Resident Evil Village is a true successor to many aspects of the series that fans love. In a franchise where consistency has rarely been a priority, Village picks up right where Resident Evil 7: Biohazard left off. It is a continuation of the story which follows protagonist Ethan Winters, but it is also a continuation of many gameplay and design threads that began with the previous game. At the same time, Village also hearkens back to beloved elements from its distant Resident Evil ancestry. While not perfect, it can be said that Resident Evil Village is an extremely satisfying and fun game that longtime fans and newcomers will enjoy.
To avoid mincing words, Resident Evil Village is a wonderful experience. This comes as no surprise, as Capcom has been hitting home runs ever since the release of the successful Monster Hunter World and their stellar RE Engine. The developer struggled to maintain fan loyalty during the PS3/Xbox 360 era as they produced mediocre projects including Resident Evil 6. But in recent years, Capcom has proven unequivocally that they know how to make fun games.
This review mentions events within Resident Evil Village which could be considered spoilers.
Resident Evil Village Gameplay Review
The overall feel of the game is satisfying, but it noticeably lacks a certain punch in the heat of combat.
What makes Resident Evil Village so fun is a combination of rewarding exploration and visceral progression. The story takes place in a contained locality packed with things to discover and intriguing puzzles to solve. Players who take careful mental notes will uncover greater treasures when they backtrack to key locations with new tools in hand. And speaking of new tools, weapons and upgrades seem to always become available at just the right times. In my experience, the progression of Ethan and his arsenal seemed to coincide perfectly with my own progression of skill as a player. Really though, these are all things that can be said of any of the great Resident Evil games of the past.
Where the gameplay falls a little short is during enemy encounters. The overall feel of the game is satisfying, but it noticeably lacks a certain punch in the heat of combat. Nothing short of a well-placed shotgun round will feel like it inflicts the appropriate amount of force to enemy monsters. Even after many hours of becoming accustomed to the game, I would still find myself landing a headshot with the feeling that it should stun the enemy out of an incoming attack, only to find out the hard way that it wasn’t the case.
Leon Kennedy roundhouse kicks an enemy out of existence in Resident Evil 4.
Series fans will find it hard not to compare Resident Evil Village to the popular Resident Evil 4. Village borrows much from its 2005 predecessor, such as a similar setting and other aesthetics. Perhaps this is why it feels as though it should be easier to stun foes with well-placed shots and follow up with strategic melee attacks. This was a major gameplay mechanic of Resident Evil 4, where Leon could even finish off a stunned foe with a stylish roundhouse kick or suplex maneuver. Compared to that, the depth of combat in Resident Evil Village is relatively underwhelming and melee attacks are borderline useless.
Is Resident Evil Village Scary?
While the horror ramps up at certain points in the campaign, it must be said that Resident Evil Village is not scary throughout.
It would be impossible to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of a Resident Evil game without making mention of the scare factor. Historically, the Resident Evil games have struck a good balance between forcing a certain intensity on players, while also giving them the power to fight back just enough. If you can keep a cool head in desperate situations, you won’t ever find yourself totally helpless. The 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2 is a recent example of how the balancing act can be perfected. While the ever-present threat of the Tyrant may fill you with dread, you can at least breathe easy during most parts of the game when he isn’t breathing down your neck.
So how does Resident Evil Village stack up? Well, players who expected Lady Dimitrescu or some other character to stalk Ethan for the entirety of the game will come out disappointed. There isn’t exactly a Tyrant or Nemesis equivalent to be found here. Even so, there are specific segments in Resident Evil Village that are quite scary indeed. The events at House Beneviento have become notorious, with many viewers flocking to see their favorite streamers react to the horrifying scares live on camera. Personally, I felt the most scared during the Factory level. The Soldat enemies, particularly the armored variants, gave me a taste of the intimidation I would expect from a Tyrant-like enemy.
While the horror ramps up at certain points in the campaign, it must be said that Resident Evil Village is not scary throughout. Whether that’s a point against the game or not is up to individual preference. While the anxiety of constant dread is an important element in forcing people to play a certain way, Resident Evil has proven to be more about exploration, puzzle-solving, and item management than anything else. In those regards at least, Village succeeds where certain other entries in the series have failed.
Resident Evil Village Story Overview
Even accounting for segments that felt rushed or trimmed down, the narrative was generally very satisfying and full of memorable characters.
Resident Evil is known for solid gameplay and storytelling that is wonderfully ridiculous (if not outright cheesy at times). But the thing that has allowed the Resident Evil brand to persist as long as it has is the cast of beloved characters. Even during times when hardcore horror fans denounced the series for its departure from a traditional frightening design, many came back anyway just to see Chris Redfield or Leon Kennedy again. Resident Evil Village is a relatively simple tale, but it’s elevated by its charming roster of heroes and villains.
Even the marketability of Resident Evil Village is boosted by the allure of the game’s characters. “Lady Dimitrescu” is surely a household name, even for those who haven’t touched Village. Putting memes aside, these characters are backed by some great voice-acting talent and a script of highly quotable dialogue. Combine these assets with some late-game revelations that put the contiguous storyline of RE7 and RE8 on its head, and you have a narrative that can simply be described as, “pretty fun!”
Concept art of dolls with various weapons could indicate that they were meant to play a larger roll in House Beneviento.
The story isn’t without flaws, though. The flow of storytelling and gameplay is disrupted by large chunks which feature little to no combat. House Beneviento in particular noticeably felt as though content had been rushed or excluded. Of the “Four Lord” characters, Donna Beneviento received the least amount of screentime and attention. To give the benefit of the doubt, perhaps it was intentional so as to increase the mysterious allure of the character. But even accounting for segments that felt rushed or trimmed down, the narrative was generally very satisfying and full of memorable characters.
Conclusion
Resident Evil Village endeavors to be a fun experience, rather than a perfectly-crafted masterpiece. With that in mind, it is an overwhelming success of a game. Village offers an addictive gameplay loop that is fun to play 2, 3, or 4 times in succession. And since Capcom is proven to enjoy releasing DLC for their games, we can expect to revisit Village yet again in the near future. Perhaps some thoughtful story additions could sway the game into even greater reverence.