The first half-dozen or so hours of Resident Evil Village might just be the best of the entire series. Its opening is a blend of horror, action, exploration, and puzzle-solving that pays tribute to - and frequently surpasses - its predecessors. In a more unfortunate Resident Evil tradition, Village doesn't maintain that momentum through its second half, but the highs of Capcom's rollercoaster make this a ride that's well worth taking.
Village picks up a few years after the end of Resident Evil 7. Ethan and Mia have escaped the nightmare of the Baker family and moved to eastern Europe to build a happy life for themselves and their new baby girl. But faster than you can quote John McClane in Die Hard 2, Chris Redfield shows up, kills Mia, takes off with the baby, and Ethan finds himself as the same guy to whom the same shit is happening - twice. Once again you're lost in backwoods terror, but this time, it's the gothic horror of the snowbound village and its cultish inhabitants.
Where Resident Evil 7 reimagined the fundamentals of the original through a modern, first-person horror game lens, Village does the same with Resident Evil 4. It almost feels like the RE4 remake that's been rumoured for years: there's cash to collect, weapons to upgrade, inventory Tetris to manage, a mysterious merchant to chat with, and a cast of surreal villains. Certain similarities are even more specific, such as a lake encounter with a monster fish and an unwinnable battle with an overwhelming horde of enemies, which serves as your introduction to the village.
RELATED LINKS:
Resident Evil Village is triple Steam top seller
The best Resident Evil Village settings for performance on PC
Resident Evil Village is the biggest RE launch in Steam or Twitch history