Resident Evil turns 25 this year, and Capcom is celebrating this by, among other things, launching the eighth numbered game in the series: Resident Evil Village. This is a direct sequel to Resident Evil 7, and once again we follow Ethan Winters on spooky cruises around the world. This time the trip goes from swamps in Louisiana to Gothic castles and ugly villages in the heart of Romania, and there is a change of pace that seems to make up for the slightly pale surroundings of its predecessor.
This week the developers showed off proper gameplay from the game for the very first time, and on that occasion they also released an exclusive demo on PlayStation 5.
Like the demos for Resident Evil 7, this fragment will not appear in the final game, and the demo is therefore instead considered a kind of prologue. Here we get an exciting insight into the soundscape, graphics and the general atmosphere we have in store, and jaggu it will not be really spooky this time either.
Girl going astray
Maiden is the name of the demo, which makes it natural to think that we are playing as an innocent girl in this little tab of Resident Evil Village. This means that we not has access to the wealth of equipment Ethan Winters will undoubtedly pick up on a trip around Romania, but instead will have to rely solely on cunning and puzzle solving.
The demonstration is with it more Amnesia: The Dark Descent than typical Resident Evil, but there are also several small and large grips along the way that leave little doubt as to which game series this really is.
The experience kicks off as we wake up in a dark dungeon with a letter in the lantern: “To whoever is trying to escape this place.” The letter is written down in a hurry, and there is a clear desperation in the handwriting that tentatively gives us hints on how to get out. The cell door is locked, and the overwhelming darkness and rustling that fills the corridor outside means that this is actually perfectly fine.
The game has the same hyper-realistic style as Resident Evil 7, which means that you instantly live into the experience. Every brick in the little cell shines slickly in the little light our figure gives off; ragged pieces of cloth hang limply from the edge of an uncomfortably realistic sleeper; and the gaze is naturally drawn to a small but significant hole in the wall that marks the way forward.
A hint about the experience you have in store.
The surroundings are neatly designed, with just enough points and hints in each small room to constantly lead you further into the labyrinth. Along the way, for example, one stumbles upon a corpse which on later inspection turns out to have an invaluable bolt cutters lurking, while further into the castle one can use clues from the very first letter to find the way forward.
Impressive horror
Nothing in the Maiden demo is particularly extensive or difficult, but still requires just enough of the player that it does not quite feel like going on autopilot. This is perhaps to be expected, as the developers have been clear that this is more than just a visual “showcase” – a loose taste that will give a hint about the experience you have in store.
In this way, the demonstration succeeds, because it becomes almost immediately clear that this is an audiovisual experience of the rare. The game uses the ever-impressive RE Engine, and the transition to a new console generation makes the visual bite even clearer than before. The transitions between dark and light are extremely striking, and the richness of detail in the unique rooms you stumble across on the way through the castle is very good.
The sound is also incredibly solid, with regular drops of squeaking, clinking, growling and even regular talking that constantly reminds you that you are not alone. This helps to make the demo just as spooky as it needs to be, although I would rather have seen that we got even a little more to hone in on the meager 20 minutes it takes to complete Maiden.
You are not alone.
I also hope that the puzzles and exploration in the final game will be of a far more challenging caliber. The number of locked doors in this small part of the castle indicates that there are many more areas to comb in search of keys while hiding from nasty monsters and caressing vampire ladies, and I am very much looking forward to the sequel.
Conclusion
Resident Evil Village is an undeniably exciting game, and if we are to take as our starting point what the Maiden demo serves, this could quickly become one of the most evocative horror games ever. The developers achieve this thanks to the exceptional use of light, dark and delicious surround sound, and the overall impression is something that really makes it go cold down the back.
How all this looks when you go from helpless girl to armed Resident Evil hero is of course not good to say, but the hope is that Capcom manages to find a perfect balance between horror, action and puzzle solving.
With a larger area to explore, increased focus on “crafting” and enemies that look far more fierce than before, there is always a danger that the game may become for actionpreget.
With that in mind, there are already several who have compared what they have seen with the intense and nerve-wracking tours in Resident Evil 4, and there is hardly any bad comparison. Throw in a solid dose of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and you may get a horror game from the rare.
Resident Evil Village launches on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (tested), Xbox One, Xbox Series X and PC on May 7th. The Maiden demo is available for free on PlayStation 5 now.
– .
