I had been excited about Resident Evil Village since its announcement. Playing Resident Evil 7: Biohazard was one of the best survival-horror experiences I ever had and I was eager to see Village’s story continue where Biohazard left off. Seeing as how Biohazard was the first Resident Evil game to be in first-person, Village follows in its footsteps. The first-person aspect definitely adds an extra element of horror to the Resident Evil franchise that I can appreciate. I played the PlayStation 5 version of this game and it looks freakin’ fantastic and ran so smoothly.
From Biohazard To Village
Much like Biohazard, Village is very story-heavy and it is a direct sequel to Biohazard. Quite honestly, it is a very deep and interesting story as well. Continuing Biohazard’s story we see Ethan and Mia settled down in a European home with their new baby, Rose. The pair are happy, but Ethan worries that Mia isn’t properly dealing with the events of Biohazard. Instead, she would rather forget the events all together, but Ethan wants to make sure they are both mentally capable of being good parents to Rose. Everything is once again blown into chaos when Chris Redfield shows up, kills Mia, and leaves with Ethan and Rose. Up until that point, we had all seen that in the trailer.
We wondered why Chris was back, why Ethan and Mia were involved again, and what the heck was going on. Well trust me, you’ll have all of those answers while you play through Village. For me, this was what stood out to me the most about Village. The game does a fantastic job at its storytelling and its pacing. I was left with questions until the very end, while also being given some answers throughout the game. This created a perfect sense of progression and eagerness to continue said progression.
When Ethan comes to, he’s alone in the snow. The transport vehicle carrying him has crashed in a forest, Rose is missing, and the guards that were with them are dead. There’s no doubt in my mind that at this moment, Ethan is thinking, “Dammit Chris, not again.” It’s night time and he sets forth into the forest in search of his baby daughter.
What he finds is the setting of this new title, the village. The village, while it might have once thrived, has certainly seen better days when Ethan arrives. We can assume that he is still somewhere in Europe since they didn’t fly him anywhere, and the village’s scenery fits Europe. Later when you are inside some of the bigger buildings like Lady Dimitrescu’s mansion, you’ll notice the architecture is very European as well.
Lycans & Vampires & Ghouls, Oh My!
There are many foes that will try and harm Ethan on his journey. From the bigger bosses, to the smaller enemies, Resident Evil Village isn’t short on baddies. More so than in Biohazard, you’ll find yourself in combat rather frequently. For me, this game felt a bit easier than Biohazard, both in terms of combat and supply amount. It also felt more combat-driven in general, leaving very few scenarios where I actually felt helpless. I enjoyed taking down every Lycan and whatever else came my way, but I do feel like it was more of an action game this time around.
Combat is pretty standard for a first-person shooter. You’ll have access to few different types of guns, as well as throwables like mines and pipe bombs. You are also able to guard and push enemies away from you if they get too close. I, of course, enjoyed my shotgun, but I didn’t always have ammo so I found myself using each type of gun throughout the game. The sniper rifle came in handy more times than I thought it would, and was probably my MVP. I was in standard survival mode so most of my explosives were saved for boss fights or sticky situations.
Most of the smaller enemies are either Lycans or ghoulish enemies called Moroaică. Later you find out more about why these beasts are present, which actually left me feeling sorry for what happened to them. They were human at one point, but they are certainly something else now.
Throughout the game, you’ll make your way to various places within and around the village. There are four main areas around the village which house each of the four Lords of the area. These Lords are your number one objective for finding Rose, as they play a key part in what’s going on. The village itself will eventually act as a kind of hub, always being returned to when you’re finished with one of the other areas. In the village, there are many areas you’ll want to revisit as you find new items and weapons.
I rather enjoyed this structure, as it gave the game a sense of freedom while also remaining linear. I never felt lost though, which was great as well. The game does a good job at balancing open-world elements with story progression. I enjoyed exploring every inch of the village and each area around it, because there was plenty to find. Lore is scattered throughout the entire game, giving you a bigger picture of the area and how it ended up the way it is.
The Duke At Your Service
Ah, the Duke. During your time in the game, you’ll encounter this gem of an NPC. He is the village’s merchant and since you are basically the last man alive here, you are his number one customer. He sells weapons, items, upgrades, and will even cook dishes for you if you find the ingredients. On top of all of that, he always has your favorite typewriter with him so you can save your progress. Is there anything this man won’t do for you?
He lightens up this rather dark and depressing game with his sense of charm and optimism. However, he is very cryptic too, so don’t expect him to flat out tell you what’s happening. Instead, think of him as your cheerleader. You’ll be doing all the heavy lifting, he will just provide you with the means to do so.
Which brings me to this game’s currency, Lei. Lei can come from almost anywhere. It can be dropped by enemies, found in the world, and even acquired through selling the Duke treasure you find. Don’t get too hasty with your spending though, because at certain points in the story he will update his stock with new weapons and they can get expensive. This is another great example of what sets this game apart from Biohazard. Although the Duke’s presence can often take away from the ‘survival’ aspect of the game, he is wonderful and I definitely encourage utilizing his services.
The dishes he can make for you are each one time use items, but they permanently raise certain stats. You can raise your movement speed, max health, and how well you defend yourself when you guard. Each are useful so get out there and hunt all those animals.
Boss Battles For The Win
Like with most Resident Evil titles, I enjoyed the boss battles most of all. Not just because they are unique and challenging, but because I actually really enjoyed diving into each of the Lords’ backgrounds. The game won’t throw information at you, but it’s there for you to find and boy it is rich with lore. I’ll honestly probably do a separate piece for each of these Lords as they are so detailed and well-crafted. However for now, just know that they did their job in making it difficult to progress.
There’s a slow build up to each one too, so before the big showdown you’ll be exploring their place of residence. Here you’ll find yourself a ton of information on each Lord and the village’s history overall. Things begin to fall into place and each new document sheds light on something. While most of the game’s cutscenes give you enough information to get by, you’ll find the story more enjoyable if you have all of the pieces.
A lot of the boss battles utilized the environment which I really enjoyed. There were a few instances where I was happy I tried something kind of out of the box because it would actually work. Each boss left me feeling rewarded, smart, and exhausted, just like it should be. I literally have no complaints with any boss battle or any combat in this game for that matter.
Left Me Wanting More
This game left me wanting more which is both a good and bad thing. I imagine they are planning some DLC, which is fine, but the story did feel a bit short. It look me just over 12 hours to complete my first playthrough and that includes me stumbling around like an idiot and dying a bunch. While Biohazard is around the same length, something about Village felt rushed.
It could be that it was more action-packed and that didn’t let up often. Again, this wasn’t a bad thing but I think it took a lot away from the survival-horror genre and added more action. It wasn’t quite what I expected after playing Biohazard, but Village was still an amazing title. I think I just expected more scares and less combat.
What’s here is phenomenal though, so don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed every second in Resident Evil Village and am looking forward to seeing how they continue what they left us with. If it is anything like I imagine, I’ll be very pleased with it.
