Resident Evil Village

Resident Evil Village earns a spot right up there as one of the very best Resident Evil games in the franchise’s 25 year run. Village is an amalgamation of what made Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 7 fan-favourite entries. Though it also delivers on it’s own ambition with new breeds of terrifying enemies never seen before in Resident Evil. The Village is a desolate, decrepit, dolorous setting but undeniably beautiful thanks to some of the best art direction ever seen in the series. In an age of day one patches and bugs, Resident Evil looks and runs flawlessly on the PlayStation 5 version used in this review. Resident Evil Village is a Game of the Year contender.

Resident Evil Village is a great addition to the beloved franchise mixing the best of old and new to create a balanced addition for fans of all types. The end will leave you with your jaw on the floor and anxiously awaiting the next chapter for the franchise. I am excited to see what lies ahead.

Resident Evil Village is a love letter to old and new fans of the series, while including the style of puzzles of the old games with the newer action aspects of the series. Right now this is my favorite game in the series and Capcom might need to reinvent themselves in order to stay relevant even when they reach their 30th anniversary.

A great Resident Evil capable of taking the best gameplay ideas from Resident Evil 4 and 7, leading the series into a new era.

Village doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to horror, but a consistent rollout of new weapons and tools makes it hard to walk away from these terrors.

Village improves almost every aspect we enjoyed in RE 7 Biohazard. It is a great horror story set in Eastern Europe, with a perfect balance between combat, puzzles and exploration. But more is not always better, and sometimes it loses focus on the "survival horror" elements.

Resident Evil Village proves to be an excellent evolution of the previous chapter: there is tension, exploration, combat, everything you could want and even more.

Resident Evil Village is not a game for everyone, and I feel Resident Evil 7 fans will enjoy it much more than the average player — but having fan favorite Chris Redfield back into the story was a welcome addition (including the retcon of his appearance in RE7).

Similarly to Resident Evil 4 back in the day, Village will attract a new generation of players and redefine the franchise for the modern age. I guess it’s time to stop looking back and counting on the series to return to its roots. Capcom is well aware of those roots and willingly draws from them to create something new but still infused with Resident Evil’s spirit. Village is not perfect, but neither was RE4, and once again it’s easy to turn a blind eye to the flaws, because overall it’s an amazing game. [07/2021, p.56]

Resident Evil Village feels like such a culmination. Bringing together elements from the franchise all the way up to now and crafting what looks to be the next step of survival horror, it embraces every aspect of the franchise. While the insidious dread of Resident Evil VII is missing, there are still plenty of scares. The monster designs are fantastic, from the generations undead, the fury of the Lupine beasts, to the towering monstrosities. It's well worth delving into the concept art and 3D models to enjoy them fully. The story is just the right amount of silly with the terrifying, and the odd dash of the surreal. The combat is smooth and fluid, best evidenced in the addictive Mercenaries mode. All of these elements added together make quite possibly the best Resident Evil to date, and a foundation for a fresh new generation of terror.

At times it can feel like you’re being led, but rerunning the story reveals more details, secrets, and reasons to love Resident Evil Village. Close to Resi perfection. [Issue#2, p.66]

The strong point of Resident Evil Village is variety: it's a great survival horror that offers the best of the genre at once.

Resident Evil manages to prove once again that its DNA is not static, and that it has the ability to evolve in the same way as the viruses and biological weapons that its protagonists have fought for so many years. In more ways than one, Resident Evil Village is a huge tribute to 25 years of tradition, and an important stepping stone to its future.

Resident Evil Village is one of the best entries in the series, hands down. It has some minor issues, but nothing to interfere with the overall experience. There are tons of extras and plenty of replay value from new levels of difficulty, to new weapons, challenges to the new Mercenary mode. You will have to discover this for yourself, along with the story, since we do not want to cross into spoiler territory. You can rest assured that although the innovations are not as obvious as in the case of Biohazard, Village refines the gameplay experience and fixes the shortcomings and critics of the previous episode. We highly recommend Resident Evil Village to all fans of video games.

Resident Evil Village is another fantastic game in the franchise. It leans towards action, rather than slow paced horror this time but also adds a large helping of exploration for those that want to see everything. Ethan isn't great but his opponents are very colourful and keep you interested in moving forward. Add the replayability of harder difficulties, New Game+ and Mercenaries mode and it's a game PS5 owners should not ignore.

