Now before I begin I just want to clarify this:
This is strictly my own opinion. If you disagree with me, more power to you. Just keep the comments civil and respectful.
Hello, everybody, and welcome back to
GAME MODE: ON!
As the Halloween season is nearing, I thought it'd be fun to return to the very series that helped me branch my critiquing skills out to other forms of entertainment: Resident Evil.
Back in 2021 on Letterboxd, I decided that it would be fun to dedicate that year's Halloween event to the iconic Capcom horror franchise as it celebrates it's 25th anniversary. Seeing how I never reviewed video games before that point, it proved to be quite the challenge just going out there, playing the first seven mainline entries and writing my own personal thoughts on them. Looking back on Season of the Evil, I like to think that all my efforts paid off as I'm happy with the reviews I've written. It was just alot of fun to go through and getting to publish all that shit for my followers to read was immensely satisfying.
But now that enough time has passed and Halloween is not long now, I thought it would be the perfect time to go over the most recent entry in the series, Resident Evil: Village.
When RE7 first came out back in 2017 and helped to bring the series back to it's survival-horror roots, it was an absolute success that managed to drag everything out of a hole that was dug out by all the overblown explosions that the last few entries splurged out.
Since then, the franchise began a new era in which fans were able to experience the classic horror experience they've missed for many years but with some many welcomed modern touch-ups to keep things fresh. We had a great remake of RE2 in 2019, a not-as-good but still playable remake of RE3 in 2020, a remake of RE4 earlier this year that was every bit as acclaimed as the original and a film adaptation in 2021 that, for once, actually resembles a fucking RE film. I know alot of people hate that movie but who cares? It's still better than those lame-ass Super Alice movies or even that dumbass live-action Netflix series.
While RE will still have it's little downsides here and there, there's no denying that RE7 changed the franchise for the better and trust me when I say that things only got as good as that when May 7th 2021 rolled around.
Village was a game that I was really looking forward to ever since I got into Resident Evil and the direction it's taking looks like alot of fun. The cold and isolating setting, the vicious creatures, all that good shit, we were just in for a blast.
So when the game came out, it was a definite success in terms of sales with reports saying that it was one of the best-selling RE titles ever. However, in terms of critical reception, that's a different story. While most reviewers and fans seemed to enjoy the game fine, many did consider it a step down from RE7 with certain aspects of the gameplay and style being criticized. Though everybody can agree that the best thing about it was a certain tall vampire lady that we'll get to later on.
But without further ado, let's once again enter the survival horror with Resident Evil: Village.
For this game, I'm tackling the PlayStation 4 version but with a PS5 upgrade.
STORY & CHARACTERIZATION:
Set three years after the events of RE7, Ethan and Mia Winters are settling into their new home in Europe with their baby daughter, Rosemary.
One fateful night, Mia is unexpectedly mowed down by a squad led by Chris Redfield who takes both Ethan and Rose without so much as an explanation as to what's even going on. Later on, the squad vehicle that Ethan was riding in crashes and he ends up wandering into a desolate village overrun with many sorts of deadly monsters and lethal dangers around every corner.
In order to save his daughter, Ethan must once again brave through an onslaught of terrors which would then lead him to various horrifying revelations as to why any of this is happening to his family.
As established in the last entry, Ethan is not some badass soldier or a cool biker or even a rookie cop but he's more or less your everyday average joe. While on paper, that may seem like a bland idea for a Resident Evil protagonist, it was actually a refreshing change of pace for the series and a clever way to start things anew without having to hit the reboot button. It was something that we desperately needed after how RE6 pretty much Michael Bay'd this bitch.
It was rather investing to see someone like Ethan start off as just a normal nobody civilian only for the horrors he experienced in Louisiana to force him to toughen up if it meant saving his own ass and any loved ones lucky enough to survive the scenario. As RE8 begins, Ethan is looking to finally settle down and find peace with his family but while Mia is able to move on and live normally, Ethan can't help but be overly-cautious which resulted in him being accused of paranoia. So when he's forced to go through a potentially-worse mess than before, yeah, he's scared at first but as the game progresses, he eventually just stops caring anymore. Halfway through, he's no longer bothered to take shit from anyone and has grown more and more confident in himself as he continues his personal mission to save Rose and get the fuck out of dodge.
