimitrescu Castle is nicely Gothic, familiar and yet its own place. The Beneviento House proves to be the creepiest segment in the game (there’s a good argument for saying it’s the creepiest place in the entire franchise). A flooded area provides some thrilling moments, and a dark factory takes the game to the edge of outlandishness, only to circle about in the end and have things tie into existing Resident Evil lore. It’s a journey filled with plenty of jump scares, creepy moments, and tension filled action that in the end proves to be very satisfying and places Village at the top of the best titles in the franchise.
Aside from the Four Lords, Ethan meets the Duke, a mysterious figure who serves as the game’s merchant. In a nice nod to series history, the Duke does make mention of the merchant from Resident Evil 4. He always seems to find a spot where you need him, providing both a safe place to save and a place to get more supplies, enhance your weapons, sell treasures, and even cook perk boosting meals. He provides some of the game’s later moments, as well as one of the game’s lingering mysteries. He’s Ethan’s biggest ally, both literally and figuratively, in a hostile land, and though he doesn’t travel along with you, he always sets up shop where you need him.
The game does a great job of mixing the action and horror, even when things seem to go off the rails towards the game’s end. Boss fights are varied and satisfying to survive. There are plenty of mini-bosses that will challenge you, and you’ll need to vary your strategy and weapon selection throughout the game. Searching every little nook and cranny can pay off big time, giving you much needed supplies for crafting, extra ammo, or just information to shed some light on the mystery as to why Rose has been taken, along with tying into past games. Save points are in fair enough abundance, and the game does have an auto-save feature to help you keep your hard won progress. The puzzles may be the game’s weakest aspect, as most are fairly straightforward and won’t pose you with any real head scratchers. Backtracking is still a thing, as it has been throughout the franchise’s history, and in some cases it helps to return to areas, especially the village itself, to find newly uncovered items.
I played the game on a base PS4, and even on the last gen console the game ran fantastically and looked beautiful. There’s a nice photo mode for those who want to get those great screen shots, and in my nearly 12 hour run I never had a crash for the game or frame rate slowdown. The voice acting and music are top notch, and the story has its share of surprises. This is just one of the most solid entries in the series, both artistically and technically. There is a cut scene following the end credits that’s worth catching, and while this provides a nice conclusion to what was begun in Resident Evil VII, it also leaves things are a very interesting place for the next entry in the series to pick up. Finishing the game allows you to open The Mercenaries mode, as well as the ability to unlock character models, concept art, and movies. Mercenaries can be played solo or co-op, and is a lot of fun and challenging to survive. Completing the game also opens up a new difficulty level along with a New Game + to make a new run with all of your weapons. It can be tricky getting everything in one go, especially without a guide, so completionists are going to want that extra run.
In all, Resident Evil Village once again reinvigorates the series. Its excellent mix of horror and action provide one of the most satisfying entries in the franchise, and the game looks and runs fantastically on both the last gen consoles and the current generation of gaming systems. Collectibles make it an easy replay, and being able to open the Mercenaries mode just adds to the fun. It’s not only one of the best tiles in the Resident Evil series, but it’s also one of 2021’s best games. This is one that’s not to be missed, so get those guns packed and take this trip. It’s one wild, exciting, intense ride.
9.5/10 stars
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