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5
Amazing

Resident Evil Village - Review

A Hauntingly Good Time
Score: 5/5
Reviewed by Oliver VanDervoort on Xbox Series X/S - May 17, 2021   

One of the things that anyone wanting to try out Resident Evil Village needs to understand, is that this isn't a particularly scary game. 

That isn't to say there aren't some tense moments from time to time, but by and large, this game is about fighting monsters, rather than creeping around corners and waiting for things to jump out at players. That doesn't make the game bad, by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, by and large, it might make this particular chapter in the long-running series that much better.

The Resident Evil series has been on the upswing these past few years, and that’s largely thanks to the fantastic Resident Evil 7 kicking off an era that took the franchise away from third person to first person. While it's still unclear if the franchise is going to stay in this format, there's something to be said for putting players in the shoes of the protagonists.

Resident Evil Village found a way to combine the two formats, in a certain way. Users still got to meet a rather famous character from previous editions, while staying in the guise of Ethan Winters. Of course, just how you meet the well known character and what happens next is full of spoilers. Needless to say, the game finds a way to combine old and new in a fun way.

Although it’s a direct sequel to Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil Village feels quite a bit different from its predecessor. This game has a faster pace, which is immediately noticeable from the game’s opening section. Rather than creeping around an old house alone for a period of time, bullets fly, monsters attack, and fires rage, all within the game’s opening hour. Even the quieter moments of puzzle solving or exploration are cut short by explosive set pieces and chase sequences.

Village is much more of an action game than Resident Evil 7, though there are still some puzzles to solve for those who always felt that was the best part of the old games.

Villains Stand Out

One of the most interesting changes in Village compared to some of the other Resident Evil games is that there is more than one "boss" that feels like a fight for reasons beyond brute strength. 

There is of course, one big bad, similar to what players have recently seen in the remakes of older RE games like Nemesis and Mr. X. However, that big bad is mostly in the background for most of the game. Instead, Ethan will face off against underbosses that are quite interesting and have their own personalities.

Of course, the other big change in this game and the other ones, is that it's not just a lumbering foe that chases after players methodically. This time around, users are going to face off against enemies that often issue little quips or swears as they do battle.

Visual Presentation Is Pretty

As per usual with the RE Engine, Resident Evil Village’s presentation and appearance is absolutely stellar. Its environments are true next-gen graphical showpieces, largely thanks to the ray-traced lighting.

Outdoor areas also look great, but Village’s lighting and shadows shine indoors. The ornate halls of Castle Dimitrescu are hauntingly beautiful, and I stopped more than once to admire the scenery as long as I wasn’t being hunted by one of the game’s big bads. Houses are littered with clutter and debris, dungeons are filled with torture equipment and sinister tools, and the weather is constantly moody and overcast.

The game is an absolute treat to look at, especially with HDR enabled. The same can be said for the audio quality, an immensely important aspect for a horror game. Just like its predecessor, Resident Evil Village sounds amazing with a decent pair of headphones, the best part of those sounds is when players are sneaking around an area while hearing Lycans scrambling around inside buildings or hiding in fields while you’re scrounging for ammo does wonders to heighten the tension.

Bottom Line

Resident Evil Village is not a perfect game. There's an argument to be made that everything takes a steep dive towards the end of the story. That's not particularly great for a game that relies on the story to get it across the finish line.

Still, Capcom managed to make yet another Resident Evil game that is very, very good. The characters and the action combine to make it one of the better ones of the series. Best of all, the end of this particular title does plenty to make players want to see what's next. Considering how long this franchise has run, that's an impressive accomplishment.

The bad news is that it's likely going to be a while before anyone gets to find out where the series goes next.

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