Resident Evil: Village, also known as Resident Evil 8, released on Friday, May 7, 2021. Despite the numbering, this game is only a direct sequel to Resident Evil 7 and despite the appearance of Chris Redfield and mentions of Umbrella Corps, has very little ties to the previous games. Resident Evil 8 follows the story of Ethan Winters, who was introduced to audiences in RE7 when he traveled to Louisiana to attempt to find his wife, Mia Winters.
In RE8, it’s been some time since the events of RE7, and Ethan and Mia now live in an Eastern European village with their infant daughter, Rosemary. Still working with Chris Redfield and presumably the BSAA, Ethan and Mia have undergone military training as well as submitted Rose for medical testing due to both Ethan and Mia being affected by the mold in Louisiana.
The game starts with a nice, normal night for the Winters family, with Ethan putting Rose to bed while Mia cooks supper. They are discussing the Louisiana incident, which Mia detests talking about, when suddenly Mia is shot through the window. She is then shot multiple times until she is dead. It is revealed then that Chris and his team were the ones perpetrating the shooting. They knock Ethan out and take him and Rose into custody.
On the way to the holding facility, the transport van is attacked and Ethan is the only survivor. Rose is missing, but not presumed dead. Thus, the player regains control of Ethan and the game truly begins. Ethan stumbles upon a village only to be attacked by werewolf-like creatures. Making his way through the town, he finds two survivors who lead him to a safehouse, where the remnants of the village have gathered. One of them has been bitten however, and begins to turn, killing the rest of the remaining villagers. Ethan attempts to save the man’s daughter, but she eventually dies as well, falling into the fire with her father.
Eventually, Ethan moves on towards the castle, hoping to find his daughter there. Unfortunately, Ethan meets Heisenburg, a man who can bend metal to his will and seems evil from first impressions. Ethan is forced into a death trap by Heisenberg where he must run for his life. He escapes, barely, and moves on to the castle. There, he meets Lady Demetrescu and her daughters, all of whom are vampiric creatures. Demetrescu is an imposing figure, standing well over nine feet tall. It’s later learned that she can grow her nails into blades at will.
After a terrifying fight with Demetrescu, Ethan learns that his daughter has been turned into four pieces of crystal and each piece has been given to a Lord. There are four in total, Demetrescu being the first to be dealt with. The player can choose which one to go after next, choosing between Moreau or Beneviento. The only one locked at the moment is Heisenburg, who’s location can only be unlocked after defeating the other two. Both fights are terrifying in their own right, but once completed, the player may move on to the last fight with Heisenburg. This however, is not the final fight of the game.
Resident Evil Village is a beautiful game with updated graphics that work best on the Playstation 5 or the Xbox Series X but still hold up well on previous consoles. I tested the beta of the game on a Playstation 4 and an Xbox Series X, and while there were differences, it was essentially the same in terms of graphics. Gameplay is similar to other Resident Evil games, in terms of how storage, inventory, and buying items works.
Ammo is limited, but craftable with materials. The lower level the game is set on, the more ammo the player has. The game’s system is similar to that of Resident Evil 4. The storyline of the game is compelling and keeps the player wanting to play, but the ending is confusing. I jokingly referred to the ending as being directed by M. Night Shyamalan because of how many twists it had. However, it is a fitting ending to the story that began in Resident Evil 7 and leaves room for a sequel. Overall, if you’re a fan of the franchise, I think the game is worth playing.
Resident Evil Village is available now on Playstation, Xbox and PC.
Jeri Hensley
Executive Editor/Creative Director