Resident Evil Village is a worthwhile addition to Capcom’s survival horror franchise. It’s an explosive and brutal thrill ride that will surely please fans of Resident Evil 4 or those who enjoyed Resident Evil 7 but felt it could use a bit more action. While I don’t think I’d call it my personal favorite entry in the series (that honor goes to Resident Evil 2), I feel Capcom has done an admirable job of combining the strengths of two of the franchise’s most memorable titles to create something new and exciting. If you’re a fan of the series, then this is one game that absolutely deserves a spot in your PS5 library.

Resident Evil Village is a gripping entry for this long-running horror franchise. Capcom has excelled at translating the strengths of this series through perspective and tonal shifts. It succeeds as both a horror game and an action game.

Resident Evil Village shines brightly as one of this year’s early Game of the Year contenders. Whether you’re a fan of the series or a survival horror fan in general, be sure to pick it up.

Resident Evil Village is what you get when you take the first-person horror of Resident Evil 7 and combine it with the more action-focused gameplay of Resident Evil 4. Ultimately, it ends up being a love letter to fans of the series, or even just fans of specific games like RE4 and RE7; a fitting title to celebrate the series’ 25th anniversary this year. Clocking in at around eight hours for my first playthrough, I never felt bored as I explored the village. There was always something new to discover and each new piece of the story had me yearning for more. After the story, The Mercenaries mode and completing challenges to unlock weapons and infinite ammo have more than kept me entertained as I work my way through my third playthrough.

Even with these flaws accounted for, there’s no doubt that Resident Evil Village is a great title by its own merits and a fantastic entry into the Resident Evil franchise. Longtime fans will find plenty to love about the game and the innovations it brings to the table, while newer fans will discover more than a few reasons to stick with the series moving forward.

Having multiple Lords to hunt and take down, each with their own unique territory and play style, greatly helps Village stand out from previous entries. Bringing back a merchant, giving hunting and fishing options, an upgraded inventory system, allowing the story to go absolutely off the rails, and switching the gameplay to be more action focused, even though I understand that may upset some players, all combined to help Village stand out from previous entries while still feeling unique. Upon completion I immediately spent my CP and hopped back into the campaign, the greatest compliment I can give any game. Village may very well be my new favorite entry in the series.

Resident Evil Village is like a reunion of all the previous games in the series. It takes what worked and gives it to fans in small bites across this horrifying adventure. Tension is created in multiple ways that force you to adjust on the fly, but as scary as it, the thought that answers to all your questions lie beyond the next door will keep you playing long into the night. Resident Evil Village isn’t having an identity crisis. It’s fully aware of what it’s doing. Somehow, the blending of these systems produces the most entertaining nightmare you’ve ever had.

Resident Evil Village is a crown jewel in this ever-evolving series. The developers have combined elements from the two most prominent installments - 4 and 7 and added lots of new, interesting ideas. Then, they topped all this with a thick sauce of fantastic art direction and, behold! We got one of the best Resident Evil games and survival horrors in general.

Resident Evil Village takes everything you loved about the franchise and combined it with some homages to classic and modern horror to create something unique in video games today. It's an absolute spectacle, showing off the best of the RE Engine and the PS5 as a bonus.

Needless to say, if you are a fan of the series, especially what was done with Resident Evil VII a few years ago, you will be very happy with what Resident Evil Village presents to us. What I would tell you is that it may be better if you lower your expectations a bit in relation to the size of the game and the developer's own ambitions. The eighth installment of this beloved saga is one that complies in a very good way with almost everything it tries, bearing in a very dignified way the name it represents, however, it is also true that we would have loved to take more important risks and let events go more calmly to present a longer adventure. Anyway, Capcom once again proves its worth and that it continues to be at the forefront if we talk about AAA development.

Without forgetting the past, and again with Ethan Winters as lead character Resident Evil Village picks different celebrated elements from the franchise throughout the years and adapts them to the modern first-person view format, in an adventure that explores different atmospheres and dimensions of interactive terror, alternating between action moments and total despair. It is not revolutionary, but it is the most complete RE ever, without fear of treading supernatural paths and trapping itself in narrative alleys.

