Resident Evil Village Review: Gameplay Impressions, Videos and Speedrunning Tips

Resident Evil Village, the latest entry in the classic horror series, aims to take the first big step of the next generation by straddling the balance between frights and the thrills of first-person combat.  

To do so, Capcom's direct sequel to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard throws protagonist Ethan Winters into a village of mystical monstrosities and tasks him with not only survival but mystery unraveling and going on the offensive. 

A gorgeous, terrifying affair that flips the expected concepts of horror on their head at every turn, Village is a stunning feat, both for the beginning of this new console generation and for the series as a whole. 

Graphics and Gameplay

Village is beautiful, in its own twisted, dark and grimy way. 

Capcom has pulled off a masterclass in theme through brilliant use of lighting and detail. Getting lost in the corridors of a castle is all the more terrifying when it's impossible to tell what might jump out of the shadows. 

Out in the blinding snow of a presumably European mountainside village, the grisly detail of disfigured, loose-skinned horrors get up close and (un)comfortable often. Everyone Ethan encounters, regardless of how long they actually stick around for, animates realistically and has detailed features. 

Village is almost disturbingly immersive, which is the point—but it sure doesn't hurt that the sound design might be the best on next-generation consoles to date. 

Part of that is because Village plays with expectation. Directional audio helps the player avoid jump scares—until a monster that makes zero noise pops out, of course. The sounds of Village, from the disgusting movements of enemies to the audio clues and frights, only add to the immersion and leave players on edge, especially so with headphones.

To its credit, Village isn't just a "every area looks distinct" handwaving ordeal. They do, but they also feel very different. Without diving too deep into spoiler-territory, one locale overseen by one of the mythical big bads requires more stealth than the others. 

The types of monsters encountered along the way, from Lycans to zombies and more, all ambush at sporadic times and demand on-the-fly adaptation from players, helping them all feel unique. 

The variety in locales and monsters arrives at just the right time alongside a beefed-up crafting system that allows more options than ever. We're talking military-grade equipment right on down to what type of herbs to make for certain boosts. Choose the wrong way, and Village makes the player pay dearly. Luckily, customization feels like it has been even more streamlined, with just a few button presses leading to new items. 

Village does a great job in building tension, leaving players stranded or being pursued many times. But Ethan also cobbles together quite the arsenal, and Resident Evil 4 comparisons are inevitable—players will spend quite a bit of time blasting through enemies almost in Doom-esque fashion. 

As a result, Village can feel clunky. Ethan has the ability to run, block and even hurdle over things now, but it's hit and miss. So is the sluggish-feeling crosshair, even though it's still imperative to properly line up headshots. 

Maybe that's a little unfair, as the game is trying to be a lot of things at once. But players shouldn't go into this expecting Apex Legends or Destiny levels of smoothness in the first-person action.

That aside, we'd be remiss not to say Village feels at its absolute best and truest when Ethan is vulnerable and has drained all of his resources. 

This is more of an action game than the slower, horror experiences of previous entries in the series. That's good and bad. On one hand, it feels like a natural evolution of the series and this tale in particular. Ethan, the main character, hits a breaking point early in the game and wants to go on the offensive. 

On the other, it's sad that the series shifts away from its roots so much from a gameplay perspective. And that's especially so when those moments, fleeting as they are, remain so good, with a next-gen kick to boot. 

Despite the pacing at times, the game is still a masterclass in horror when it wants to be. After being tense for a long time, it feels like just as a player relaxes, something wild happens and sends a jolt right through the controller, almost as if someone was observing the play session and smacking the scare button on cue. 

It's a fun experience all around, even if it does feel a little too easy on normal settings. But for those who want to do more than just see and feel what unfolds, multiple playthroughs are the solution. 

Story and More

As the direct sequel to Resident Evil 7, Village has the benefit of pushing the pedal to the floor narratively right away. 

Ethan is back and so is his family, at least momentarily before the game rips players out of a cozy life and into a snowy village plagued with horrors. The baseline story is simple enough—Ethan wants to save his daughter, Rose. But the plot complicates matters. 

Ethan himself is a little boring and often doesn't seem to react how one might in these terrible circumstances. But the possible counter to that is that he makes the demonic supporting cast all the more fantastical. 