There's also the mystery regarding what the hell was Chris doing and why on Earth would he do such a thing to Ethan. Once the game begins and you see him committing such a shocking act, you're immediately invested into what made him go rogue in the first place. That being said, Chris isn't the only force you have to take into consideration as when you traverse through the titular village, you're forced to deal with it's four psychotic lords and their god/parental figure, Mother Miranda, who plan to use Rose for their own selfish and deranged gain. This quadrant of ferocious beings consist of the morbid and pathetic bog-dweller Salvatore Moreau, the maniacal and unhinged dollmaker Donna Beneviento, the charismatic but deceiving mechanic Karl Heisenberg and the obvious fan-favorite, the big mother-fucker herself, Alcina Dimitrescu. Yeah, in regards to that last one, when the game's previews were coming out and Lady D made her presence known, gamers found themselves simping for her like crazy due to her proportionate design. Love or hate the game, you can't deny that the most memorable thing about it was her and her alone, she was that popular. So it makes sense that she's been made this game's unstoppable stalker in a similar vein to Nemesis from RE3, Mr. X from RE2(mostly, the remake) and Jack Baker from RE7. However, unlike those aforementioned stalkers, Lady D cannot simply be put down no matter how hard you try as no weapon you have at your disposal seems to phase her whatsoever so your only option until the obligatory boss fight is to just keep running, don't look back and find the nearest safe room if possible.
But if you thought going through Castle Dimitrescu nearly gave you a heart attack, just wait until you get to House Beneviento for anything that lies there will fucking haunt you for the rest of your life. I'm serious when I say that those parts with the giant fetus alone automatically make this one of the scariest RE titles by far. You have been warned.
So while Ethan is a solid and relatable protagonist, the villains are the highlight due to their distinct personalities, immense fright factor and unsavory demeanor. Seriously, Miranda herself is such a clingy psychopath that she's forcing Sarah Paulson from Run to hold her beer.
So taking into account everything I've mentioned thus far, this is such a great story that not only continues and concludes Ethan's journey nicely but the suspense is gripping, parts of it are terrifying as hell, there's some shocking revelations at certain turns, it manages to competently tie things into the overall RE storyline and there's even a bit of that camp factor that the series is usually known for. It's scary, it's bittersweet, it's action-packed, there's alot to unpack and love here.
GAMEPLAY & CONTROLS:
While RE7 more or less resembles the original in terms of gameplay and structure, RE8 resembles RE4 with it's European village setting, larger-than-life encounters, merchant system and a bit more focus on action especially towards the end. But whereas RE4 was mostly linear with little-to-no backtracking, RE8 was able to retain the element of non-linear exploration with the center of the village serving as your in-between hub and certain places such as Heisenberg's Factory and Castle Dimistrescu containing multiple paths, unlockable areas and other hidden extras which will have you spending hours trying to find everything. Puzzles are back as well and are just as satisfying to solve if a bit easier than in previous games and each villain location contains a special labyrinth mini-game where, if you can find the ball that goes with it, you have to guide said ball to it's winning hole to unlock a special and very valuable treasure which you can exchange for money.
Speaking of which, in place of the Merchant from RE4, we have the Duke, an eccentric being who serves as Ethan's unofficial guide while also offering a variety of items including ammo, weapons and attachments, healing packs and more for a hefty fee. On-top of that, he also offers to upgrade your weapons if you got the cash for it and will even serve you some meals for free if you have the right ingredients such as fish, poultry and meat. Said meals will expand your health and help you take less damage when guarding, among other useful effects.
Like RE7, the game is played in a first-person perspective though recent updates have included the option to play in third-person which is a nice touch for those who can't stand FPS games and like before, it plays beautifully. Controls are tight, fighting enemies have never felt so challenging and satisfying and the mechanics carried over from previous games are just as good as ever. Like in RE4, although you have a briefcase to carry a limited number of essential items such as weapons, first aid meds and such, you also have separate menus for treasures and key items so don't worry too much about using up too much room. In regards to treasures, also like in RE4, there are certain pieces that become more valuable when combined into one classy-looking piece. With so many goodies to look for and many pathways to uncover throughout, you're bound to be busy whenever you're taking a break from the story. Also like in RE7, there are certain points where you can save your progress if you feel like there could be alot to lose in the next part and even though there is an autosave system, I prefer doing things the manual way to keep within the RE spirit.
In terms of the foes you face, besides the four lords, Miranda and that disgusting giant fetus, your main enemies consist of Lycans, werewolf-type beasts, and Moroaicǎ, vampyric ghouls. There's also mechanical mutant hybrids, flying bat-like demons, killer dolls, huge dog-like monsters, Lady D's horny-ass daughters and a discount Rubeus Hagrid carrying a fuck-off massive mallet. It's crazy to say the least.
