Resident Evilhas evolved ferociously in the last 25 years, often taking inspiration from other popular franchises in the world.Resident Evilgames have never been one thing or the other. They try to be many things at a time, and while sometimes it works well, other times they end up feeling lopsided.Resident Evil Villagedoesn’t stray far from its roots either. It embraces all the good and the bad elements of the previousResident Evilgames, makingVillage, in many ways, a flawed but promising entry in the franchise.
Resident Evilgames have often tried to modernize things up though it hasn’t always worked out well in the past.Resident Evilis triumphant when it isResident Evil, and this latest installment does exactly that. However, the road toResident Evil Villagewas a turbulent one, and it took Capcom quite a while to regain its footing and release aResident Evilgame that appeals to both the series' long-term fans and the oblivious newcomers.
RELATED:Capcom Details How Resident Evil Village Development Was Impacted By COVID-19
Learning from Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6
The unprecedented critical success ofResident Evil 4meant that Capcom was willing to dive deeper into the action-driven horror space with subsequent entries. Ditching the frantic survival horror structure of pastResident Evilgames, Capcom madeResident Evil 5andResident Evil6much more action-packed.
Resident Evilgames have always been quirky, butRE 6took that to a whole different level. On the other hand,Resident Evil 5introduced co-op to the mainline series, which many felt was an interesting addition. Moreover, it offered some unique enemies that were surprisingly aggressive compared to the traditional infected from past games.
However, both these games lacked the essence of a trueResident Evilgame and suffered from an undeniable identity crisis that prevented them from being the evolutionResident Evilneeded.Resident Evil 6had underwhelming reception, and it failed to meet Capcom’s projected sales,meaning that the company had to rethink its approach to making futureREgames.
Learning from Resident Evil: Revelations 1 and Resident Evil: Revelations 2
The true essence of horror inResident Evilgames has always come from navigating narrow labyrinth-like structures while waiting for grotesque monsters to pop up on the next corner. The tension of navigating these intricately designed arenas while keeping an eye on the ammo count is integral toResident Evil, and the spin-off titles likeResident Evil: Revelations 1 & 2managed to capture this feeling to quite some extent.
However, theRevelationstitles feel restrained due to their low development budget compared to themainlineREgames.Resident Evil: Revelations 2delivers some nail-biting moments, complete with an intriguing storyline and unique enemies never before seen in aREgame. However, its dated level design and dull environments rob it from being a greatResident Evilgame. Moreover,Resident Evil: Revelations 1andResident Evil: Revelations 2are not very accessible to newcomers. They shove players into the shoes of veteran characters and do very little in explaining who they are, making it hard for these players to really connect with the game. In the end, theRevelationsseries feels like a half-baked attempt with too many imposing restrictions.
Learning From the Experimental But Overly Conscious Resident Evil 7
2017’sResident Evil 7was a turning point for theResident Evilfranchise. Not only did it reinvent the series in meaningful ways, but it also became an entry point for new players. Being a spiritual successor to the firstResident Evil,Resident Evil 7not only brought the exhilarating tension of priorResident Evilgames,brimming with terrifying encounters, scarce ammunition, and labyrinth level design, but it also introduced the franchise to different subgenres of horror.
All of this madeResident Evil 7a surprising new survival horror game injected with the DNA of pastResident Evilgames. However, this experimental newResident Evil 7 7, coated with next-gen visuals, and a first-person perspective, was overly conscious of itself at times.Resident Evil 7had an uncanny resemblance toP.T.and some felt as though it was almost too grim for aResident Evilgame, which isn’t exactly the reputation the series has made for itself over the years. The game also lacked enemy variety, which made some of the later encounters redundant. Moreover, it featured an incredibly short campaign for modern standards.
RELATED:Resident Evil Village Mini-Doc Reveals QA Testers May Have Saved the Game
Leaving No Stones Unturned For Resident Evil Village
Resident Evil Villageisn’t just a spiritual successor to the iconicResident Evil 4.RE Villagecallbacks toRE 4on multiple occasions, however, the biggest and most important thing it retains fromRE 4is its confidence.RE 4was bold, bombastic, grounded, and revolutionary for its time, and whileResident Evil Villagedoesn’t surpass the success of that game, it comes close to realizing what made it so special.
Resident Evil Villageis an exemplary example of a true modernResident Evilgame. It offers plenty of frantic and unique enemy encounters. It offers a balance of exploration between bizarre labyrinth areas and open spaces. It retains the quirkiness and bombastic yet hilarious set pieces of action-packedResident Evilgames, full of cheesy oneliners. It has nail-biting boss encounters that are some of the series' best. At one point, it slows does things and becomes a paranormal horror experience full of memorable jump scares. It also has a surprisingly humane touch which the series never had. Ethan Winters isn’t necessarily the most well-written character in video games, but he does react to the in-game’s happenings, more so than pastResident Evilprotagonists.
Resident Evil Villagealso puts a new spin on the subgenre of horrors it introduced inResident Evil 7.RE Villagefeels like a true gothic horror experience full of bloodthirsty vampires, savage werewolves, and astonishing Frankenstein-like monsters. It’s also a meatier package thanResident Evil 7but doesn’t overstay its welcome like the 20 hours long campaign ofResident Evil 6. All this doesn’t necessarily makeResident Evil Villagethe bestResident Evilgame, but it makes it the most confident one that isn’t shy to embrace both the good and bad of the series' long-lived legacy while boldly implementing new ideas to modernize theResident Evilformula.
The future ofResident Evilnever seemed as promising as it does now. The series seems to be headed in the right direction, and fans are curious to know what happens next. Given the game’s ending,Resident Evil 9could look a lot likeParasite Eve, or it could be inspired by some other subgenre of horror. Either way, fans have to wait and see what Capcom has in store for future installments.
Resident Evil Villageis now available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S.
