In celebration of Resident Evil’s 25th anniversary and the upcoming launch of Resident Evil Village, Capcom have unleashed a massive blowout of information on all things Resident Evil, with most of the focus being on Village. New details on the gameplay, story, its launch, and more have come to light, and here, we’re going to round up the biggest talking points that you should know about. Without further ado then, let’s get started.
STORY DETAILS
While the focus of the recent showcase of RE Village was very much on gameplay, there were plenty of bits and pieces about the story scattered throughout. For instance, we now know that the reason Ethan Winters is heading up to the wintery village and gothic castle that will serve as the game’s setting is to kidnap his daughter, and based on some glimpses shown in the trailer, it seems it was Chris Redfield who was responsible for that kidnapping.
VILLAINS
Brief details on the antagonists can also be parsed from what Capcom have shown of RE Village. It still remains to be seen how exactly Chris will fit into the whole thing, but it definitely seems like a cabal of vampiric ladies is pulling the strings here. The tall vampire lady who has caught the fancy of the RE fanbase is named Lady Dimitrescu, who has a small group of man-hunting and bug-summoning witches by her side (who’re also her daughters), and she herself seems to be acting on the orders of someone higher up in the chain of command that she calls Mother Miranda.
SETTING
Resident Evil Village is definitely going for some classic RE4 vibes in more ways than one, and that’s abundantly evident in its setting as well. We’ve known about the snowy village that Ethan’s nightmarish adventure will start off in for a while, and brief details on the castle have also been available, but Capcom have now shown the latter in much greater detail. The castle looks like a large environment ripe for exploration and some proper gothic horror scares, complete with a dungeon and torture chambers and, of course, classic RE puzzles. Whether or not you will be visiting any other locations after the village and the castle remains to be seen- we wouldn’t bet against it though.
ENEMIES
It seems Resident Evil Village is also going to address one of the biggest issues people had with Resident Evil Village, which was a lack of enemy variety- and Capcom certainly seem to be doing some bonkers things with enemies here. We’ve seen werewolf-like monstrosities in previous trailers, and now, Capcom have shown a lot more on top of that. There are shambling zombies (many of whom seem to be wielding weapons like giant swords), there’s a massive monstrosity wielding what looks like a gigantic sledgehammer, there are those aforementioned witches who can transform into (and perhaps even summon) swarms of bugs… it definitely seems like there will be plenty of horrors to go up against in the game, many of whom will demand different strategies.
MELEE COMBAT
Based on what Capcom have shown of Resident Evil Village, combat is likely going to be a larger part of the experience than it was in RE7 (though thankfully, it’s pretty clear that there’s a huge emphasis on things such as puzzles, exploration, and actual horror). One part of combat that’s seeing some improvements is the melee side of things. Guarding and blocking were a thing in Resident Evil 7 as well, but it looks like it’s going to have a bigger role to play in Village. Something that Ethan will now be able to do that he couldn’t in RE7 is pushing enemies away with a kick, which should be a useful crowd control mechanic. Based on what was shown in the recent gameplay though, it doesn’t seem like this is something Ethan can do whenever he wants, and most likely, you’ll only be able to push enemies away as a follow-up after having blocked attacks.
INVENTORY
Capcom had already shown some gameplay snippets as early as last year that made it clear that inventory management in Resident Evil Village would look a little different from your typical RE experience, and now, they’ve gone ahead and revealed more details on that. As they’ve explicitly said as well, Village is basically bringing back the inventory system of Resident Evil 4, which will see you arranging and fitting items into a grid-based box with a Tetris-style minigame. Meanwhile, crafting, which is an important part of any Resident Evil game, has also been integrated into the inventory system here, and you can expect to still be able to craft things such as bullets and health items.
THE DUKE
Another major character that Capcom have shown off from Resident Evil Village is the Duke, who will be playing the role of the merchant (hello once again, Resident Evil 4 fans). His character design is definitely interesting, to say the very least, and it certainly seems like Capcom have injected a lot of character into him to make every encounter with him memorable. Players will be encountering the Duke several times throughout the game, and will be selling supplies, ammo, and weapons, much like the merchant in RE4. You’ll also be able to sell weapons, as well as upgrade the weapons you have in your arsenal.
The Duke’s inclusion, as well as the inclusion of the RE4-style inventory system, does raise some interesting questions. It seems like Village is going to handle weapons a lot like RE4 did, in that you’ll be purchasing them from the shopkeeper rather than finding them as permanent items out in the game’s world itself- though then again, we did see a brief glimpse of Ethan finding a rifle in a castle area, so maybe it’ll be a mix of both? Either way, with the inventory and the Duke combined, it definitely seems like weapons are going to be somewhat more disposable than they traditionally tend to be in RE games.
DEMO
Capcom is one of the few remaining major companies that still does traditional demos, and Resident Evil games in particular always seem to get one, so it’s no surprise that a demo for RE Village has been announced as well. The “Maiden” demo is exclusive to the PS5, and it’s out now. It is separate from the main game’s story, and sees you stepping into the shoes of the titular maiden as she attempts to escape from the castle that Ethan will also be traversing later on in the main game. The demo has no combat whatsoever, with a complete focus on exploration and puzzles, and you can expect to spot connections to it in the main game when you play it later. Finally, the demo features support for ray-tracing and 3D audio.
Additionally, though the Maiden demo is exclusive to PS5, PC and Xbox players need not worry about being left out. Capcom have confirmed that a second separate demo will be releasing for all platforms this Spring, though details on that are yet to be shared.
EDITIONS
As you might expect, those purchasing Resident Evil Village will have options for several different editions to choose from. There’s the Deluxe Edition, which will include in-game items (like the iconic Samurai’s Edge), as well as the option to replace in-game elements with elements from RE7 (such as the safe room music, and the save typewriters being replaced by tape recorders). Then there’s the Collector’s Edition, which, in additional to all the Deluxe Edition content, will have a steelbook case, a poster, an artbook, a figure of Chris Redfield, and will come in a massive box.
Meanwhile, Capcom will also be selling a bundle that will include both Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village, for those who want to dive into the 2017 title before jumping into its sequel. Finally, anyone who purchases Resident Evil Village (regardless of which edition you’re getting) will also get free access to the recently announced multiplayer title, Resident Evil Re:Verse.
LAUNCH
One of the most crucial pieces of info coming out of the Resident Evil Showcase was, of course, RE Village’s release date- so when exactly is it launching? There isn’t long left- Resident Evil Village is out on May 7. Additionally, while previously it was only announced for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, Capcom have now confirmed that the horror title will also be coming to PS4 and Xbox One.