Resident Evil Village is like a hodgepodge of past game ideas. On its surface, it does seem to look a lot like the previous game, Resident Evil VII. Ethan’s back as the protagonist and its in a first-person perspective. It also draws from the recent remakes like Resident Evil 2 with its map presentation; for example, rooms that still have items in them will be red and turn blue once cleared as an example

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The biggest influence, though, seems to come from from what is considered the best in the series: Resident Evil 4. The new game features a merchant, as well as barricades to block attackers. It's even set in a vague European area. Does drawing from the best games make this game great too? Or does it have flaws of its own? 

10 Best: Metal Gear Level Characters

resident evil village cover art

One early scene in the game plays out sort of like an introduction of the evil characters. This is reminiscent of scenes from past Metal Gear games, a series known for its wacky characters.

Resident Evil is also known for its unique characters, but this game really takes the cake with its new personalities. Overall, it’s a great cast of rogues that is sure to captivate players.

9 Worst: Boss Fights

Resident Evil Village gameplay screenshot

What doesn’t feel like Metal Gear, though, are the boss fights themselves. While there will be strategy involved, most play out pretty simply, like most games in the series. Some feature epic spectacles like the fight with Lady Dimitrescu, but even that one boils down to shooting her dozens of times.

Village's boss fights aren't the worst in the series, and there are exceptions among the basic ones. Still, most players hoped for more after such a great introduction to these boss characters. 

8 Best: The Village Itself

Resident Evil Village gameplay screenshot

With a name like Resident Evil Village, players would hope it would live up to its titular name. Thankfully, the village is indeed a fantastic setting. It feels like Resident Evil 4’s village, but bigger and better.

The setting is not quite open-world, but it certainly is more in line with the recent remakes in this classic series. The village itself is like a character, and every time the player goes back, there is bound to be something new for them to find.

7 Worst: Not A Graphical Push

Resident Evil Village gameplay screenshot

Resident Evil VII, at times, made players question whether or not they were playing a game or watching a movie. The graphics were incredibly impactful on last-gen systems. This game looks as good as that but not much better, even on PS5.

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This is probably at least in part because Capcom had to design the game on both the new and old systems. If it has to run on old hardware, the new version then can’t be too far ahead on technology.

6 Best: Runs Great

Resident Evil Village gameplay screenshot

The graphics may not be pushing the new hardware, but there are perks to the PS5 version. The performance is outstanding with HDR enabled, on top of a fairly steady frame rate.

The best parts, though, are the load times. Players could blink and miss a load, whether it's from just starting the game from the home screen, or loading into new areas.

5 Worst: Long Spreads Between Saves

Resident Evil Village gameplay screenshot

There are two ways to save in Resident Evil Village. Firstly, typewriters return as the standard for the series. Secondly, the game will randomly autosave.

The downside to this is that these hard saves points are far and few between. While the autosave could mark progress, it’s hard to tell when it does, this making it unclear if it safe to log off. If players want to manually save, they'd better get used to backtracking a lot. 

4 Best: Sound Design

Resident Evil Village gameplay screenshot

From Resident Evil VII to the recent remakes in the series to this game, Capcom has always nailed their sound design. To truly appreciate this mastery, headphones or surround sound are a must.

Whatever way works best, do it. Using either of these methods will help create ambience for one’s gaming pleasure as well as assist players out on enemy movement. And be ready to scream — the sound design only adds to the scare factor.

3 Worst: Photo Mode

Resident Evil Village gameplay screenshot

It’s hard to top a game like Ghost of Tsushima when it comes to photo modes. Their implementation was at an impossible standard, and games have been trying to replicate it ever since.

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While it is nice to see more games like this one include the option, Village's photo mode doesn't have the most robust set of features. On top of that Capcom, put a big old watermark on these images, which is always aggravating to see.  

2 Best: The Merchant

Resident Evil Village gameplay screenshot

The merchant makes his triumphant return to the series, although The Duke isn’t the same character. Players can easily confirm this, because he mentions the Resident Evil 4 guy as a friend.

While The Duke could have been included with the rogues gallery, he’s more of a gray area character. Furthermore, he stands out enough to be worthy of his own slot on this list, because everything he says is worth remembering.

1 Worst: Ethan 

Resident Evil Village gameplay screenshot

The same cannot be said about Ethan. Just like Resident Evil VII, he doesn’t say much throughout the game. Some big problems with him carried over, including his non-reactions to things that should make him show emotion.

Ethan doesn’t have to be Nathan Drake, but he needs more than what is here. Additionally, not being able to see him prevents the player from really getting to know him, as opposed to the standard third-person perspective in the series. It’s a major disconnect. He does have his moments, but overall, this guy is as milquetoast as they come. 

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