Last week, Capcom hosted a Resident Evil showcase event that gave a clearer picture of what fans should expect from Resident Evil: Village and the Resident Evil franchise as it celebrates its 25th anniversary. During the half-hour presentation, Capcom unveiled a detailed look at Resident Evil: Village's gameplay, the characters that players will encounter, and the game's story as a whole.
Most importantly, Capcom also announced Resident Evil: Village's release date, which falls on May 7th, 2021, and the studio also confirmed that the game would launch on the PS4 and Xbox One alongside the PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. Now, for players who may have missed everything announced during the event, here are all the latest details that players should know before the launch of Resident Evil: Village.
Ethan Winters' Story
Capcom has already hinted that Resident Evil: Village will see Ethan Winters' return as the game's protagonist even before last week's event. However, during the showcase presentation, it was unveiled in one of the latest trailers that Ethan is back in action due to his missing daughter, who appears to have been taken by Chris Redfield. It remains unclear why Chris decided to take Ethan's daughter, but several scenes from the latest trailer saw the popular vampire lady named Lady Dimitrescu talking about a ceremony.
In Resident Evil: Village, Ethan Winters must make his way from the surrounding village, the game's primary setting, to a spooky castle where Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters reside. Like Resident Evil 7, where players first met Ethan, Resident Evil: Village is played from a first-person view, suggesting that the days of the third-person, over-the-shoulder perspective are long gone for the Resident Evil franchise.
The Return of The Merchant
Another important detail that was unveiled in Resident Evil: Village is the return of the merchant. It is worth noting that Capcom first introduced the merchant in Resident Evil 4, but the one players will encounter in Resident Evil: Village is not the same character. Like Resident Evil 4, the merchant in Resident Evil: Village named The Duke will sell players various wares from weapons to healing items.
During the showcase event, Capcom also talked about the inventory system in Resident Evil: Village and how its interface is similar to Resident Evil 4. Additionally, Capcom also revealed that players would be given the ability to craft items in Resident Evil: Village from First Aid and ammo, a mechanic that veteran players of the franchise should be familiar with.
Resident Evil Village Combat Mechanics
As far as combat is concerned, the latest gameplay preview and demo of Resident Evil: Village confirmed that the upcoming game's combat would be similar to that of Resident Evil 7. Additionally, Ethan Winters now has a block move that can sway away attacks from enemies. Players will also be able to kick away monsters if they get too close to evade attacks. Given that Resident Evil: Village is a survival horror game, players should expect that ammo will be limited, which is why having a block attack that would prove to be a useful feature allowing them to escape enemies easily.
Throughout the village and other locations that players will explore in Resident Evil: Village, the developers also placed several special objects such as red barrels to help players kill multiple enemies at once. Overall, Resident Evil: Village aims to bring the tense survival horror experience that players have been accustomed to in Resident Evil 7 and previous entries in the Resident Evil franchise.
Resident Evil: Village launches May 7, 20201, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.