As far as I'm concerned, I don't really have any issues with the overall design. The gameplay's cool and challenging, the boss fights are tense, the exploration is very rewarding and I just found it to be quite fun, spooky and satisfying.
In regards to any extra content after beating the base game, you can unlock a shop where you can use the points gained from completing achievements to buy extra weapons, concept art, models and so on. There's also the return of Mercenaries mode and, of course, there's the paid DLC chapter, Shadows of Rose, which serves as the chilling epilogue to the main story, a good one I might add.
GRAPHICS & PRODUCTION VALUE:
As of right now, this is probably the best-looking RE game I've played thus far. Thanks to the technical capabilities of the PlayStation 5, RE8 just looks absolutely stunning with commendable attention to detail, expansive environments, solid motion-capture work and so many neat effects. With a stable performance, pretty much non-existent load times and more, it just makes the game all the more gorgeous to look at. The miracles the RE Engine can do, man.
The big highlight of the game's graphical quality is the very beginning and ending where we're treated to segments from a storybook that pretty much mirror the events of the game and my god, it just looks fantastic. Absolutely phenomenal work.
Besides all that, the music by Shusaku Uchiyama and Nao Sato is great, the sound design is crisp as hell, the overall artistry is just spot-on, again, I really have no complaints.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Overall, Resident Evil: Village is nothing short of a masterpiece and is by far one of my favorite RE games, easily in the Top 3.
It manages to take so many elements from past titles such as the exploration and mystery from RE1 and 2, the camp value and action from RE4, 5 and 6, the utter intensity of RE1, 3 and 7 and the sheer fright factor of RE1, 2 and 7 and mix it all together into this amazing and satisfactory package. So much about it worked and was so worth putting over nine hours into. I just fucking love this game and I seriously, SERIOUSLY! highly recommend it.
Until next time, thank you for taking the time to check out this installment of GAME MODE: ON.
If you liked what you've read here and want to see more, you can go ahead and follow me whenever you want.
And also, don't forget to check out my Letterboxd page for new film reviews every week.
AFTER-NOTE: I might review another horror game before Halloween though that may depend on time and energy. That, and if I can actually beat the bloody thing.
This is strictly my own opinion. If you disagree with me, more power to you. Just keep the comments civil and respectful.
Hello, everybody, and welcome back to
GAME MODE: ON!
As the Halloween season is nearing, I thought it'd be fun to return to the very series that helped me branch my critiquing skills out to other forms of entertainment: Resident Evil.
Back in 2021 on Letterboxd, I decided that it would be fun to dedicate that year's Halloween event to the iconic Capcom horror franchise as it celebrates it's 25th anniversary. Seeing how I never reviewed video games before that point, it proved to be quite the challenge just going out there, playing the first seven mainline entries and writing my own personal thoughts on them. Looking back on Season of the Evil, I like to think that all my efforts paid off as I'm happy with the reviews I've written. It was just alot of fun to go through and getting to publish all that shit for my followers to read was immensely satisfying.
But now that enough time has passed and Halloween is not long now, I thought it would be the perfect time to go over the most recent entry in the series, Resident Evil: Village.
When RE7 first came out back in 2017 and helped to bring the series back to it's survival-horror roots, it was an absolute success that managed to drag everything out of a hole that was dug out by all the overblown explosions that the last few entries splurged out.
Since then, the franchise began a new era in which fans were able to experience the classic horror experience they've missed for many years but with some many welcomed modern touch-ups to keep things fresh. We had a great remake of RE2 in 2019, a not-as-good but still playable remake of RE3 in 2020, a remake of RE4 earlier this year that was every bit as acclaimed as the original and a film adaptation in 2021 that, for once, actually resembles a fucking RE film. I know alot of people hate that movie but who cares? It's still better than those lame-ass Super Alice movies or even that dumbass live-action Netflix series.
While RE will still have it's little downsides here and there, there's no denying that RE7 changed the franchise for the better and trust me when I say that things only got as good as that when May 7th 2021 rolled around.
Village was a game that I was really looking forward to ever since I got into Resident Evil and the direction it's taking looks like alot of fun. The cold and isolating setting, the vicious creatures, all that good shit, we were just in for a blast.
