It takes a village
There are a lot of game anniversaries lately. Resident Evil is now 25 years old and watching it evolve over time has been a unique experience. When the game first debuted on consoles me and my friends were excited about the new horror experience from the developers of Mega Man and Street Fighter. Resident Evil Village is the eighth mainline game in the franchise and continues the story of Ethan Winters. It takes on the same mold of the previous game while taking a more action-inspired focus and delivers what is easily a candidate for the best game of 2021.
Ethan Winters is once again the main protagonist as the game picks up years after the events of the last game. Ethan and his wife Mia are now living in Europe with their new daughter Rose. After a little family time intro the game kicks into high gear as Ethan is once again thrown into a mess of horror as he enters the village.
MSRP: $59.99
Platforms: XSX (reviewed), XSS, XB1, PS4, PS5, PC
Price I’d Pay: $59.99
Village is broken down into four sections all tied together with a main area which is what gives it its namesake. Rose has been taken by this twisted cast of characters and he has to venture into each of their twisted locales to retrieve a specific piece before moving on. I am being vague, and I apologize, but I am avoiding spoilers. The main villain has four subordinates that will torture and put Ethan to the test. We have Lady Dimitrescu, who has become the face of the game leading up to it. Heisenberg, a crazed man who runs a factory full of monster creations. The fish-like creature Salvatore Moreau and finally a twisted doll who has her own haunted house named Donna Beneviento.
Each character has their own unique personality and game type within each section. What I loved is that the game never relied on any one mechanic or trope to continue the story. I was always doing something new and unique, while also learning about the history of where I was and why I was there. These villains are some of the best the series has ever seen and I enjoyed my entire time with Resident Evil Village, which lasts anywhere between 8-15 hours depending on how much exploring you choose to do.
Once again Resident Evil takes on the first-person viewpoint. The controls and game play feel very similar to the last game. This time around feels a lot more action-oriented, but that doesn’t mean there will be an abundance of ammo to be found. Managing inventory and resources is once again key to the game, unless you opt to play on Casual, which makes the game much less stressful. Of course for those wanting to be punished there are hardcore and even Village of Shadows difficulty that unlocks after one completion.
The Tetris-style inventory management from Resident Evil 4 also makes an appearance alongside a new merchant named Duke. Moving items around to fit more is key to survival. I do enjoy that key items and treasure are no longer part of the main inventory. I recommend saving up currency early on to purchase the inventory upgrades first as they become available. Also refrain from upgrading the starting weapons early on. There are multiple versions of every weapon, and the new ones are much more powerful.
Crafting returns with the ability to purchase recipes from Duke to craft different types of ammo as well as the ability to kill local animals and have Duke cook up recipes that give permanent perks. These include increasing your health or movement speed. The game does a wonderful job of rewarding exploration and the map once again does a fantastic job of marking completed areas on the map. I spent a lot of time in between sections digging around the village for more items to help me in the journey.
Finishing the game the first time feels like the beginning. Upon completion I was awarded a bunch of CP in order to purchase perks from the in-game store including infinite ammo for weapons and the return of the Mercenaries mode. This mode feels like the classic we know. It runs through stages from the campaign with the focus on quick action and keeping a score multiplier going as you blast through waves of enemies. It is a decent diversion, but the focus on keeping the chain going and having to achieve a certain rank to unlock the next level limits its appeal. It is fun for a while, but I just wanted to hop back into the campaign.
It is impossible to talk about this game without mentioning how gorgeous and polished it is. We are so accustomed to games launching with several issues, but Village feels like an exception to the rule. The game was great from beginning to end with not one glitch or issue. It is also stunning to look at. Playing on the Series X the frame rate was rock solid throughout with ray tracing turned on. The character models are super impressive. The grotesque nature of each villain was expertly defined and just as disgusting as you can imagine. The world is gorgeous and I wish the photo mode was more involved than it is. I took so many screenshots.
Resident Evil Village is another outstanding entry in one of the best franchises in gaming. Capcom has done a wonderful job of keeping the series fresh and interesting since its inception back in 1996. I still get excited when a new game in the series drops. It is an event that few other franchises can carry for this long. This game is one of the easiest to recommend and it is on a short list of my favorite game experiences of the year. I expect to be discussing it when the end of 2021 rolls around.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
