Imagine waking up in a frigid village away from your home and family. You need to take refuge in an abandon house to get away from that eastern European cold but all of sudden, you are attacked by beast-like monsters traveling around in packs.
This is “Resident Evil Village”.
“Resident Evil Village” was announced at the PS5 reveal event and it is a direct sequel to “Resident Evil 7”. Protagonist Ethan Winters returns finding himself in a mysterious Romanianvillage filled with monsters that seem more at home in a “Van Helsing” story.
Ethan was just living a normal life with his wife Mia and infant child until he was attacked oddly enough by series hero Chris Redfield. Ethan is now alone in foreign country trying to find answers.
Instead of the typical zombies you encounter in the “Resident Evil” series, Ethan encounters dozens of werewolf type creatures. Many of these monsters still have their human clothes and one of them is wielding a giant axe. Just like with a pack of wolves, these beasts travel in groups and are able to attack a specific target.
A different group of monsters reside in a castle that is overlooking the village. Ethan will meet a group of women who look like they are all a part of a witch’s coven. They are led by another woman dressed in white who seems to have fondness of drinking human blood which definitely fits the description for a vampire.
The village itself is just as much of a character as Ethan with its gothic architecture and its creepy insignia depicting what looks like an unborn child laying on bird wings and a pile of sticks. The village has some type of religious presence that is almost Satanic in nature with lots of goat skulls present on the buildings.
The village also has human inhabitants such as an old man that helps Ethan get his barrings, a father and daughter who seem distressed, and a bearded man who is dressed like a vampire hunter from Victorian England.
Ethan also meets a man resembling an old English gentleman with a cigar. This character is supposed to be Village’s version of “The Merchant”. A character from “Resident Evil 4” who sold the player weapons and supplies.
“Village” shares many similarities with “Resident Evil 4” as both games take place in remote areas in Europe that are controlled by religious cults such as 4’s infamous Los Iluminados. A Spanish bioterrorism organization that experimented with ancient parasites that gave humans enhanced abilities.
The first-person perspective from “Resident Evil 7” returns in “Village” but it is going to be more action focused. The game will have more of an emphasis on weapons as Ethan has a new storage system that resembles a big brief case with a “Tetris” design. Ethan can also carry currency in the form of Romanian Leu which will most likely be used to buy supplies from The Merchant.
Village will be the first next-gen “Resident Evil” title as it will be running on PS5 and Xbox Series X.
“Realistic graphics and immersive audio coupled with no load times will really draw you into the world we’ve created for Resident Evil Village,” said Pete Fabiano, producer for the game.
“Resident Evil Village” does not have a concrete release date but it is slated for 2021 release.
As of Aug. 2020, “Resident Evil 7” is Capcom’s 2nd best selling game in the company’s history. It is only behind “Monster Hunter World”.