Resident Evil has evolved ferociously in the last 25 years, often taking inspiration from other popular franchises in the world. Resident Evil games have never been one thing or the other. They try to be many things at a time, and while sometimes it works well, other times they end up feeling lopsided. Resident Evil Village doesn't stray far from its roots either. It embraces all the good and the bad elements of the previous Resident Evil games, making Village, in many ways, a flawed but promising entry in the franchise.

Resident Evil games have often tried to modernize things up though it hasn't always worked out well in the past. Resident Evil is triumphant when it is Resident Evil, and this latest installment does exactly that. However, the road to Resident Evil Village was a turbulent one, and it took Capcom quite a while to regain its footing and release a Resident Evil game that appeals to both the series' long-term fans and the oblivious newcomers.

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Learning from Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6

The unprecedented critical success of Resident Evil 4 meant that Capcom was willing to dive deeper into the action-driven horror space with subsequent entries. Ditching the frantic survival horror structure of past Resident Evil games, Capcom made Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6 much more action-packed.

Resident Evil games have always been quirky, but RE 6 took that to a whole different level. On the other hand, Resident Evil 5 introduced co-op to the mainline series, which many felt was an interesting addition. Moreover, it offered some unique enemies that were surprisingly aggressive compared to the traditional infected from past games.

However, both these games lacked the essence of a true Resident Evil game and suffered from an undeniable identity crisis that prevented them from being the evolution Resident Evil needed. Resident Evil 6 had underwhelming reception, and it failed to meet Capcom's projected sales, meaning that the company had to rethink its approach to making future RE games.

Learning from Resident Evil: Revelations 1 and Resident Evil: Revelations 2

The true essence of horror in Resident Evil games has always come from navigating narrow labyrinth-like structures while waiting for grotesque monsters to pop up on the next corner. The tension of navigating these intricately designed arenas while keeping an eye on the ammo count is integral to Resident Evil, and the spin-off titles like Resident Evil: Revelations 1 & 2 managed to capture this feeling to quite some extent.

However, the Revelations titles feel restrained due to their low development budget compared to the mainline RE games. Resident Evil: Revelations 2 delivers some nail-biting moments, complete with an intriguing storyline and unique enemies never before seen in a RE game. However, its dated level design and dull environments rob it from being a great Resident Evil game. Moreover, Resident Evil: Revelations 1 and Resident Evil: Revelations 2 are not very accessible to newcomers. They shove players into the shoes of veteran characters and do very little in explaining who they are, making it hard for these players to really connect with the game. In the end, the Revelations series feels like a half-baked attempt with too many imposing restrictions.

Learning From the Experimental But Overly Conscious Resident Evil 7

2017's Resident Evil 7 was a turning point for the Resident Evil franchise. Not only did it reinvent the series in meaningful ways, but it also became an entry point for new players. Being a spiritual successor to the first Resident Evil, Resident Evil 7 not only brought the exhilarating tension of prior Resident Evil games, brimming with terrifying encounters, scarce ammunition, and labyrinth level design, but it also introduced the franchise to different subgenres of horror.

All of this made Resident Evil 7 a surprising new survival horror game injected with the DNA of past Resident Evil games. However, this experimental new Resident Evil 7 7, coated with next-gen visuals, and a first-person perspective, was overly conscious of itself at times. Resident Evil 7 had an uncanny resemblance to P.T. and some felt as though it was almost too grim for a Resident Evil game, which isn't exactly the reputation the series has made for itself over the years. The game also lacked enemy variety, which made some of the later encounters redundant. Moreover, it featured an incredibly short campaign for modern standards.

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Leaving No Stones Unturned For Resident Evil Village

resident evil showcase april 2021

Resident Evil Village isn't just a spiritual successor to the iconic Resident Evil 4. RE Village callbacks to RE 4 on multiple occasions, however, the biggest and most important thing it retains from RE 4 is its confidence. RE 4 was bold, bombastic, grounded, and revolutionary for its time, and while Resident Evil Village doesn't surpass the success of that game, it comes close to realizing what made it so special.

Resident Evil Village is an exemplary example of a true modern Resident Evil game. It offers plenty of frantic and unique enemy encounters. It offers a balance of exploration between bizarre labyrinth areas and open spaces. It retains the quirkiness and bombastic yet hilarious set pieces of action-packed Resident Evil games, full of cheesy oneliners. It has nail-biting boss encounters that are some of the series' best. At one point, it slows does things and becomes a paranormal horror experience full of memorable jump scares. It also has a surprisingly humane touch which the series never had. Ethan Winters isn't necessarily the most well-written character in video games, but he does react to the in-game's happenings, more so than past Resident Evil protagonists.

Resident Evil Village also puts a new spin on the subgenre of horrors it introduced in Resident Evil 7. RE Village feels like a true gothic horror experience full of bloodthirsty vampires, savage werewolves, and astonishing Frankenstein-like monsters. It's also a meatier package than Resident Evil 7 but doesn't overstay its welcome like the 20 hours long campaign of Resident Evil 6. All this doesn't necessarily make Resident Evil Village the best Resident Evil game, but it makes it the most confident one that isn't shy to embrace both the good and bad of the series' long-lived legacy while boldly implementing new ideas to modernize the Resident Evil formula.

The future of Resident Evil never seemed as promising as it does now. The series seems to be headed in the right direction, and fans are curious to know what happens next. Given the game's ending, Resident Evil 9 could look a lot like Parasite Eve, or it could be inspired by some other subgenre of horror. Either way, fans have to wait and see what Capcom has in store for future installments.

Resident Evil Village is now available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S.

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