Resident Evil Village is superior to Resident Evil 7 in practically every aspect and this game makes Ethan Winters become one of the most important characters in the saga. Its classic horror atmosphere, its agility in the game and in the inventory and its simple puzzles make it a seamless experience that will delight all those who are fans of Resident Evil. It is the entry of this series that is the most distant from the other titles and for us it is an essential of this 2021.

Resident Evil Village is an instant classic, a solid basis for the franchise's future and the perfect mixture between the beloved game structure of Resident Evil 4 and the modern take on franchise reinvented by Resident Evil 7.

We expected an exceptional title and Capcom did not lie to us: Resident Evil Village is a great game and above all a great Resident Evil. A true mix between the horror of the seventh episode and the meticulous action of the fourth part, this new opus is the result of a particularly well calibrated and complete experience.

On PlayStation 5, Village looks and sounds exceptional. Locations are intricately crafted, as each new room you step into is packed with eye catching details to investigate. Paranoia easily sets in as you hear enemies lurking in dense foliage and adjacent rooms. With ray tracing on, the visuals look marginally better, but the performance takes frequent, noticeable dips. Turning it off yields a steady 60 frames-per-second. Resident Evil Village’s imposing environments lay the groundwork for exhilarating action and slow, creeping fear. Exploration and resource management are among the best of the series. A few story elements miss the mark, and Mercenaries is over too quickly, but Village is another remarkable entry in the long-running survival horror series.

Lady Dimitrescu’s towering presence is just the tip of the iceberg of what Resident Evil Village offers. This game takes everything you know about the iconic horror series and dials it up to eleven.

Resident Evil 7 was an excellent return to the horror underpinnings of the franchise, but cunningly altered with new ideas and a new perspective. Similarly, Village is an intelligent reintroduction of the best action elements of Resident Evil. Though it captures some of the same things that made RE7 such a breath of fresh air (or maybe rancid, stale, mold-filled air, but in a good way), Village evolves to become its own unique creature. It makes you wonder what beautifully twisted fiend Resident Evil might mutate into in the future.

Resident Evil Village expertly combines tense horror, thrilling action, engaging exploration, and compelling storytelling in a single sublime experience, delivering one of the best games in the history of Capcom's beloved survival horror franchise.

Resident Evil Village combines the best of the past 25 years of the franchise, bringing a compelling adventure that should appeal to action and horror fans alike. With massive locations offering a wealth of exploration and hidden goodies, a meaty campaign with some decent unlockables, Village is the franchise at the top of its game.

While Resident Evil Village channels the best bits of several Resident Evil games, it stands on its own to be something never done before in the franchise. A macabre potpourri of European, gothic inspired styles of tension and horror, Resident Evil Village is a worthy follow-up to Resident Evil 7: biohazard and one that any self-respecting horror fan shouldn’t miss.

The eighth main entry in Capcom's long-running series isn't perfect due to some graphical imperfections and a lack of weight in the guns you start out with. However, we dare anyone to genuinely care when the rest of the game is this great. Resident Evil celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary in style, with an always beautiful, often scary, regularly exhilarating and surprisingly emotional adventure. Worth every single penny.

While the Resident Evil series has been on a high for a number of years now, Resident Evil Village sets an entirely new standard. Its cast of villains is up there with the very best, memorable sequences and gameplay sections beg to be played over and over again, and a sense of constant dread created by the atmosphere and soundtrack keeps you on the edge of your seat. Even the combat is solid this time around and the lengths Capcom has gone to take advantage of the PS5 pays off with impressive Ray-Tracing. Does it better Resident Evil 4? Maybe not, but it's damn close. Real damn close. Resident Evil Village is an essential playthrough for anyone with even a passing interest in the franchise.

Resident Evil Village is a gorgeous innovation that preserves the heart of a beloved franchise, and continues a string of excellent mainline entries that will dazzle veterans and newcomers alike.

Resident Evil Village does great as an action game with solid horror elements. The combat is visceral and vibrant, the environments are splendid and mysterious, and the story had decent enough oomph to keep me involved throughout.

A Resident Evil that moves away from zombies in favour of gothic horror and European folklore was always going to be something unique and impressive, and Village certainly delivers. But it's so much more than that, too; not just a new take on Resident Evil, but a reflection on the series' genre-defining history. And with its anthology-like structure that so effortlessly traverses so many different horror subgenres and styles of storytelling, it goes one further: it's a reflection on horror itself. In that, Resident Evil Village is magnificent.

