So I joined the RE fan club kind of late. As a kid, I couldn't play the old RE's as for some reason the fixed camera angle would make me nauseous. So the first time I played and beat an RE was when 4 came out. After RE6 I started to lose faith in the series. I didn't have high hopes for RE7 when it was announced, but boy I should have. I fell in love with the game right away and loved the new approach they took to the game. So when Village was announced, I did what I usually do and steered away from the hype train. I actually completely forgot all about this game until about a week ago when I saw it on sale for PSN, and I knew instantly I needed to pick it up. So grab a cup of coffee(or don't) and enjoy the read!
One of the early sections in the Village has us trying to survive against an onslaught of enemies. As I climbed up a ladder to reach a roof, a sudden feeling of Deja Vu washed over me, but I couldn’t place why. After a short cutscene, Ethan is surrounded by enemies, and is saved by a bell at the very last minute. It was here where my mouth dropped and I let out a chuckle. “What an awesome call back to RE4,” I thought.
At the start of the game, three years had passed since Ethan and Mia escaped the horrors caused by Evelyn. A lot has changed in that little amount of time. Ethan has undergone military training, Mia and Ethan had moved over to Europe at the request of our favorite boulder punching badass, and Mia had given birth to a baby girl named Rose. It seemed, despite the horrors they had to witness the couple were now living a happy family life. All that changes when Chris pays them a visit and, for unknown reasons, kidnaps Rose. This here kicks off the events of Resident Evil Village.
Resident Evil Village isn’t a really a “in your face type of horror”. Instead, it relays on doing the unexpected. Early on, after Ethan makes his way through a forest of dead crows, he comes to a house. After hearing noises in the basement, Ethan(us the player) goes to explore. The only light in the basement comes from our flashlight and at the far end of the basement, there’s a cabinet. As I walked closer to the cabinet, I knew that something was going to jump out at me. But nothing did. Then a dawning horror fell on me. “Oh crap, it’s going to happen when I turn around.” So slowly I turned around and faced the sea of darkness ahead of me, waiting for something to rush out of it. As I crept closer and closer and nothing popped out, a sigh of relief escaped my lips. That was until a part of the ceiling collapsed and I screamed like a little girl.
Unlike RE7, Resident Evil Village is more action orientated. Throughout the game, you’ll unlock more guns that help you take on the hordes of Lycan. The crafting system also makes a return, letting you craft things like ammo, health, and explosives. There wasn’t a time where I felt that I was running low on ammo, but it didn’t make the combat any easier. When enemies come at you, they usually do so in groups, and more than once I found myself backed up in a corner, trying to load shells into my shotguns, as a group of Lycans advanced towards me with the goal of tearing my throat out.
Duke is the name, and don’t you forget! Duke is similar to The Merchant in Resident Evil 4. From him we can buy consumables, recipes, and if we decide to go hunting, we can give him the meat we acquire and he’ll cook us up a meal that permanently improves our stats! Currency takes the form of Lei, and we can earn it from one of two ways, from either finding it or selling the treasures we find on our adventure to Duke.
Resident Evil Village is a semi open world game. The main “Hub” is the Village, which we can explore in between the other areas. There are plenty of treasures inside of the Village, but you won’t be able to get all of them until close to the end of the game. The other areas that branch off of the Village are ruled by four lords, each of them are the “adopted children” of the main antagonist Mother Miranda. The four lords are all unique and have some sort of power that they’ll use to make your life hell.
The longest area you’ll spend your time in is Castle Dimitrescu, being chased by Lady Dimitrescu and her three daughters. Castle Dimitrescu is the first area outside of the Village you’ll explore and is similar to the Baker House, as you’ll be trying to unlock doors to escape, all the while avoiding Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters.
Resident Evil Village also has some extras you can play with after beating the game. On your first completion of the game, you’ll unlock NG+ plus an extra content sub menu. If you completed some of the challenges in the campaign and have your guns fully upgraded, you can unlock infinite ammo for them in exchange for CP. There are also some guns we get to play around with for a short bit near the end of the game, that become available to buy from Duke in ng+.
The famous Mercenary mode also makes a return. I wasn’t a fan of it previous games but I didn’t let that cloud my judgement of it in Village. I cleared all the biases I had out of my head and started it up, and in all honesty I thought it was okay. Mercenary mode will plop you down in area that is divided into three stages. Like previously modes, you have a set timer and killing enemies adds time to it. Once you reach the kills needed to advance to the next stage, you can either stay in the area you’re in and finish cleaning up or proceed on. Between each stage we are teleported back to Duke where we can exchange the Lei we earned for items. New areas in the game are unlocked by getting a high enough ranking in the previous area.
My biggest disappointment with this game is the fact we couldn’t spend more time with the Lords. One of which greatly piqued my interest, and it was the one with the shortest amount of on screen game. At the halfway point of the game, you’ll find yourself making your way towards a house to confront another lord. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but when I walked through the front door and saw dolls scattered all over the place, my heart jumped in my throat. I’m a horror movie junkie, always have been, and despite having A Chucky and Tiffany collectible doll sitting on my shelf in the living room, I have an odd fear about dolls. And wouldn’t you know it, one of the Lords are exactly that and I loved it. The last time I felt so giddy with fear was when I was a kid. So when an hour or so passed and I was finished with the Doll Lord, I felt disappointed.
The game did leave me with one burning question. Throughout the story, the Lords mention Ethan’s previous exploits in that shabby little swamp in Louisiana, but there is no indication in the game of how they actually know about this and Ethan’s family. Without going into spoilers, the game also confirms a popular fan theory about the events of Resident Evil 7, and the post credit scene you can witness if you stay around long enough tells us exactly where the next installment will take us.
When I first started this review, I had no clue about The Game Awards happening today and the fact that Resident Evil Village was nominated for a few awards. After playing this game, I can honestly say it deserves those nominations. Resident Evil Village is a welcome addition to the franchise and I can’t wait to see what the next game has in store for us and the Winter family!