That cast consists of big bad Mother Miranda and underlings Lady Dimitrescu, Donna Beneviento, Salvatore Moreau and Karl Heisenberg. 

They're all fiendishly delightful in their own ways and quite memorable. But that comes with a caveat—the actual gameplay experiences built around them are ho-hum affairs. Players who have encountered big bads and strafed around them until their health ran out in other games won't find much different here. There is some Nemesis-style smartly tracking the player throughout the game here, but the actual fights are so-so throwdowns that are just meant to drain the player's resources. 

Similarly, players looking for in-depth puzzles won't find them within Village. Quite a few, especially early on, just leave notes that detail how to solve them right out in the open. It feels like a decision to keep this more fast-paced Resident Evil moving for players of all capabilities, but it's a little disappointing to see the brain-twisters go the route of the dinosaur. 

The village itself is a character. While it seems everything unfolds in a pretty set pattern than won't deviate much on subsequent playthroughs, let's just say backtracking through areas players think they know is always a fun and surprising time. The further players get in the game, the more things open up. 

It all weaves nicely into the story, which has a lot going for it thanks to the continuity from the last installment. It's a treat to find out how this all ties into the larger Resident Evil story and should stir up some excitement for what might come next.  

Those who yearn for complementary information to flesh out the story won't be disappointed here, either. There are plenty of morsels drip-feeding the background info—characters, myths and surroundings alike—to players who go off the beaten path a bit. 

Speaking of off the path, a merchant named Duke pops up all over the place and his area serves as a little safe zone. He notably offers hunting for the player. It's not Red Dead Redemption hunting by any means, but it's more of a vehicle to get players out and off the expected story path—where the village and its horrors can go to work on anyone who isn't on guard. 

Duke also doubles as a vendor for ammunition and the like, and despite his grotesque appearance, players will undoubtedly breathe a sigh of relief every time they happen across him. 

Village also comes equipped with an endgame of sorts. Points earned for completing certain tasks in the story mode all the purchase of weapons and ammo for future runs, as well as Mercenaries mode—a gory endgame survival sprint through select stages of the game. 

There, players will earn rewards for taking down as many enemies in a given stage as possible. It's sure to be a fun online bragging component with streaming appeal. It's also got the most replayability of anything in the game. 

In a lot of ways, this is Resident Evil just taking another step in its modernization. Sleeker menus, more behind-the-scenes options and streamlined systems such as crafting show the series is eager to match expectations.  

Speedrunning Tips

The Resident Evil series isn't a stranger to speedrunning. 

Look at Resident Evil 7, where the world-best times on any-percent runs check in at under the hour-and-a-half mark. Don't think 100 percent runs are easier for some reason—they check in just over that mark. Ditto for knife-only runs. 

At this stage, Biohazard's runs are a science, even to the point runners know how to despawn enemies. 

That's not the case for Village right out of the gates, where sheer force of will should produce the best times. That means a course load's worth of work in memorization, from layouts to boss patterns and which enemies to fight or avoid at each juncture. 

Given this is a more action-oriented experience, going on the offensive is the best bet. Conserving ammo for only when it's strictly needed is ideal. Doing so will enable the runner to avoid going out of their way to find more crafting resources. 

As of now, engaging with sidetrack items such as minibosses that aren't essential to hitting the end credits is a bad idea. Skipping dialogue and cutscenes, when applicable, is a must too. 

Where Village should really shine is in the competitiveness of the scores and times posted in the Mercenaries mode. That's where the big replayability and speedruns will come from once runners have dissected and perfected the campaign. 

Conclusion

Village is a thrill and a clear nod to the beloved Resident Evil 4. The variety of enemies and engrossing surroundings of the village that seems to have a personality of its own, make it a special experience. That Capcom has perfected how to capitalize on expectations and technology to exploit the player on this horror rollercoaster just makes it all the better. 

Especially impressive is the ability to run through the game again in a new-game plus mode with added difficulty. That, plus Mercenaries mode, gives Village some serious legs and staying power. 

For longtime fans, Village is a romp with big implications for the future. It's an onboarding point for new players too even if the narrative is a bit confusing because this is Resident Evil at its modern best, with plenty of hints of what's to come.