For a survival horror game, Resident Evil Village really isn’t that scary. It’s unsettling, with select sections proving to be absolutely terrifying despite their brevity, but when you break things down, this is a first-person shooter with horror elements. Perhaps I’m a brave big girl gamer, but a specific moment that my fellow journalists are hyping up as the scariest moment in series’ history really ꦓisn't that bad. It’s a chase sequence in the dark that is too campy to take seriously, and is over far too quickly to have a lasting impact. It’s a strong encounter, but its brief nature only serves to highlight what Resident Evil Village could have done so much better.
After stumbling through the dark before arriving at the titular village, a gun is immediately placed into your hands and Ethan Winters feels like a force to be recko꧂ned with. So long as your aim isn’t the worst in the world, headshots can be pulled off to down enemies with a handful of bullets. If this doesn’t work, simply run away or try your best to dodge and absorb whatever damage is thrown at you. Compared to Resident Evil 7, Village fee💝ls like a playful jaunt in the survival horror genre, its lighter colour palette only further reinforcing this lack of meaningful scares. I wish it did more, since the cracks begin to show when combat becomes the primary focus.
Capcom said in a that its decision to lessen the scares was a deliberate one, taking on fan feedback relating to the previous game being a little too overwhelming. I can admire its willingness to make players feel more comfortable, but it also takes away from the series’ core identity. Village doesn’t even resort to jumpscares to occasionally throw off your guard, and its locations shift far too often for any sense of foreboding atmosphere to make itself apparent. I probably sound like I’m ragging on the game, but I think it’s great, and I say as much in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:my review. But as a lifelong fan of the property, I can’t help but feelꩵ it’s moving in the wrong direction.
Village is intended aꦓs a spiritual successor to Resident Evil 4, combining the mechanics and structure of the seminal masterpiece with the first-person perspective first introduced with Resident Evil 4. It’s a compelling mixture, yet it ultimately gives way to an experience that focuses on frantic gunplay and goofy boss battles far more than it does traditional horror. The Baker Estate in the previous game was a sprawling, swampy nightmare with no conceivable escape. Ethan was locked inside with a twisted family intent on killing him, and for the opening hours, defending yourself was a challenge in and of itself. I wanted to run away, the claustrophobic nature of the homely corridors making it impossible to produce space between me and my adversaries.
This aura of helplessness is nowhere to be seen in Village, and it suffers for its absence. Resident Evil 7 was only scarcely connected to the series’ lore, through Umbrella and iconic characters like Chris Redfield. As a result, it was able to lean heavily into other influences, with the horror spread throughout be✤ing reminiscent of The Blair Witch Project and Saw. It was able to distance itself from the silly dialogue and over-the-top personalities that have long defined the series and create something different. But now, as it moves closer into the established mythos, it begins to adopt the same qualities that have often held Resident Evil back from being the horror juggernaut it should rightfully be.
I won’t spoil the game’s ending, but wherever this trilogy ventures next will likely capitalise on this action even further, with all of the remaining characters either expertly trained in firearms, military tactician, or straight up having supernatural powers. Vulnerability doesn’t seem to matter anymore, which is the key to success when it comes to survival horror. You need to feel like you’re in danger, like the only way to survive is by either running away or fighting un💯til your very last breath. Without this desperation, horror gives way to apathy, and things that are meant to frighten crumble into bursts✨ of hilarity. Resident Evil Village is a great game, but I struggle to call it a scary one.
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