Resident Evil Village
Ian Dean tries to fend off a tall lady’s advances
We only review finished games, so in Viewpoint we go hands-on with near-final code of a game that just missed our review deadline. After dinner with the Bakers Ian Dean thinks surviving the first few hours of Resident Evil Village will be a doddle. Lady Dimitrescu bending below doorways in steady pursuit is unsettling to behold. It’s a subtle animation, but one that ensures a consistently menacing atmosphere. Add in the Nemesislike clomp of her size-14 shoes and the scream of “Come here you disgusting man-thing!” and Capcom has crafted a modern great. Is she completely evil? Diary notes left in her boudoir – alongside the remains of a wardrobe thrown in anger – tease a tension between our tall meme-star and her ‘family’.
We met the vampiric Lady Dimitrescu’s siblings earlier in our demo. Not biologically related but gathered and given powers by the enigmatic, crow-like Mother Miranda, this family is more John Carpenter’s Addams Family than the Munsters. The hammer-wielding Heisenberg looks like a Van Helsing cosplayer but can control metal like a gothic Magneto. Dimitrescu’s three daughters are a consistent threat, chasing you through the castle in a game of cat-and-mouse orchestrated by Heisenberg. They can be killed, but we’re not giving more away here. And there are family members even weirder than the daughters who transform into insects, including a one-eyed hunchback, a doll-like, undead tiny girl, and winged people, spires. Couple all that with Lady Dimistrescu’s scarlet-lipped 1940’s glamour, and the ‘Wizard Of Oz meets Hostel’ vibe is complete.
BAKER WHO?
The cast of villains is one of Capcom’s some way towards being one of the creepiest creature lineups since Bloodborne. In combat each villain behaves in unique ways, and you need each one of them.
Early in the demo, protagonist Ethan Winters picks his way through the dark and snowy eerily quiet ramshackle village that sits below Castle Dimitrescu and we’re soon chased by packs of Lycans.
We discover these werewolf-like enemies are easier to kill one-on-one than in groups. Using village huts as cover, and pulling bookcases against doors to slow the Lycans, it’s possible to manage the pack. This showcases the simple additions to Resident Evil’s combat that began with Resident Evil VII: Biohazard. As well as using the environment to aid his survival, in combat Ethan can block and parry attacks. Kicking enemies backwards will stall enemies too, giving you room to breathe and re-arm.
FAMILY VALUES
of Mother Miranda’s servants and stress-mumbling “What the hell is going on here?” Ethan must rely on his wits to progress. Classic Resident Evil puzzles abound both in the castle and below, with familiar key puzzles bulking out the early hours of the game. Later statue-turning conundrums soak up your brain-time passages in a mysterious poem. It’s classic Resident Evil puzzling. Capcom’s also not ashamed to make creative use of the controller, asking you to guide a ball around a model in order to unlock a secret.
It’s heartening to see the studio returning to the classic DNA of the series with Resident Evil Village; the mix of obscurely contrived puzzles and focus on surviving combat rather than shotgunning through the hordes feels like a return to the horror series’ past glory days.
Behind everything is a thick layer of suspense and unsettling weirdness. The village is a darkly gothic landscape of snow-covered huts and homes, each one scarred to tell a burnt-out living room you stumble into or the holed and splintered wooden wall you escape through. emotions as you play. The village streets are starkly white with snow and the castle’s cellar is a dimly lit labyrinth teasing hidden dangers, while upstairs in Lady Dimitrescu’s world we’re treated to ornate, gleaming panelling that gives a sense of luxury to go with our discomfort. That a puzzle employs light as part of its solution only serves to showcase RE Engine’s prowess.
Resident Evil Village strives to be more than a technical showcase or a nod to the past. Any sense of overfamiliarity is trumped by that cast of villains and the constant tease of Ethan’s kidnapped daughter. To paraphrase our protagonist, we’re constantly asking ourselves what the hell is going on – in a good way.
VIEWPOINT “THICK WITH GOTHIC ATMOSPHERE, RESIDENT EVIL VILLAGE HARKS BACK TO THE SERIES’ HEYDAY WHILE BRINGING IT UP TO DATE WITH A KILLER MONSTER SQUAD.”
We’ll have our full, in-depth review of Resident Evil Village in our next issue.