So when the game came out, it was a definite success in terms of sales with reports saying that it was one of the best-selling RE titles ever. However, in terms of critical reception, that's a different story. While most reviewers and fans seemed to enjoy the game fine, many did consider it a step down from RE7 with certain aspects of the gameplay and style being criticized. Though everybody can agree that the best thing about it was a certain tall vampire lady that we'll get to later on.
But without further ado, let's once again enter the survival horror with Resident Evil: Village.
For this game, I'm tackling the PlayStation 4 version but with a PS5 upgrade.
STORY & CHARACTERIZATION:
Set three years after the events of RE7, Ethan and Mia Winters are settling into their new home in Europe with their baby daughter, Rosemary.
One fateful night, Mia is unexpectedly mowed down by a squad led by Chris Redfield who takes both Ethan and Rose without so much as an explanation as to what's even going on. Later on, the squad vehicle that Ethan was riding in crashes and he ends up wandering into a desolate village overrun with many sorts of deadly monsters and lethal dangers around every corner.
In order to save his daughter, Ethan must once again brave through an onslaught of terrors which would then lead him to various horrifying revelations as to why any of this is happening to his family.
As established in the last entry, Ethan is not some badass soldier or a cool biker or even a rookie cop but he's more or less your everyday average joe. While on paper, that may seem like a bland idea for a Resident Evil protagonist, it was actually a refreshing change of pace for the series and a clever way to start things anew without having to hit the reboot button. It was something that we desperately needed after how RE6 pretty much Michael Bay'd this bitch.
It was rather investing to see someone like Ethan start off as just a normal nobody civilian only for the horrors he experienced in Louisiana to force him to toughen up if it meant saving his own ass and any loved ones lucky enough to survive the scenario. As RE8 begins, Ethan is looking to finally settle down and find peace with his family but while Mia is able to move on and live normally, Ethan can't help but be overly-cautious which resulted in him being accused of paranoia. So when he's forced to go through a potentially-worse mess than before, yeah, he's scared at first but as the game progresses, he eventually just stops caring anymore. Halfway through, he's no longer bothered to take shit from anyone and has grown more and more confident in himself as he continues his personal mission to save Rose and get the fuck out of dodge.
There's also the mystery regarding what the hell was Chris doing and why on Earth would he do such a thing to Ethan. Once the game begins and you see him committing such a shocking act, you're immediately invested into what made him go rogue in the first place. That being said, Chris isn't the only force you have to take into consideration as when you traverse through the titular village, you're forced to deal with it's four psychotic lords and their god/parental figure, Mother Miranda, who plan to use Rose for their own selfish and deranged gain. This quadrant of ferocious beings consist of the morbid and pathetic bog-dweller Salvatore Moreau, the maniacal and unhinged dollmaker Donna Beneviento, the charismatic but deceiving mechanic Karl Heisenberg and the obvious fan-favorite, the big mother-fucker herself, Alcina Dimitrescu. Yeah, in regards to that last one, when the game's previews were coming out and Lady D made her presence known, gamers found themselves simping for her like crazy due to her proportionate design. Love or hate the game, you can't deny that the most memorable thing about it was her and her alone, she was that popular. So it makes sense that she's been made this game's unstoppable stalker in a similar vein to Nemesis from RE3, Mr. X from RE2(mostly, the remake) and Jack Baker from RE7. However, unlike those aforementioned stalkers, Lady D cannot simply be put down no matter how hard you try as no weapon you have at your disposal seems to phase her whatsoever so your only option until the obligatory boss fight is to just keep running, don't look back and find the nearest safe room if possible.
But if you thought going through Castle Dimitrescu nearly gave you a heart attack, just wait until you get to House Beneviento for anything that lies there will fucking haunt you for the rest of your life. I'm serious when I say that those parts with the giant fetus alone automatically make this one of the scariest RE titles by far. You have been warned.
So while Ethan is a solid and relatable protagonist, the villains are the highlight due to their distinct personalities, immense fright factor and unsavory demeanor. Seriously, Miranda herself is such a clingy psychopath that she's forcing Sarah Paulson from Run to hold her beer.
So taking into account everything I've mentioned thus far, this is such a great story that not only continues and concludes Ethan's journey nicely but the suspense is gripping, parts of it are terrifying as hell, there's some shocking revelations at certain turns, it manages to competently tie things into the overall RE storyline and there's even a bit of that camp factor that the series is usually known for. It's scary, it's bittersweet, it's action-packed, there's alot to unpack and love here.
