Preview Resident Evil Village - All to be a great game

Resident Evil Village is coming. With exactly 11 days left for the title's release, the hype of the fans grows every moment. With demos, trailers and a lot of content revealed to the public, Capcom knew how to increase the hype around its big release of 2021.

Continuing the story of Ethan Winters, after the terrible events at the Bakers' house, Resident Evil Village will deliver new elements, but will have much of the essence of the franchise, including being a title full of features known to RE 4 fans. starring Leon S. Kennedy is not hidden by those responsible for Village, so there is even a desire to make this fact evident.

In this article, we'll talk about what we expect from Village. After playing the demos, we got a good idea of ​​what's to come and we want to get you ready for anything too!

The fact is, with what we've seen so far, Resident Evil Village could come out strong in the GOTY race.

the village

The 30-minute demo released on April 17th showed the village of Capcom's new title up close. With only one part available for exploration, the environment has already proved to be extremely dark and melancholy, perfectly serving the atmosphere of tension and dread that the game wants to convey.

The first house that appears in the player's view is already present at the beginning of the demo. The interesting thing is that even with a few minutes - or seconds - of gameplay, entering this house already becomes a little frightening, due to the excellent job of the game in delivering this heavy and intimidating mood.

Inside the house, we find what appears to be the stage of a ritual. On the floor there is a fetus drawn with chalk, with candles around it, further on we have an altar with the image of Mother Miranda. This is another positive point of the demo, which in a short time is able to explain, without any effort, that there is a devotion to the still mysterious character. In addition, everything sinister about this small house also adds to the atmosphere of tension. In this way, the game proves to know how to use its elements to explain the universe that the player is inserted in as the fear becomes a constant and natural feeling.

With the first house and other structures present in the demo, such as a small chapel that shows images of each representative of the families in the game, the feeling that remains is very positive. It must be extremely interesting to explore the village in the full version of the title, since the tension will certainly be even greater and the place will probably have several secrets and elements to deliver to the player.

lycans

Being one of the main strengths of the Village demo, the Lycans proved to be excellent - and terrifying - enemies. If in the moments before we notice their presence the demo is already tense enough due to the title's excellent atmosphere and construction of dread, when these creatures appear the tension becomes even greater.

Similar to traditional werewolves, but with their own characteristics, these enemies caught the eye from the very first trailer for the game. The fact is that seeing them in the demo was quite interesting and encouraging.

As we make our way through the village, a cornfield appears in front of us as a logical path. The big problem is that there growling sounds become frequent, as we can notice that something runs around us, lurking. O great audio job in the game also brightens up the moment, with the Lycans appearing and disappearing in the middle of the cornfield, while we have no idea where they will appear in the next instant.

The artificial intelligence of these enemies proved to be excellent, worthy of a great appreciation by the fans. Lycans know how to lurk, all their "preparation" to attack makes the fear of the inevitable greater by the second, with players knowing for sure: At any moment an attack will happen. With this excellent artificial intelligence, Lycans are able to suddenly appear in front of or behind Ethan, making them extremely dangerous and fast.

Biting, scratching, and even hitting Ethan using weapons they hold in their hands, Lycans prove to be strong and deal a lot of damage. We can run or face them, while the defense mechanic comes out as something important in the moments when we face these enemies.

In addition to being very intelligent, Lycans are also skilled and agile, even capable of quickly jumping towards Ethan.

The castle

In the demo on the 24th, players were able to see Lady Dimitrescu's castle up close. Here, we must again value the excellent ambiance and the way in which each element fits into a great set that conveys exactly the mood the game needs.

With an old-fashioned look, representing the era the title is based on despite Ethan's journey not being set in the past, the castle is beautiful, grand and intimidating at the same time.

During the 30-minute demo it was already evident that there will also be a lot to explore and different elements to discover. Puzzles, locked doors, scattered items... the title will likely deliver an interesting exploration of this large building, always with tension free in the air.

The castle alone is intimidating, without even needing an enemy to be chasing you through the beautiful surroundings of the place.

The dangers of the dungeon

In my opinion, the highlight of the demo was the moment when I found myself surrounded by enemies in the dungeon of the great castle. The dark and totally sinister place, full of signs that indicate danger, already conveys the feeling that it is good to prepare for scares and complicated situations.

When the sounds start and you realize someone is nearby, the demo reaches the height of its horror. The hooded creatures present in the dungeon are tenebrous, giving an enormous sense of anguish and dread. These opponents are not as intelligent as Lycans, but they can spawn in large numbers in small locations, which makes the situation hopeless.

The presence of these enemies is completely scary, making the castle dungeon a place where exploration will never be smooth.

Dimitrescu's Daughters

In the castle demo, Ethan also faces two of Lady Dimitrescu's three daughters, who in turn is one of the game's great villains. I must admit that the lycans and the dungeon creatures scared me more than the vampires, but the moments when both appear are also interesting. Dimitrescu's daughters have the characteristic sensuality of vampires, it's pretty clear that Capcom exploited this, but they are also intimidating.

The girls manage to disappear and form a great swarm, with several insects flying towards the player. This villain skill is something that makes confrontations more challenging and helps convey a greater sense of angst. It's a little tricky to be able to aim or move around with various insects around you.

Although they appear little in the demo, the two daughters of Dimitrescu seem to be really intimidating enemies and difficult to face. We'll likely find them at various points in the game, with these certainly presenting themselves as difficult stages of Ethan's journey.

The Duke

Something much celebrated by most fans is the return of the Merchant, who in Village is represented by the Duke.

In the demo, the Duke appears inside Dimitrescu's castle and makes Ethan look surprised to see him there, making it clear that they had met before.

It is worth mentioning that the Duke repeats a remarkable phrase from the Merchant, before stating that an old friend used to use such words... a very nice reference.

To take advantage of Duke's presence and prepare for dangers, Ethan can use coins to buy weapons and upgrade equipment. the store is divided into three parts, which are the purchase, sale and upgrade of weapons.

Coins can be found in crates and vases, and they can also be dropped by dead enemies. Ethan can still sell gems to get more coins.

Gameplay and other items

Resident Evil Village seems to work very well. With classic elements and features from the franchise, like puzzles to solve, items you need to find and even more, the game seems to deliver an interesting challenge.

The gameplay seems to be superior to that of Resident Evil 7, including due to some important points with the greater ease shown by Ethan when using a weapon.

Another interesting element is the return of the need to examine the items found, with players needing to do this to find important details and use the items in the right way.

In combat, the game also proves to be efficient in delivering enemies with different characteristics and very intimidating. I didn't have any problems with the confrontation and I even found it works very well.

All to be a great game

Resident Evil Village has what it takes to be a great game. We must be careful with the hype, but from what we've seen so far I believe the title will deliver an excellent frightening journey.

It may be too early to say, but I see Village arriving with strength to be one of the competitors for the best game of 2021. However, knowing the industry and knowing all the disappointments that have come along, we should wait and see if Capcom really delivers what its demos and trailers are promising.

Want to get even more Village ready? Check out our special article about the game!

Resident Evil Village: All about Lady Dimitrescu, plot, information and more