Resident Evil Village Review

After the long awaited follow up to the amazing Resident Evil Biohazard, Village is a excellent addiction to the Resident Evil series and very much worth your time.

Following my first play through which took me a total of 10 hours I feel if I’d gone for all the collectables it would have added another two maybe three hours. My first opinion of the game is it is not as dark as biohazard but still does have some fear elements throughout the game that will satisfy most thrill seekers of the horror game franchise. With that said it feels like at times it is hinting toward more of an all out action game but no I would say something similar to Resident Evil 4 in takes of action. Like it tries to have a sense of balance between the two genres.

The story is a direct follow up to Resident Evil 7 as previously said and the story follows on nicely. Without spoiling anything, questions get answered in terms of what happens to Ethan and Mia after biohazard. Was the mild virus bio weapon contained or did other hands come into play? After a quick intro to life for Ethan winters now he finds himself in the snowy Romanian village searching for his daughter Rose. Things escalate very quickly with the introduction of Lycans. Ethan realises he’s in over his head once again and now faces a new group of mythical, sadistic cult enemies. From the village to the castle looming over the village to the factory hidden in the mountains and underground maze of tunnels under the village. The map of resident evil village is extremely detailed.

I was happy to see that the different enemies and bosses each differed greatly. Like the fan favourite lady Demitrescu who operates very similar to mr X who stalked you across the map. She too appears and causes panic as she pursues you. Another enemy I liked was Angie the creepy ventriloquist doll in wedding attire seemingly alive. Her section was lathered with suspense and just creepy vibes throughout. I hate China dolls so this part for me was extremely exciting.

Later in the game as things heat up not just either enemies but the story too I felt it got more action orientated than horror even though the setting remained dark and eerie. Mini boss fights appeared on the map against cool enemies swinging giant axes and hammers which I enjoyed greatly.

Puzzles in village are a welcome return to the franchise and they do not disappoint. Whether it’s finding statue faces to unlock doors or the new labyrinth ball puzzles where you tilt a platform like maze to get a ball from start to finish in order to receive a rare loot chest at the end.

Weapons! Resi games are famous for them and as usual there are a nice variation of them at Ethans disposal. From pistols and shotguns to rifles and grenade launchers each is extremely fun and fully upgradable via the merchant Duke guy you see throughout the game. My personal favourite was by far the W870 TAC Shotgun. It just full on obliterated anything in my way in game. Ammo crafting as well as traps are another welcome return to the franchise and once again are extremely useful to ensure Ethans survival.

The first person mode for these games now has left fans of the franchise divided as I know a lot prefer third person still but it really does work well for me and is still very enjoyable. I never saw any glitches or bad rendering on my play through. I was playing on PlayStation 5 at 60 FPS. It played exceptionally well. A friend took ray tracing off and said at times where multiple enemies on screen did cause a ever so slight lag but nothing to complain about.

If I had one gripe about the game and this is very picky. It would be more emphasis on limb damage. Yes I know we’re not fighting zombies but a clear shot from a shotgun at any limb with do enough damage. The games a 14 rating so they could have added it as far as I’m concerned. That said headshots do still cause the satisfying exploding heads. Like I said it’s being picky.

Overall Resident Evil 8 Village is extremely fun and a welcome return to old players of the franchise. For new players I would say go back and play biohazard first just so you follow the story more if your a player who likes to experience games that way. However new players who like to generally shoot huge crazy monsters or vampiric giant women with bdsm tendencies, I say have at it. I am extremely looking forward to hearing any dlc plans for this title and will be replaying on both hardcore and nightmare modes. The extra content already available including the returning popular mercenaries mode is as addictive as ever and will offer a lot more hours of play.

This is my review of resident evil village based on my play on the PlayStation 5 version of the game. Based on gameplay, visuals, story and replay value I’d happily give village an 8 out of 10. Pros of the game are excellent story, engaging gameplay and memorable boss fights. Cons would be not as scary as biohazard, feels like more of a thriller as opposed to a all out horror title which I would have preferred.

That said I would recommend this game to anyone new or returning to the series. Enjoy!