Review – Resident Evil Village
It’s been nearly 25 years since Resident Evil first hit our screens, and over the past week I’ve had the utmost pleasure of checking out the latest installment, Resident Evil Village. Courtesy of the folks at Capcom, we’ve got our usual full video review and extended written review just here. As ever, both come with the full common-sense parent’s guide, and accessibility information.
The Basics
Village is set a short number of years after the last entry into the franchise, Resident Evil Biohazard. Following on from the events in Biohazard (with a handy catch up if you’ve not played or forgotten) you reprise the role of protagonist Ethan Winters. After a short and comfortable introduction, Ethan’s world is thrown into turmoil with an intense house invasion ending with the kidnapping of Rose, his baby daughter.
As Ethan, you’ll find yourself stumbling into The Village, an intense old-world area which is (as you should expect from Resident Evil) packed with supernatural horrors. You’ll fight through the twisted location, and a number of stunningly created environments, to rescue your daughter and uncover the secrets behind the village, and some of the fan-favourite characters you’ll meet along the way
Village is a strictly solo first-person adventure, which manages to really nail the Resident Evil feeling. While the franchise has moved far on from its zombie-based tank-controlled beginnings, it still manages to fit within the series with a unique Resi feel. As well as strategic shooting and ammo management, you’ll solve a number of puzzles, go up against bosses bad and, indeed, big, and even still save your progress through the title using typewriters (though thankful they all come with their own ink)
Parent’s Eye View
Resident Evil Village is rated by PEGI at 18 and above, and by the ESRB at a Mature 17+. The franchise has always inhabited the survival horror genre and this one is no different. There are plenty of jump scares, prolific bad language and pretty gory scenes from the outset.
Within our video review you can see some of the examples here, but it’s worth bearing in mind that the title also goes above and beyond this, with a few notable examples of high-end gore caught within spoilers, which we don’t want to give away.
While fear doesn’t pervade through every moment, there are a number of oppressive atmospheres, and the title will have a number of triggers for those who don’t deal well with shock scares, blood and gore, living mannequins, child-related trauma and similar. This is a supremely gory title, with in-your-face horrors which we would say are definitely not suitable for the younger market.Even for older players, if you’re of a more sensitive disposition, this may be one to be wary of.
Accessibility
In terms of accessibility, Resident Evil Village is getting a rating of moderate. This one is is going to require a good number of hours to get through it in its entirety, so if you want to complete it you’ll need to invest significant play time. However, there are a great number of difficulty options which will cater to a good number of players, all the way from casual to the ultra-hardcore Village of Shadows mode.
The Run Down
Visuals – Great: Playing for the most part on Xbox Series X, the visuals within Village have been absolutely stunning. Whether we’ve been obsessing over detailed knitwear, or the impressive lighting throughout, the visuals have been hugely impressive.
Audio – Great: Effects are great, and the incidental music and audio cues are also brilliant. The voice acting has been absolutely stellar
Narrative – Great: More strong marks here as the story within Village has been an absolute thrill ride. Twisting and turning throughout, the narrative will pull you in and not let you go.
Replay – Good: There are a decent number of collectables throughout, and a great number of background items to give more story on the background of The Village. For completionists, completing the title on Hardcore difficulty also unlocks further challenges with the Village of Shadows mode.
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The Verdict
Overall the Pixel Bandits Jill SandwichLevel for Resident Evil Village is Grab It!. This one is an absolute must grab, with a compelling narrative, stunningly beautiful visuals, and great gameplay. There really isn’t much which we’d look to change here, though we’d definitely have liked to see more of the giantess Lady Dimitrescu who isn’t quite as front and centre as we first believed she would be
The twisting and turning storyline is not for the faint of heart, and there are a number of reasons we’re saying Village is adults only, but for those over 18 it’s an absolute must buy. Resident Evil village provides a supreme single-player experience, and if you can deal with some jump scares and gore, it should be right at the top of your priorities for your next gaming purchase.