Resident Evil Village is a wild, thrilling ride across seemingly every horror genre and idea that happened to pass through the mad minds at Capcom. Not every aspect of the game is perfect, but its highs are very high and solid core mechanics and excellent presentation hold the grisly patchwork together. You may survive Resident Evil Village, but your thoughts will linger there long after you’ve escaped.

Resident Evil Village is at once terrifying, exhilarating, hilarious, and beautiful. Its crowning achievement is that it’s a horror game that’s not only perfectly paced, but it also has an explosive third act and ends on its highest note. It isn’t enough to dethrone Resident Evil 4 as an action title, but it’s a marked improvement over 7’s solid foundation.

Resident Evil Village is a technical masterpiece, featuring a fantastically realised and foreboding setting with a great sense of balance between action and horror elements. The king of survival horror refuses to relinquish its crown.

It’s a great time to be a Resident Evil fan. This Village rounds up everything you expect from the brand, and does it very well too, with a great variety of gameplay, twists and an incredible setting. Survival Horror has never been this satisfying.

I don't think Resident Evil Village is going to be very divisive per se: I suspect the reaction will be generally positive. But it's going to definitely spark some conversations as to how it stacks up against the current darling of RE7, and it has a long hill to climb to match its success financially.

Resident Evil: Village is the perfect meeting point between the action and survival horror soul of the legendary Capcom series. It is the natural evolution of the seventh chapter and one of the best iterations of the franchise to date.

Barring remakes, Resident Evil Village is the best entry in the series since Resident Evil 4.

Resident Evil Village is a loud and bombastic game, paired with an over the top story, a great set of characters, and really impressive visuals. The more action-oriented gameplay approach in the latter half may leave a bitter taste to the more orthodox fans of the series, but nevertheless, Village is on its way to becoming one of the best games this year has to offer.

Feels like a love letter for the series that mixes and matches the best parts from previous games, while building upon the foundation laid out by Resident Evil 7.

Resident Evil Village maintains some of the basic mechanics of its predecessor, but simultaneously refines and modernizes the gameplay with a new, improved progress system and stronger open world components. The direct sequel to Ethan Winter's adventure also has some strong links to Resident Evil 4 and combines established elements of the classic with a new inventory and crafting system, that leads to more comfort, without reducing the survival horror atmosphere or the so important lack of resources of the genre. Resident Evil Village is also the best-looking part of the series, with the best stage quality and perhaps with the most thrilling story yet. It's not a perfect game, but still one of the best Resident Evil games yet and absolutely a must- buy for every fan of the series and this type of game.

Resident Evil Village is an essential horror experience that shows off what Capcom is capable of when it doesn’t compromise its vision in any way. The developer uses subgenres like puzzle pieces, clicking them into place on a grid to reveal the bigger picture: a survival horror collage, realised with remarkable production values and a deep love for its extensive roots. Resident Evil Village will be held high by Lady Dimitrescu and her peers for years to come, to rest head and shoulders above its genre rivals.

Resident Evil Village has managed to keep a series that has been going for 25 years feel new. The combat is satisfying, the puzzles are well-orchestrated, and it looks incredible.

When Capcom released Resident Evil 7, not only did it reinvent the Resident Evil series, but reinvented mainstream horror games as we know them. Boasting an incredible first half, Resident Evil Village is a fantastic and worthy follow-up, even though it regrettably drags on near the end.

Resident Evil Village is truly the spiritual son of Resident Evil 4 and 7! This theme park of horror perfectly mixes horror and action and offers an extremely neat universe: the atmosphere is heavy, the bestiary generous, the casting is perfect and the puzzles bring a real cachet to one of the scariest Survival Horror I’ve been able to play in a long time. Unfortunately, the link with the series is not more exploited. Nevertheless, despite a less-inspired last part, what we have here the best Resident Evil since Resident Evil 4.

Village is an intense Resident Evil experience, with a great cast of heroes and villains. While it does not lack great moments, its story also feels a little jumbled and non-cohesive, and some gameplay elements are not perfectly focused.

Resident Evil Village is one of the most versatile instalments of the franchise when it comes to environments, enemies and puzzles. It’s a rollercoaster of memorable moments, nasty body horror and fan service. But like most funfair rides it doesn’t offer much in the way of sideshows and the fun is over way too quickly. But you can always go again!

