Released in 2021, Resident Evil Village is the eighth mainline entry in Capcom’s flagship series. Continuing the story of Ethan Winters, protagonist of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017), Village builds upon the major innovations introduced by its predecessor. RE7 reset the veberable franchise, notably via the transition to a first-person perspective and a deliberate, survival-oriented style of gameplay that harked back to the first RE games, rather than the action-horror of later installments. Village respects the significance of that tonal shift, while also making compromises with the expectations of mass-market games. Despite its more frenetic pace and greater emphasis on shooting, Village successfully straddles multiple genres and influences, and proves a distinctive and entertaining entry in the longrunning series – even if, at the end, it seems to leave it at another potential crossroads.

Village opens with Ethan and his wife Mia living somewhere in Eastern Europe, several years after the events of RE7. Ethan and Mia have had a daughter, Rose, and the game begins with Ethan putting his six-month-old child to bed. It’s a touching segment which is all the more affecting for being in first-person, and because the player knows what Ethan and Mia have suffered previously. All too soon, their peaceful home life is violently interrupted by the unlikeliest of agents; and it’s hardly a spoiler (given the game’s publicity) to mention that franchise protagonist Chris Redfield appears as the villain of the piece. The opening promises to challenge the player’s expectations in a similarly radical way to RE7, and while Village never really follows through on this, it still provides its share of surprises.

RE7 saw Ethan trying to save his wife. Now, his search for his infant daughter provides an urgency to the story that is even more compelling. Ethan’s quest leads him into the eponymous, snow-covered village, a remote and ramshackle settlement with only rudimentary sanitation and electrification. The game’s rustic setting is a deliberate callback to Resident Evil 4 (2005), whose classic opening act was set amid a village in rural Spain. This time, the village serves more as a hub area, connecting various complexes and facilities that Ethan must explore as he tries to find his daughter. The setting is unnamed, but still has a strong sense of place, with names suggesting the influence of Orthodox Christianity and Romanian culture, while local folklore and visible remnants of Soviet rule also give it an air of history.

At its heart, Village is a story about fatherhood, and all the more welcome for it. Given the age profile of many gamers today, it’s perhaps surprising there aren’t more major single-player games that explore the emotions of parents, male or female. Certainly, the original The Last of Us provided one of the most memorable gaming experiences of the 2010s, while a portrayal of fatherhood also helped elevate Sony’s reboot of God of War (2018) from generic action-game status. Needless to say, Ethan’s desperate search for Rose is particularly likely to resonate with parents. During this game and RE7, we see Ethan endure terrible trials, which result in pain and suffering that leave a visible legacy on his person. Yet Village movingly depicts how Ethan is sustained by love and devotion towards his wife and daughter, helping this ordinary and unambitious man become a hero. This does, however, remain a horror game at heart, and it can hardly be recommended to everyone – particularly as its most emphatically frightening segment deploys its central theme in an uncompromising manner that some could find distressing.

Zombies were the main enemies in most traditional Resident Evil games, but Village instead draws inspiration from traditional European horror. This time, the most common enemies are ‘lycans’, or werewolves, which are faster, more agile, and more aggressive than zombies – so much so that encounters sometimes recall the early sections of Bloodborne (2015). Village also marks the first time that vampires have featured in the franchise. The new enemy types lend the game a Gothic feel that, following the Louisiana Southern Gothic of RE7, again recall the atmosphere of the original Resident Evil Arklay Mansion. At the same time, while largely eschewing the humour which sometimes threatened to overtake previous entries in the series, Village does strain to incorporate its novel scenario within the wider mythology of the franchise.

The initial sections of Village, while being set outdoors, invoke the opening of RE7. Without access to weapons, Ethan is extremely vulnerable, and relies on stealth and running away while trying to get his bearings. As the game wears on, he gradually gets access to a wide arsenal of weapons, and the culminating stages of the campaign feature a significant amount of gunplay. Combat is viscerally satisfying, and rarely frustrating, but the blocking mechanic seems underdeveloped (even more so than in last year’s RE4 remake). Weapons can be upgraded through visits to this game’s mysterious merchant, the morbidly obese Duke, and there’s also basic crafting of items and ammunition.

Village’s Normal difficulty is actually quite forgiving, compared to most Resident Evil games, but there are strong incentives to replay the inherently fun story mode. The next difficulty level, Hardcore, is significantly more challenging, and as usual there are swathes of Challenges as well as an even harder difficulty to attempt for those who are so inclined. Most of those who buy the game at this point, years after release, will purchase the Gold edition, which includes all the core DLC, including this game’s Mercenaries mode. This is quite a substantial offering which owes a debt to things like Call of Duty: Zombies, featuring as it does multi-part stages and the opportunity to customize your arsenal and equip numerous power-ups. The Mercenaries DLC also features some cool unlockables that are fun to play around with. Overall, it’s a fun diversion that represents a welcome change of pace from the attritional story mode, and constitutes a worthwhile addition to the overall package.

The story DLC, Shadows of Rose, is more of a mixed bag, due to some underwhelming gameplay and debatable narrative choices. It’s hard to say more without spoiling the plot of the main game, so suffice to say that most RE fans can afford to give it a miss. It’s worth noting as well that Village includes an optional third-person mode, which mixes up the experience quite a bit, and is also playable in Virtual Reality through PSVR2. Most players won’t have access to this, but if it’s anything like the experience of playing RE7 in VR, then it will be quite a treat for those who do. (By all accounts, it’s a remarkable experience.)

Since the launch of RE7 in 2017, the Resident Evil franchise has gone from strength to strength. The commercial and critical success of Biohazard and Village, in addition to the well-received remakes of 2, 3, and 4, have cemented their publisher’s position as one of the world’s leading third-party game studios. Capcom continue to demonstrate an admirably flexible, creative, and ambitious approach to developing their flagship series, while largely respecting its heritage and the desires and expectations of their core audience. As such, their success is richly-deserved; as such, long may it continue.

9/10