By Tyrese Blue
Resident Evil has become one of the most talked about and trending games of the year by far, due to its new approach to the franchise.
Many fans were not pleased with the 2012 release of “Resident Evil 6” and some even claimed “the series lost its way.” Due to its failure, Capcom had to rethink how it could redeem the Resident Evil franchise.
Fortunately, the release of “Resident Evil 7: Biohazard” five years later revealed a completely different approach: First person gameplay set almost entirely in a derelict estate in Louisiana.
“Biohazard” leads to the events in the franchise’s newest release, “Resident Evil: Village,” which takes place three years later.
The game is set somewhere in Eastern Europe, which can be assumed to be Transylvania, Romania.
Protagonist Ethan Winters relocates to Eastern Europe with his wife Mia and infant daughter Rosemary while under the protection of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSSA), an international anti-terriosm group sanctioned by the United Nations.
Mia is seemingly shot and killed while having dinner by BBSA member Chris Redfield’s squad. Chris is also a returning character who appeared in the first installment of the franchise. His squad takes Rosemary as Ethan gets thumped on the head and blacks out.
Ethan then wakes up in a destroyed truck and finds his way to a rundown village resembling the late 19th century — all the while in distress over not knowing his daughter’s whereabouts and believing his wife was killed. He then discovers werewolf-like creatures have overrun the village and the survivors he encounters eventually all die.
He is once again kidnapped and wakes up in Dimitrescu Castle, where he is surrounded by four mutant lords: Alicina Dimitrescu, Donna Beneviento, Salvatore Moreau, Karl Heisengerg and their cult leader Mother Miranda. Ethan escapes and eventually finds out that they’re keeping his daughter captive in order to use her as the vessel to resurrect Lady Miranda’s late daughter Eva by using the substance known as the Mold.
Mold is a fungal superorganism that plays a huge role in the game’s plot. It causes humans and organisms that come in contact with it to mutate and gain abilities such as regeneration. It can also store DNA and the consciousness of people as well.
Miranda dismembers and crystallizes Rose’s body and each body part is given to the four lords. She does this because she knows Rose has special abilities and is still alive despite being dismembered. This is the reason she believes Rose is the perfect vessel for her daughter.
Therefore, the main objective of the game is to save Ethan’s daughter by collecting all of her body parts from the four lords by defeating them and putting her back together before Miranda performs the ceremony to resurrect her daughter Eva.
“Village” is more action-focused than its previous installment and is even comparable to “Resident Evil 4” — a telling comparison, as the fourth game is considered by many fans to be the franchise’s best.
The game’s horror elements, creatures and plot seemingly resemble “Silent Hill,” another popular Japanese game franchise. This is seen when playing in the haunted home of Lord Donna Beneviento, who controls creepy looking dolls.
If that is not alarming enough, Ethan encounters what is often described by fans as a “mutated giant baby fetus monster.” Without having any use of weapons, it will inevitably swallow you whole if you don’t find a way to escape. Many fans were horrified by this monster, including myself when I first came across it. I wasn’t expecting something so creepy and it caught me off guard. I panicked.
If you’re searching for a thrilling game that will keep you on your toes and heart racing, this game will not disappoint. “Resident Evil 8: Village” is a pleasure for both veteran and novice fans of the franchise alike.