Resident Evil Village continues the story of Resident Evil 7, keeping its playable mechanics and adding new ideas that offer an adventure full of mystery and terror. His argument will convince fans of the saga from the beginning. Makes the most of the technology of PlayStation 5.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Resident Evil Village is a fitting tribute to the history of the franchise. Although some of the enigmatic characters are not given the screentime they deserve, they are incredibly realized through the environments that evoke the personality of its inhabitant. Perhaps the game could have taken more risks in this outing, however, this dastardly showcase of the macabre is intoxicating.

Village is a best of the series in a positive sense, which appears in a fresh guise and yet feels comfortably familiar.

Resident Evil Village leaves its comfort zone and takes risks by integrating new elements of action, suspense and combat that are out of the ordinary in the saga, resulting in one of the best experiences. However, it sacrifices details such as puzzle complexity and overall gameplay, so now it feels less like a challenge for more experienced players.

Resident Evil Village is as good a place to start as any if you're a newcomer to the series. The game takes pains to open itself up to new players with its action-orientated gameplay, supernatural story, and a cast of great villains to sell the package. I'm sold and Resident Evil now has a new fan.

Resident Evil Village proves that the developers at Capcom knows exactly what series fans want, and they’re happy to offer it, along with a lot more than anyone was expecting. Resident Evil 7 was a revolution for the series by framing the action in personal, intimate terms that intensified the scares and violence via the first-person perspective. Resident Evil Village proves that the same approach works just as well when removed from the small-scale, southern gothic setting and the action ramps up. Village really is the best of both worlds, and an amazing accomplishment for the series.

Overall, Resident Evil: Village is a solid entry into the franchise. It isn't quite up to the sheer excellence of Resident Evil 2 or Resident Evil 4, but it has a lot of genuinely fun moments and solid gameplay. The only thing that might hold it back is that it returns to the ridiculousness that Resident Evil loves to embrace, and that might disappoint fans who were hoping for something more grounded. If you're a Resident Evil fan who has stuck with the series through Alfred Ashford and Jake Muller, then you'll probably feel right at home with Village.

Resident Evil Village is another step forward in the new direction that Capcom taking this series towards, and they did a great job by focusing on a slightly new approach compared to the previous version, emphasizing on some other praised features we knew and loved about the older entries in the series. Mix all this with fresh and beautiful visuals that looks like pre-rendered trailers from the older games and you have an almost flawless brand new RE game.

Resident Evil Village is more than a worthy sequel to the seventh part. The game cleverly manages to scare players through various gameplay styles. With an imposing game world, effective thrills and a variety of secrets, the game sets a course that we would like to see in future installments.

A great way to close a cycle and kick off a new phase, in the hope of finding less action and more tension in the future. Together with that atavistic and visceral evil that crawls through the machinations of Umbrella, and under the rotten skin of his creatures.

Resident Evil Village tastes new while still exuding the aromas of its essence. It manages to explore terror through new settings while compiling different approaches to build a videogame that, while tending towards action, does not forget the puzzle, exploration and tension typical of the saga. All this with a top technical aspect and an interesting plot that manages to be significant in the macro-plot of its fiction.

Built like a Disneyland of horror tropes and gore, the eponymous village funnels you toward gory sights and sounds, with Ethan circling a drain of carnage.

Resident Evil Village is a deliciously gruesome game. Ethan Winters gets it again and once more has to go through hell to save his family. This time no crazy family, but a bigger setting that gives you more freedom. Although the game is somewhat linear initially, the level of horror continues to rise but this time combined with more puzzles and exploring. The enemies are terrifying and next to that survival is truly back with the RE4-inventory system.

Despite some important shortcomings, Resident Evil Village manages to offer an atmosphere of horror that you can enjoy from beginning to end.

A superb game with excellent touches, great art and a confident execution. But its attempts to reintroduce classic design ideas from the saga are a bit lacking compared to the original ones.

The latest main entry to the series is a great game that offers more situations than your average Resident Evil, and successfully manages to create a memorable adventure, but also feels irregular and fails to reach the greatness of the best titles in the franchise.