GAMEPLAY & CONTROLS:
While RE7 more or less resembles the original in terms of gameplay and structure, RE8 resembles RE4 with it's European village setting, larger-than-life encounters, merchant system and a bit more focus on action especially towards the end. But whereas RE4 was mostly linear with little-to-no backtracking, RE8 was able to retain the element of non-linear exploration with the center of the village serving as your in-between hub and certain places such as Heisenberg's Factory and Castle Dimistrescu containing multiple paths, unlockable areas and other hidden extras which will have you spending hours trying to find everything. Puzzles are back as well and are just as satisfying to solve if a bit easier than in previous games and each villain location contains a special labyrinth mini-game where, if you can find the ball that goes with it, you have to guide said ball to it's winning hole to unlock a special and very valuable treasure which you can exchange for money.
Speaking of which, in place of the Merchant from RE4, we have the Duke, an eccentric being who serves as Ethan's unofficial guide while also offering a variety of items including ammo, weapons and attachments, healing packs and more for a hefty fee. On-top of that, he also offers to upgrade your weapons if you got the cash for it and will even serve you some meals for free if you have the right ingredients such as fish, poultry and meat. Said meals will expand your health and help you take less damage when guarding, among other useful effects.
Like RE7, the game is played in a first-person perspective though recent updates have included the option to play in third-person which is a nice touch for those who can't stand FPS games and like before, it plays beautifully. Controls are tight, fighting enemies have never felt so challenging and satisfying and the mechanics carried over from previous games are just as good as ever. Like in RE4, although you have a briefcase to carry a limited number of essential items such as weapons, first aid meds and such, you also have separate menus for treasures and key items so don't worry too much about using up too much room. In regards to treasures, also like in RE4, there are certain pieces that become more valuable when combined into one classy-looking piece. With so many goodies to look for and many pathways to uncover throughout, you're bound to be busy whenever you're taking a break from the story. Also like in RE7, there are certain points where you can save your progress if you feel like there could be alot to lose in the next part and even though there is an autosave system, I prefer doing things the manual way to keep within the RE spirit.
In terms of the foes you face, besides the four lords, Miranda and that disgusting giant fetus, your main enemies consist of Lycans, werewolf-type beasts, and Moroaicǎ, vampyric ghouls. There's also mechanical mutant hybrids, flying bat-like demons, killer dolls, huge dog-like monsters, Lady D's horny-ass daughters and a discount Rubeus Hagrid carrying a fuck-off massive mallet. It's crazy to say the least.
As far as I'm concerned, I don't really have any issues with the overall design. The gameplay's cool and challenging, the boss fights are tense, the exploration is very rewarding and I just found it to be quite fun, spooky and satisfying.
In regards to any extra content after beating the base game, you can unlock a shop where you can use the points gained from completing achievements to buy extra weapons, concept art, models and so on. There's also the return of Mercenaries mode and, of course, there's the paid DLC chapter, Shadows of Rose, which serves as the chilling epilogue to the main story, a good one I might add.
GRAPHICS & PRODUCTION VALUE:
As of right now, this is probably the best-looking RE game I've played thus far. Thanks to the technical capabilities of the PlayStation 5, RE8 just looks absolutely stunning with commendable attention to detail, expansive environments, solid motion-capture work and so many neat effects. With a stable performance, pretty much non-existent load times and more, it just makes the game all the more gorgeous to look at. The miracles the RE Engine can do, man.
The big highlight of the game's graphical quality is the very beginning and ending where we're treated to segments from a storybook that pretty much mirror the events of the game and my god, it just looks fantastic. Absolutely phenomenal work.
Besides all that, the music by Shusaku Uchiyama and Nao Sato is great, the sound design is crisp as hell, the overall artistry is just spot-on, again, I really have no complaints.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Overall, Resident Evil: Village is nothing short of a masterpiece and is by far one of my favorite RE games, easily in the Top 3.
It manages to take so many elements from past titles such as the exploration and mystery from RE1 and 2, the camp value and action from RE4, 5 and 6, the utter intensity of RE1, 3 and 7 and the sheer fright factor of RE1, 2 and 7 and mix it all together into this amazing and satisfactory package. So much about it worked and was so worth putting over nine hours into. I just fucking love this game and I seriously, SERIOUSLY! highly recommend it.
Until next time, thank you for taking the time to check out this installment of GAME MODE: ON.
If you liked what you've read here and want to see more, you can go ahead and follow me whenever you want.
And also, don't forget to check out my Letterboxd page for new film reviews every week.
AFTER-NOTE: I might review another horror game before Halloween though that may depend on time and energy. That, and if I can actually beat the bloody thing.