Resident Evil Village is the 8th main game in the series. It continues the Ethan Winters storyline started in the excellent although terrifying Resident Evil VII. For these types of AAA game releases we mostly plan to review them on Xbox or PlayStation but this time we couldn’t pass the opportunity to test it out on Google Stadia.
Next evolution
Resident Evil 1 through 3 featured scarce ammo, zombies, environmental puzzles, and odd camera angles. The next three games went with a more first-person view approach and features much more combat. While Resident Evil 4 was a risky new direction, it ultimately resulted in one of the best of the series. Sadly it also resulted in the flawed action-packed Resident evil 6. Fans feared the series was done after that monstrosity of a horror game. After some much-needed soul searching, Capcom came back with a bang. Resident Evil VII was a majestic return to a more atmospheric approach earning back the trust of the fans. The pace in RE VII is so well balanced you’ll be on the edge of your seat the whole game.
Although RE VII was well received, some fans would’ve liked a bit more Resident Evil 4 flavor in the mix to make it a perfect blend. Capcom seemed to have listened with the release of Resident Evil Village. The game continues the story of Ethan Winters who relocated to a quiet Eastern Europe town with his wife Mia and their baby Rose. Although the traumatizing events of Resident Evil VII did the family no favors, the Winters family seem to live the good life… until Chris Redfield shows up. With Mia shot, you and Rose are both transferred until your convoy crashes. As you escape through the dark and snowy landscape you discover a village… with a castle and strange inhabitants.
Lycans
Ethan decides to go look for Rose in the village when he finds out creatures are lurking all around. After finding a knife and a gun you’ll soon find out Resident Evil Village isn’t quite the same as Resident Evil VII. With a trope of Lycans attacking Ethan, your newly acquired combat skills are fully tested. With limited ammo and hyperactive enemies, you better be ready to run. The open areas of the village offer a nice change in comparison with the claustrophobic surroundings in Resident Evil VII. Once you get over the initial shock of werewolves lurking around the village, it’s time to sort out this mess and figure stuff out by exploring. Every normal person would get away from the place but Ethan is – as we found out in the previous game – quite persistent when it comes down to saving his family.
Mother Miranda
Not far into the game, you’ll come across your first “Mother Miranda” reference. Apparently, she is worshipped by the townsfolk in order to protect them from harm. Eventually, your search for Rose will lead you to Mother Miranda where you find out the village is more or less run by her and 4 “lords”. Throughout the game, you’ll have to deal with each of the 4 lords in order to finally reach Mother Miranda for a more than twisted conclusion. The village actually acts as a hub connecting each stronghold. Early on you have to deal with the heavily advertised tall woman named lady Dimitrescu. Her castle was awesome to explore and was by far my most favorite of the bunch. In my opinion, Resident Evil Village peaks a bit too early. The rest of the game is still OK but is never as thrilling as conquering castle Dimitrescu.
More than just Mold
The big change besides the bigger area to cover, are the enemies. Resident Evil VII only had the “Mold” as enemy type. The Baker family made up for the lack of diversity but I felt a bit more variation could’ve helped the game. The story of RE VII didn’t quite serve the existence of different enemies. Resident Evil Village with its distinctive different strongholds is ideal for a bunch of different types of enemies. Lycans, Vampires, dolls, mechanical beasts, and much more are all present. Mix in the completely different boss fights and change of scenery and you are more or less guaranteed to not get bored during your playthrough.
Laughable puzzles
The exploring aspect of Resident Evil games has always served the purpose of pacing the game. Figuring out a certain puzzle slows down the game for a moment. These pauses are welcomed because going through hordes of enemies wouldn’t feel like a horror game anymore (I’m looking at you Resident Evil 6). Resident Evil isn’t known for extremely elaborate puzzles but they tend to offer some challenge. This time the puzzles are laughable straight forward. Everything is so obvious laid out, it becomes a nuisance to even solve them. It gets even worse when the game often provides pieces of lore with the exact solution to the problem on it. It felt almost insulting how the game leads you through these puzzles.
Tension building, gritty exterior
The music in Resident Evil Village reacts to what you do and adds so much suspense to the game. The ominous clusters of notes growing increasingly louder when danger approaches got really under my skin, augmenting the experience. The voice-acting for the villains is done in a great way making them the stars of the game. It wouldn’t be Resident Evil if some of the dialogue wasn’t campy or unnecessary edgy but by delivering it with conviction, it just works. The different interiors across the game really shine and the character models used for the villains and enemies are very grotesque and awesome. This makes it even more obvious the exterior scenes weren’t made with an equal amount of care.
Stadia delivered
I’m sure Resident Evil Village is handled well by the new generation of consoles. When I heard the game was also coming to Google Stadia I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The huge areas and the often shaky movements could potentially result in a less than optimal experience. After playing the game for quite some time I can safely say Google Stadia delivers a smooth experience of playing Resident Evil Village.
Conclusion
Resident Evil Village is perfect for fans of Resident Evil VII who wanted some more Resident Evil 4 flavor. The game is balanced between exploration and combat in a way to please each type of fan. The 10/12 hour journey through the village will surely add some great Resident Evil memories.
