Village is brought to life by some of the most memorable characters we’ve seen in the series to date.

Village feels like both a tribute and a step forward for the series. We found that each location seemed to hark back to a specific entry in the Resident Evil series, with the castle reminiscent of the original Resident Evil's mansion in layout – the village, meanwhile, recalls the opening location of the fourth entry. It helps to keep gameplay fresh, especially given that the design of Resident Evil games often sees you retreading old steps. Without spoiling what’s to come, each of these environments varies quite a bit, with the Village itself (a central hub for all locations) changing over time too. These are environments that you’ll want to explore, too, all beautifully realized and folklore-inspired, with each location offering a different sense of dread - whether that’s the open-plan nature of the snowclad village where something could attack from any angle, or the claustrophobia that comes from the narrow hallways of a factory. At the same time, the game fires a new set-piece at you a couple of times every hour, just to keep the excitement going. It helps, then, that Village is (mostly) well-paced, giving you the time to absorb its environments and characters, as well as the opportunity to explore every nook and cranny you can - in true Resi fashion. So it was a welcome surprise to find that these marketing materials barely scratched the surface of what Village tries to do - the unpredictability adding a degree of suspense and unease to both the narrative and the gameplay. Based on the trailers and demos of Resident Evil Village, we went into the latest Resi entry with a very different idea of what it would be about. Resident Evil Village is a masterclass in how marketing misdirection can keep the element of surprise in an era plagued with leaks and spoilers. But following an incident at their new home, Rose is kidnapped and Ethan finds himself in a devout village in the middle of nowhere, desperate to find Rose. Fortunately, if you haven’t played Resident Evil 7 (or forget what happened) Resident Evil Village gives you a rundown of what occurred in its predecessor.Īfter defeating Eveline and being saved from the Baker home bloodbath by Chris Redfield and Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA), Ethan and his wife Mia have moved to Eastern Europe where the BSAA has promised to protect the couple and their newborn baby, Rose. Resident Evil Village follows on from the events of Resident Evil 7 - taking place a few years later. A well-paced story that doesn’t outstay its welcome.

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