Resident Evil Village is a sequel to Resident Evil 7 biohazard, which I haven’t played. Should I have? Not narratively. Everything you need to know about 7 is wrapped up in about half a minute before you enter this village. These games aren’t about their stories, and that’s as it should be. With that said, key plot points will be mentioned in this review. If you’re playing or plan to play 7, stop reading right here.
Resident Evil Village picks up with Ethan Winters and his wife, Mia, living in Europe. They have a baby now, and Ethan is one of those annoying dads who worries far too much about the type of stories Mia reads to a kid who can’t possibly understand any of it. He’d likely call Children Services if he knew the books I read to my kids.
No matter. Ethan was right to be paranoid, as we don’t even get through one dinner before his wife is killed by Chris Redfield, of all people, and his infant daughter is kidnapped. Why? Only one way to find out…escape into the woods and stumble into a seemingly abandoned village at the base of an imposing, gothic castle.
The setting is fairly unique for a Resident Evil game, but certainly appropriate. Ethan meets an old villager fearing for his life, and justifiably so. Dude is brutally killed within minutes, and Ethan discovers a pile of bodies in the basement before he’s attacked by a human/wolf hybrid (a lycan) who bites off a good chunk of his hand.
Soon, you’re fighting a lot of these things, and that’s the first element that reminded me I’m in a Resident Evil game. You can’t kill all of them; there are too many, and you don’t get enough ammo. Quickly, you learn to run, hide, and use nearby resources (exploding barrels, bags of flour, etc.) to reach safer ground or a cutscene that pushes the narrative along.
You will die a lot, but it’s all part of shaping your approach. Typewriters for saving progress are limited, but there are plenty of autosaves to make sure you don’t have to start too far back when you meet a grisly fate.
The openness of the village is, in my experience, a break from RE’s claustrophobic norm. Exploring your surroundings is half the fun, and the Village gives you plenty of items to collect and achievements to reach. The handy map even lets you know which buildings still have important pickups available. Navigating those buildings is still pretty tight, so there is a fair share of cramped-quarters combat. The bigger problem with the open setting, however, is that the Switch 2 has some trouble displaying it. Frame rates drop outside. Gameplay isn’t really affected, it’s just the type of thing I didn’t expect to see in a game that’s nearly five years old.
I’d argue the performance issues are worth it, too, as each area of the village ends up feeling like its own distinct horror movie setting…within reason, of course. The game never loses sight of its theme, but don’t think for a second that you’ll just be dealing with werewolves. The characters you meet and enemies you face as you push your way through are simultaneously frightening and hilarious, with everything being delivered way over the top (Lady Dimitrescu and Heisenberg would be coveted roles if this were ever made into a movie).
The moment you feel you have a grip on things, those things will change, and often in ways you’re not expecting.
The game is grounded, however, in tightly implemented combat. The battles are stressful, as they’re supposed to be, but I never felt I was wrestling with the controls in order to survive. I do recommend mapping the grip buttons on your Pro Controller, if you have one; they’re so much easier to use than pressing down on the L and R sticks.
All of this—the village, the castle, the factory, the haunted dollhouse (yes, haunted dollhouse, because of course) can be completed in under 15 hours if you’re efficient enough. I sure wasn’t, and I prefer it that way. And even if it does take you longer to get through, you’ll likely still need repeated playthroughs to uncover and achieve everything the base game has to offer. Of course, there’s the included Gold Edition DLC, too, which offers a new campaign with a fun twist. There are even additional ways to play. Sure, there are difficulty modes to ramp up, but there’s also a Mercenaries mode and the ability to play (most of) the game from a third-person, over-the-shoulder perspective à la Resident Evil 4. I tried this, and I can’t say I recommend it.
Speaking of Resident Evil 4, I’m on record claiming it’s the only RE game I ever truly enjoyed. That’s no longer the case, because I had a blast with Resident Evil Village – Gold Edition. Although I generally prefer a little more tension and a little less action in my horror games, the balance worked here. The vibe is like a Hammer Horror film remade with a modern approach, but by people who totally get the Hammer appeal.
So, yes, Resident Evil Village: Gold Edition was worth the wait, and it’s worth the price. It’s also worth keeping on your system after your first playthrough to make sure you truly get everything out of it. I can easily see myself pulling this back up come Halloween…provided I’ve already completed Resident Evil VII biohazard and Resident Evil Requiem, of course.