RE: Village is a mixture of almost all previous Resident Evil elements, making the most of both survival horror and puzzle intensity, but with the primary stage being left for the more action-like nature of Resident Evil 4. It has some great story moments, sprinkled with a few lacklustre characters that are still overshadowed by its most notable characteristic – most detailed environment to date.

After the too close for comfort clash with the Baker family in Louisana, Resident Evil Village attempts to match that creepy tone and do more. Much more. As a result, this tale has facets of methodical horror combined with the ridiculous action of Resident Evil 5 or 6. While some players may not enjoy one or the other, undeniably Capcom does both very well. A better mix of the survival horror and extreme action could have made this stronger overall, as the messy pacing, lacking antagonist development, and easing difficulty hurt the overall adventure. The final package is still a wonderful spectacle of a video game. It’s entertaining, it’s engrossing, and it’s Resident Evil in every aspect. With the best visual/audio design in the series’ and a satisfying Metroidvania world design, Resident Evil Village is unmissable.

It’s good, but it could have been better. Village moves the Resident Evil franchise away from horror and firmly into mainstream territory. You can play this even if you don’t like being scared.

Resident Evil: Village suffers from the same defect as many horror films: after a while we dare to open our eyes, the chips and coke are finished and we wait somewhat bored for the end of the film. So too in Village. As soon as the novelty wears off, the game deteriorates into a kind of slaughterfest that even reminded us a bit of Call of Duty. The tone of the game also changes. Moments of campy horror/humor are interspersed with scenes that are as much seriousness as blood. It seems a bit as if the creators didn't know which way they wanted to go and just took all sides at once. That's a shame for a game in a series that is already a quarter of a century old. These moments are not bad, but the contrast with Village's best bits is huge. Because when everything clicks together, it just crackles.

The game branches the series out in new directions without trying to fix what wasn’t broken about its predecessor.

Resident Evil Village never reaches the highs set by its older sibling, but it is far more consistent throughout while also delivering far more content. It does not overstay its welcome and delivers a quality experience that values its time. It is both a beautiful and thrilling game that is a must-play for any fan or newcomer.

Resident Evil Village sets out to do exactly what Capcom planned and that's offering players a well-rounded, gore-filled fright-fest.

Resident Evil Village doesn't have the most engrossing or satisfying story in Resident Evil history, and its more action-oriented approach is likely to disappoint fans that enjoyed RE7's pure horror. However, Resident Evil Village is packed with replay value, rarely has a dull moment, and should leave Resident Evil fans excited for the franchise's future.

Resident Evil Village is a great survival horror game that leans into the action and silliness of earlier entries in the series to mixed results. It's not as good as Resident Evil 7, and it's not as good as Resident Evil 4. It feels like a strange mixture of the two, and while it seems like it might be able to strike a good balance in its first half, the second half dashes any hope of that.

As it is, RE Village is simply a good game with excellent production value.

As an entire experience there is a lot on offer, and the game encourages multiple playthroughs with a number of difficulty settings, Mercenaries, Treasures and more to find and unlock. I wasn’t wholly sold on werewolves and vampires and fairytale zombies initially, but as I progressed through the game, my inner cryptozoologist emerged and I just left all scepticism at the gate and enjoyed the game for what it is: more outlandish and out there, is more better.

Resident Evil Village is a game of unquestionably high quality, but sometimes its parts do not fit together. It’s hard to tell whether the developers were aiming for a terrifying horror game or an action-packed shooting experience: There are elements of both, along with the story, the new game plus systems and the inclusion of The Mercenaries, and sometimes these various elements do not work in harmony with each other. Village is a great game that you can enjoy with confidence, but with a little more synergy it could have been even better.

In the end, all these similarities and influences from Village's contemporaries both do and don't work. It feels in places pieced together, and in others truly exceptional in its genre. But the overarching experience is an undoubtedly fun one that expands on the foundations laid down by Resident Evil 7, and sets up the inevitable trilogy finale being planned for Resident Evil 9. Not all of the risks taken pay off, but when they do, Resident Evil Village is thrilling, spine-chilling and worthy continuation of the groundwork laid by its predecessor.

Resident Evil Village is a good game with a lot of opportunity to have been a great game. And yet, for as many criticisms as I have, it was an experience that I was happy to play through a second time immediately after finishing the first. The new setting, creatures, villains, and story are engaging additions to the Resident Evil canon, even if the gameplay doesn’t seem to have evolved all that much and the scares have been pulled back. It’s still a fun romp in a new setting with new monsters; a great and fitting piece of the broader series that makes me excited to see where it’s all headed next.

