Resident Evil Village Review

 

The story of Ethan Winters reaches its much-anticipated conclusion in Capcom's newest addition to the Resident Evil franchise. 

Taking place three years after the brutal events of Resident Evil Biohazard, Ethan and his now-wife Mia are determined to live a normal life, relocating to a quaint village in eastern Europe. However, troubling events soon transpire, and Ethan is once more tasked with a devastating conundrum to rescue his baby daughter Rose and make sense of the secrets that lurk within the Village. 

  

Settings/Characterisation

As previously noted, Ethan has relocated from the horrors of Louisiana and now resides in the remote yet ominous settings of Eastern Europe. Monolithic structures stand in foreboding fashion, while snow-capped mountains and legendary castles dot the landscape. 

Your first introduction to enemies is the 'Lycans.' Grizzly, werewolf creatures that seek to hunt and devour you. As you battle your way through the Village, moments of exhilarating action play out, and gorgeous cinematic scenes of narrative exposition unfold, offering pieces of information to enthral the player in its unravelling story. The first hour or so contains expert pacing and rising questions as you grapple with escaping the horrors you have encountered. But, after that, it is evident the Village is not at all as it seems.

Your primary incentive is to find your daughter, with the four 'Lords' of the Village hindering your progression. Noble ancient families who formed a political alliance for a more significant and menacing cause reside within, each reflecting the twisted atrocities the Village represents. These four lords divide into four 'sections' of the game, with differing locations for each. From Castle Dimitrescu, where whispers of bloodthirsty women reside, longing for man's flesh and blood. House Beneviento, which dwells the prolific and secluded doll maker, as well as the gnarled and grizzly swamps of Doctor Mareau. Finally, you must face Heisenburg, a man with magnificent powers who resides in a factory on the outskirts, housing terrible secrets.

The Village provides a great sense of progression during the story. Acting as a somewhat 'hub' area, after each narrative section, you can return to its centre to investigate its secrets, with treasures to be found in abandoned houses and new regions to explore as you progress the main story. As you come across essential items, such as a wheel or a crank, you can use them in the Village to unearth new pathways and secrets. In doing so, you can steadily upgrade your weapons and buy much-needed equipment from the reoccurring and elusive merchant, 'The Duke.' The Village thus provides a vital sense of progression for the player regarding capability and skill. For this reason, exploration is highly rewarded, allowing a less linear path in a narrative-driven game.

Variety is a crucial component in keeping Resident Evil VIII fresh and engaging. As well as varying attention to detail in its settings, characters, and enemy designs, they also reflect their surroundings. The artistic designs of these creatures elicit a gorgeous monstrous nature, with a significant range throughout your playthrough. Due to this, enemies do not feel recycled or overplayed, from skeletal undead who roam the dungeons to vampiric daughters eager to taste your blood. Such variety offers a fresh perspective for the series, with a more mythical innovative approach to its designs, a massive step in the right direction for a series that has lasted more than 20 years and one that is greatly welcome.

Combat

Some may argue Resident Evil Village doesn't provoke the same horror aspects as previous games. However, I slightly disagree. During my playthrough, I saw how the developers merged action with horror to appeal to both modern and old audiences; for the most part, they pulled this off. Nonetheless, a challenge is needed, and with plentiful drops of ammo and money during a standard playthrough, the survival horror aspects were lessened considerably.   Fortunately, combat feels appealing and engaging. Once more, Resident Evil Village utilises a first-person combat perspective with fluid control and movement. Some may have qualms; however, the first-person control was a gamble that certainly paid off and was befitting to continue Ethan's story.

Enemy AI sustains depth during combat. Certain Lycans will dodge and manoeuvre your shots. In the dungeons, undead abominations will crawl through shelves and hack through gates to reach you. Enemies work within the confines of their environment rather than appearing stagnated in one linear spot, offering much anticipation from the player in timing their shots well and positioning themselves correctly. Furthermore, one can move battered cases in front of doorways to give oneself time to escape, emphasising the environmental factor of your actions and player agency. Blocking is once more a valuable survival tool, allowing players to push enemies when crowds become treacherous. With the addition of 'hunting,' that is, killing certain animals for their meat, the Duke can provide tasty meals that permanently increase your health and blocking power. Food bonuses benefit a new game plus (this being your second playthrough), and the addition only improves characterisation and replayability.

