Hi all!

Today I am sharing my experience playing Resident Evil Village for the first time. I’m currently working my way through all the modern games, including the remakes. Eventually, I will rank them all. I have been a big fan of this franchise for years; having seen many a playthrough on YouTube. However, I had never played them myself. I decided to start with Village because not only is it one of my favourites, it felt like a good way to ease myself into the horror. I played it on casual mode (amateur gamer here!) and these are my thoughts. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

The Story

We follow Ethan Winters, who, years after the Baker house incident (Resident Evil Biohazard), lives with his wife Mia and daughter Rose. One evening, Mia is killed by Chris Redfield and Rose is kidnapped. From there, Ethan is thrust into a terrifying, snowy European village, ruled by Mother Miranda and her four mutant lords. Ethan must defeat the villains one by one, in order to rescue his daughter.

Village reminds me of Kill Bill (one of my favourite movies of all time). Ethan has a list of names and he’s not stopping until he exacts revenge on all of them. The game itself has an excellent and captivating story. Not to mention, it might have the best setting of all the Resident Evil games.

Casual Mode/Gameplay

Casual mode may seem like a cop-out but the challenges were consistent with the other levels of difficulty. I still had to fight all of the same monsters/villains/bosses etc. What made it easier were the resources. I had a lot more access to ammo, herbs, lei (the game’s currency) and items to sell. My weapons also had more firepower. It took less time and effort to take down an enemy than it normally would. Don’t get me wrong, I still died. However, the deaths were few and far between – especially once I began to get the hang of it.

Additionally, I loved the re-emergence of The Merchant (Resident Evil 4). He may be different in appearance (and be called The Duke) but he’s definitely an homage to the one that came before. Instead of having a storage box in this instalment, you can sell/buy your items back from him – if you’ve no room in your inventory. He will even cook if you harvest certain animal ingredients. For a man of his size, he sure does love popping up in random places!

Castle Dimitrescu

There has always been something off about the structure of Resident Evil Village. I think we can all agree Castle Dimitrescu is the best part. So why put it first? If the adage is true – save the best till last – why did the developers get it out of the way so quickly? By the time you reach Heisenberg’s Factory (more on that later), things start to feel a little stagnant. If it were up to me, this is how I would’ve ordered the villains: 1.) House Beneviento, 2.) Moureau’s Reservoir, 3.) Heisenberg’s Factory and 4.) Castle Dimitrescu. Everything else could remain the same, bar the level of difficulty. Lady Dimitrescu would be the hardest boss battle, not the easiest. She is, after all, the most iconic and recognisable villain from this instalment.

Having said all that, this was by far, the most fun I had in the game. I had a blast exploring the castle’s many rooms and hidden chambers, running away from the three vampiric daughters, solving puzzles to advance and of course, fighting Lady Dimitrescu’s final form. For anyone interested in playing, the castle may seem vast at first but the game is pretty linear. Typically, there is only one way to go. Make sure you look everywhere, because there will be items you need in order to access different sections of the grounds. I also recommend sticking to the map. It will show items you may have missed and areas you haven’t fully searched yet.

House Beneviento

There are a few reasons why I believe House Beneviento should’ve been first. 1.) It has zero combat. You actually don’t have to fight a single person/creature. What better way to ease into the game? 2.) It is puzzle heavy. You will get a real feel for solving classic Resident Evil problems and 3.) It is the scariest part of Resident Evil Village. Imagine kicking things off with a gigantic mutated baby chasing you through a dark house? That was a real missed opportunity. I was prepared for this level (having seen several playthroughs before) but that did not remove the terror. At one point, I ran into a dead end and nearly had a heart attack trying to backtrack so the baby wouldn’t get me. Back on the first floor, I really struggled to find Angie (doll pictured below) the second time. It took me so long, her other dolls attacked me. I had actually never seen that happen before.

House Beneviento is such a highlight of the game. It has the best horror and building of tension/dread. It’s lucky I love creepy dolls so much!

Moreau’s Reservoir

Ahh Salvatore Moreau – a creature with a chip on his shoulder (literally!). His storyline is that he’s the butt of the joke amongst the four lords. He just wants to prove himself and by the end, he does! Believe it or not, I died the most during his section. There’s a part where he turns into a giant fish. To advance, you must traverse the vast reservoir without being eaten. I was ambushed by the slippery sucker far too many times! Moreau would’ve been a great second villain to pursue. As mentioned above, House Beneviento has zero combat. Moreau has just the right amount. There are lycans to kill, plus one final boss battle – which isn’t that difficult. The setting is a standout and the puzzles, pretty fun. It’s not my favourite level of the game but I enjoyed it a lot more when I was the one playing.

Moreau’s Reservoir will test your speed and ability to think on your feet.

Heisenberg’s Factory

Heisenberg’s Factory is not overly beloved by the fandom. I stand by the fact that it’s because his level shouldn’t have been last. Third place, with Castle Dimitrescu to follow, would have been perfect. He is a great villain, don’t get me wrong. I would say of the four lords, he’s the most brutal. The voice acting is top tier. However, the factory doesn’t have quite the same impact. It feels so different compared to the other sections of Village. As expected, it is significantly more challenging than the previous levels. There are two boss battles, plus a new wave of robotic creatures that are meant to be taken down via explosives. To be honest, I wasn’t a big fan of the puzzles either. You need to melt metal into various cogs, keys and inserts. I wish it had been a little more creative but that’s a minor gripe. Fighting Heisenberg as a machine at the end was quite simple on casual mode. Still, I enjoyed getting to race around in my jacked-up vehicle!

This is one of those situations where I feel like the villain is more iconic than their designated level.

Mother Miranda

Last, but not least, we have Mother Miranda: the final boss. Let’s start off with the positives. I love the look of her. She’s very unhinged and formidable as the main villain of Resident Evil Village. As expected, there are stages to beating her. I really liked the part where it goes dark. You can practically hear her whispering in your ear as you strafe away. She’s fast, so you should be moving at all times. As for the negatives, I actually found the journey to her lair more harrowing than the battle itself. Again, I was playing on casual mode, so that’s probably why. When she fell, I was kind of surprised it was over. I was expecting a lot more. It would’ve been great to see a massive transformation, similar to Moreau’s (see above). We didn’t really end with a bang but she’s a far better end fight than the one in Biohazard.

Overall, Resident Evil Village gets an 8.5/10 total score. It’s fun, replayable, terrifying and exciting.

Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know your experience playing Resident Evil Village. I will be back very soon with my review/breakdown of Requiem.

Peace & Love xoxo