Resident Evil Village is both a beautiful and worthy successor to Resident Evil 7 biohazard. And it is more than just a sequel that rehashes ideas seen in the previous game. Capcom's game tries things that have never been seen before in the series and keeps things moving at the right pace with a few good twists along the way. It also must be said that Capcom's developers masterfully used both light and sound to put the player in Ethan's shoes. The only problem with the game is that it may be a bit too action-oriented near the end. That being said, Resident Evil Village is undoubtedly a great Resident Evil game.

More accomplished than its predecessor from whom it shamelessly steals its structure, Resident Evil Village is a complete experience filling with quiet strength all the necessary boxes for the success of an action-oriented first-person survival horror. Although it draws its inspiration from the depths of the Spanish oblivion belonging to the fourth installment, the title of Capcom manages to perform well thanks to its atmosphere tinged with original fantasy for the saga. The unforgivable absence of virtual reality and the presence of a feeling of "already played", however, prevent him from claiming the title of eminent village chief. Not enough to initiate a parochial dispute, however: this new Resident Evil is a success.

Resident Evil Village expands the pared-back, first-person gameplay of Resident Evil 7 into a more ambitious and over-the-top survival horror experience. Greater variety and more mechanical depth prove that there’s a lot of potential left to explore in this new approach to the series, but some elements are a bit uneven, and you may find yourself missing the simplicity of the Baker ranch.

Taken alone, any one slice of the game – like a single house, the village itself, even the way combat handles – has its issues. But combined, it merges into something that’s still special – even if it isn’t quite as brilliant as Resident Evil 7 or 2 Remake. It’s an easy recommendation – though if you didn’t back in 2017, you might want to play RE7 first.

Resident Evil Village is a genuinely engrossing and increasingly combat-heavy continuation of the Ethan Winters story.

Its attachment to the past can hold it back from greatness, especially in regards to its dedication to bombastic set-pieces and a hesitation to explore its own ideas. Village is drenched in excellence throughout, but the occasional fumble stops it from reaching the heights of both its predecessor and the seminal masterpiece it is so desperate to imitate. There’s also not nearly enough big lady - she needs her own game.

The brilliance here – as with all the best Resident Evil games – is the way it switches modes when you least expect it. You can be deep in thought, wandering familiar corridors searching for the solution to a puzzle, when suddenly a werewolf leaps out at you from a previously safe place, or a creepy doll falls from a shelf, and you jump five feet off the sofa. At the same time, it is rife with the ludicrous: weird voice acting, an unfathomable plot, hokey environmental storytelling – but none of it really matters when you’re being chased up some stairs by a gigantic slime creature that giggles like a baby.

A push and pull journey between two genres with an overlapping decent story and cast.

Resident Evil: Village is a powerful monster, bolting together parts from Resident Evils 7, 4 and more besides. It’s longer than recent games in the series, yet still feels trim and sculpted as it shifts between it wide range of locations and set pieces. The downside of its eclectic approach is some unevenness, especially in a relatively weak opening act.

With as far as Village reaches and as much as it tries to incorporate into one short experience, it has more successes than shortcomings to show for its efforts. It’s not perfect, though it shows how Resident Evil can grow outside of its comfort zones while still managing to pay respects to history and satisfy all types of players.

A few years ago, if you had have told me that there would be a gothic horror Resident Evil, I would have laughed. What RE has traditionally done and the gothic tradition are so far apart they're almost antithetical. And yet, that is what Village has delivered. While this might be a direct sequel to the previous Resident Evil, that dramatic shift in atmosphere and theme makes this game, ironically enough, a Resident Evil for people who have previously not been Resident Evil fans. Don't worry, existing fans, there's still plenty there for you too, but Capcom's willingness to redefine its marquee horror franchise so substantially deserves real credit. The future of this venerable series seems bright when these are the moves that the developers are making.

Resident Evil: Village is going to make fans of the franchise happy, especially ones who aren't cowards like me. But even if you also find yourself shying away from the horror genre, I'd encourage you to screw your courage to the sticking place and consider a look at Capcom's latest survival horror stunner.