Additionally, your weapon arsenal allows for a more tactical position. Mines and pipe bombs are essential for crowds of enemies, whereas the sniper rifle felt more beneficial for long-range boss fights. The shotgun also helps when running and gunning the more beastly and stronger Lycans, and the pistol was pivotal for lesser enemies due to the abundance of handgun ammo at your disposal. With the allowance for upgrades, these weapons can become insanely powerful modes of progression, as well as the inclusion of attachments for the right price at the Dukes shop. Combat additions and crafting add an extra layer of depth to an already exhilarating experience, alerting the player to your growing strength and progression. Once fallen, certain enemies provide valuable treasure that is beneficial in selling to afford these enhancements, with a more combative nature being rewarded and encouraged.  

Regarding tactics, boss battles once more push the player to find specific 'weak points' and utilise environmental factors. Through this, the stakes are ever more present. Boss battles proved easy enough during my time on standard mode due to weapon upgrades and a full arsenal. Yet this can also be due to exploring the Village thoroughly. Within each of the four narrative sections, a side mini-boss battle ensues before one can retrieve valuable loot. Unfortunately, these mini-bosses follow a rather simplistic battle pattern, with some recycled design-wise. However, once more, the developers were keen to reward the player for this sense of alternate progression.

As per usual for the series, 'stalking' enemies is a reoccurring component that helps to unnerve the player. One never feels relaxed in their playthrough. Madame Dimitrescu, a giant woman, will stalk your movements in the castle with her impeccable voice-acting capability. Unveiling her bladed fingers that can easily cut you into ribbons if you fail to run or hide in time, her presence, though short-lived, helps to set the overall feel and theme of the game. During these tense moments, she will push and kill lesser enemies standing in her way, breaking down walls to reach you. The tension arising from such a flexible AI adds to the horror at play. These moments force the player to slow down and carefully consider their movements and tactics, once more switching up pacing and progression. Stalking enemies never become a hindrance rather than a threat, keeping the fear factor appealing without outstaying its welcome.

 Puzzles during this section are also imaginative, yet simple enough, with physics left to be desired during these moments; pushing a fire bracket into an adjacent holder was enough to tear my hair out. 

The second Lord once more shifts the settings and themes and what they represent. As an avid horror player, I greatly appreciated the House Beneviento segment. Instead of relying on the typical run-and-gun tactic, the player is forced into a weaponless position, and the only hope is to rely on hiding from the enemy. Without spoiling too much, the enemy design of this stalking monstrosity felt truly grotesque, accompanied by excellent sound design and a terrifying ambience. For this reason, the experience improves upon Resident Evil VII, with an imaginative and creative utilisation of critical components to relay this overall effect. Despite these horror segments not being a consistent theme this time, it was nonetheless greatly appreciated.

The Third Lord once more changes up the scene, encouraging the player to utilise a boat in a swamp torn apart by a monster that lurks within in its depths. The high cinematic and octane action prevails, with running segments during which your surroundings are an abyss of destruction and mayhem, curating an experience that was truly exhilarating as a result.

The Fourth Lord adds a more fantastical layer to an already mythical experience. Though I found this section rather mundane in its surroundings, with obvious caveats to elongate gameplay time, it also proved the most challenging before the finale, forcing the player to organise their items thoroughly and to utilise crafting and equipment at their disposal.

Each of the Four Lords Ethan must conquer presents an intriguing mystery with their innovative designs and allows for spectacle and fear as you progress through the main story. For this reason, Resident Evil Village is captivating in presenting its narrative through its obstacles, making the story feel engaging and exciting for the player.

Conclusion

My time with Resident Evil Village remains ever impactful a week on. Despite the Resident Evil series being known for its typically short experience, it nonetheless profoundly impacted me. Many games struggle in their approach to two distinct genres of fast-paced action and steady foreboding horror without their overall themes becoming tangled and overly complex. The approach to pacing and level design is well-crafted, allowing for a mix of genres to coincide to create an ultimate experience any fan would enjoy. Adding a more mythical grand design to enemy encounters, Resident Evil accomplishes a fresh new gameplay experience for new and old fans. The narrative remains riveting, with Ethan's character

finally feeling more fleshed out and appealing compared to the nightmares of Resident Evil VII. The stakes feel ever higher, with the heart-wrenching approach of a father and daughter dynamic making your time playing as Ethan worthwhile. In all, Resident Evil Village is one of my favourite franchise instalments, leaving behind an exciting precedent for where the series' future will go. This series is handled with care and devotion, and I look forward to what the team conjures up next.