Resident Evil: Requiem is one of the most anticipated games of the year. And with the long-awaited ninth mainline Resident Evil game just weeks away, what better way to prepare for its release than revisiting the last game in the series, which just dropped on PlayStation Plus.
Resident Evil Village is the immediate follow-up to the series’ soft reboot. It follows Resident Evil 7 protagonist Ethan Winters after he’s safely brought his wife back to safety from the Baker family. At the start of this new adventure, Ethan’s wife is brutally murdered by a team of tactical soldiers led by series protagonist Chris Redfield. Ethan and his six-month-old daughter are then inexplicably kidnapped from their home.
En route to wherever this group was taking them, Ethan’s captors were intercepted by a nefarious force that whisked Baby Winters away to another location. It leads Ethan to a nearby village in search of his baby, meeting all manner of twisted entities along the way.
Resident Evil Village is the perfect mix of creepy tension that the early Resident Evil games are known for, and the over-the-top action of the more ridiculous and fun titles are known for. It retains the first-person perspective of the seventh game, giving you an up-close look at the terrors before you.
But unlike Ethan’s first rodeo, he seems much more capable this time around. Ammo is plentiful, and firepower packs a much bigger punch. In the same way Resident Evil 5 escalated many of the same scenarios from Resident Evil 4, Village is a more action-packed take on Resident Evil 7’s slow burn. If you’re someone who’s stayed away from the series because of how scary it can be, Village may be a perfect entry point for the series. You’ll still have a few jump scares to contend with. But you’ll be prepared to defend yourself most of the time.
As fun as it can be to fight werewolves and other monsters, it's not what makes Village such a fun ride. The true standouts are the game’s four bosses, each of which rules over a portion of this ancient village. The iconic Lady Dimitrescu has become a meme for being both an undeniably charismatic diva and an imposing force of evil. But she and her vampiric daughters are just one part of an ensemble rogue's gallery.
The doll-obsessed Donna Beneviento adds a perfectly executed new trick to Resident Evil’s typical bag of horror tropes. The brute strength of the genius mechanic Karl Heisenberg makes for a formidable threat. And the grotesque Salvatore Moreau turns the typical water boss found in older Resident Evil games on its head. It’s a strong cast of villains who each get a respectable chunk of the game’s runtime dedicated to their special brand of horror.
Village is less terrifying than Resident Evil 7 overall. But it still has its fair share of memorable setpieces that feel like they were carried over from the previous game. The aforementioned Beneviento section of the game will be a test for those who couldn’t vibe with the Chuckie movies. Having to reassemble a mannequin in the darkness of an underground chamber will make you sick to your stomach with dread. And the torturous “Baby” setpiece is easily one of the most effective scares in the entire series.
As far as we know so far, Resident Evil Requiem won’t have any direct ties to Resident Evil Village. But in terms of tone, it's sure to be the perfect prelude to what awaits fans upon their return to Raccoon City next month. Village is a fantastic survival horror game worth playing through ahead of the series latest game, and a great addition to PlayStation Plus’ library of free games.
