LogFAQs > #962130465

1. Resident Evil Village

I was pretty interested in playing this game upon announcement. The horror advertised in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard isnt really my style, nor is the standard zombie horror the franchise is known for. It is obvious, then, that my favorite games in the franchise, Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 2 (2019), are more akin to third-person shooters with horror elements. Ive even lightened up on Resident Evil 3 (2020) even more than I already was last year. Capcom knows how to design great action-horror for their classic franchise, even if the more it deviates into one specific direction, the less quality the experience is as a whole.

I had never played Resident Evil 7: Biohazard until quite recently. I put it off because I was aware of how I would likely not enjoy it. I only played it due to the fact that Resident Evil Village was a direct sequel, something I didnt know about until Resident Evil Village asked me if I wanted a recap. Im sure its classification as a direct sequel was noted heavily in marketing, but I have ADHD so you are not allowed to be upset with me for my failures to parse even the most basic information. So I, of course, played Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. I did not like Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. It was gross, slow, clunky, and the horror was, as previously stated, not my cup of tea. The hillbilly-horror present is actually quite possibly my least favorite type of standardized horror theme. The classist undertones of codifying poverty as a type of horror is disgusting to me. Obviously shit like Resident Evil 5 is worse, but its still a gross method of inducing terror.

Naturally, I was skeptical of Resident Evil Village following this. I still had the knowledge of it being a more action-oriented experience than its predecessor, but my four hours with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard were probably my least favorite in the series. I dont want to suggest you are in some way wrong for liking Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, as Im directly stating this instead. It is, however, evident that I am looking for totally different experiences than those who praised Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. But then I played Resident Evil Village. Resident Evil Village is amazing.

Prior to its release, Resident Evil Village' heavily marketed the Lady Dimitrescu character. Horny people jumped on the boat immediately. These people are apparently the same people who reviewed the game at a professional level. So many critics praised the games first significant area while admonishing everything after it. These critics are morons. Not only is Castle Dimitrescu not the best segment of the game, but Lady Dimitrescu herself isnt even one of the more engaging characters the game presents. One of the coolest things Resident Evil 7: Biohazard did was introducing all of the antagonists in the beginning with a well-framed table scene, almost certainly inspired by 1974s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. But the problem with this scene is that all of the characters were extremely loud and annoying. The villains introduced in Resident Evil Village, in an incredibly similar way, are far more unique and diverse. Even the lowly Moreau is able to make his mark both in this opening scene and in his eventual segment.

Ethan himself had the problem of being terribly boring in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. I watched a longplay after quitting my own run and he never really became anything more than a mechanism to move through the game. He is immediately characterized far better from the very beginning of Resident Evil Village. He has fun interactions with the world and the characters you meet, and even has horrible one-liners upon killing stronger enemies. The game also introduces The Duke, who somehow managed to become the best merchant in the Resident Evil franchise. The Duke is probably my favorite character introduced in 2021, and its a damn shame he gets overshadowed because the Internet is too fucking horny.

Gameplay-wise, Resident Evil Village is probably the best the series has seen. Certainly, it was conflicting with the standard the series had set to this point, which was a wildly diverse range of gameplay mechanics. Resident Evil Village mashes the faster-paced action of the recent remakes with the more methodical approach and first-person perspective of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. The result, while not appearing original to the naked eye, creates a gameplay experience unlike anything the series has seen. Weapon upgrading is back and better than ever. Every weapon has the ability to become stronger through a generous upgrading system. You can also hunt animals and collect their meat for cooking to receive permanent buffs to health, defense, speed, etc. There are so many systems at play here and each one of them bleeds into the other in a truly captivating manner.

Of course, none of these qualities would matter much in a game with bad level design. Fortunately, this is some of the best weve ever seen, and easily the best in the Resident Evil series. Its not a unique observation to see how each limb of the game represents its own sort of appeal. Castle Dimitrescu is focused on navigation and puzzle-solving. Beneviento House is focused on horror. The reservoir is more of a cinematic level. And it all wraps up with Heisenbergs areas and the bits after being action-oriented. What isnt a unique observation is how each area feels to have been masterfully crafted to achieve those specific goals. I talk a lot in here about the Internets stupid horniness as problematic to legitimate discussion of Resident Evil Village and how it transforms the medium with its approach to design, and I do so because its fucking embarrassing to see grown adults praise one really well-done section and then not care about the other 70% of the game which is also extremely well-done. You are an embarrassment. Yes, I will die on this hill and no, it will not be worth it.

Besides the Reservoir, which is fine in a vacuum but actually a pretty dull level in relation to what else the game offers, Resident Evil Village is dropping dimes constantly with its intriguing set pieces, map structure, combat evolution, and storytelling. Resident Evil Village is one of those magical experiences that happens upon the world and so affirmatively grips the core values of what playing a video game should feel like. Much like last years Doom Eternal and Hades, Resident Evil Village is a fucking masterclass of every component it aims to create. I dont regularly try to argue that some games are THE BEST EVER because, like, have you seen how much I talked about Tales of Symphonia in these write-ups? How much do I actually know? But Resident Evil Village is, quite honestly, the best horror game. It is the best action-horror game. It is the best Resident Evil game. Keep in mind, Resident Evil 4 has occupied my top 10 for about fifteen years now, so I dont say this lightly. We will probably never see another video game which aims to do as much, yet perfectly executes each part it presents as Resident Evil Village. Resident Evil Village is a blatant masterpiece, and the medium has a lot of catching up to do if we hope to see games of this caliber regularly.

Resident Evil Village Score: 6/6