#4. CASTLE DIMITRESCU
Castle Dimitrescu is classic Resident Evil in all the ways that you’d expect. It’s labyrinthine, multi-layered design and lock-and-key progression call back to the RPD, its grand architecture feels strongly reminiscent of the Spencer mansion, there’s more than a few puzzles that are straight from the Resident Evil playbook, its zombie-like enemies wielding swords and maces and the flying gargoyle creatures make for the kind of slow, palpable horror combat encounters the series is known for. With an underground section, its sizeable interiors, and then the roofs, the castle not only sports variety within its framework, it’s also a joy to explore, with its nooks and crannies hiding treasures, notes, and more to reward your curiosity. Lady Dimitrescu also functions as a stalker enemy for a big part of the section, and that, combined with excellent mini boss-fights against her daughters and a spectacular boss fight against Lady Dimitrescu herself, elevates the location to entirely new heights. Sure, we would have maybe wanted Lady Dimitrescu to be more of a menacing threat as a stalker enemy – she’s no Mr. X – but that’s a minor and easily ignorable blemish in an otherwise excellent location.
