It’s almost a week since the initial announcement of Resident Evil Village (previously known as Resident Evil 8) during Sony’s reveal event for Playstation 5. Although we knew that a new Resident Evil title must be in works, most of us couldn’t foresee the epicness we witnessed. The franchise has matured and so are its fans. So, with the release of next-gen consoles, we also get to catch a glimpse of everything the Resident Evil series has to offer. Until then, let’s go over everything we know about Resident Evil Village.
Resident Evil Village Release Date
For starters, no, its name is not Resident Evil 8. However, the way Village looks does resemble the Latin number VIII, which is a tasteful detail. RE8 is under the development and publishing of Capcom and is set in a village, as its title points to as well. The release date for Resident Evil Village is set for 2021 and will launch on Playstation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC through Steam.
The Trailer
The trailer for Resident Evil Village was first shown during the Playstation 5 reveal event, along with more high profile video games like Pragmata, Spiderman Miles Morales, and Horizon Forbidden West. The trailer takes us to places deep inside the “village” and we get to see one of the franchise’s most prestigious characters, Chris Redfield. The game is set after the events of RE7 and is taking a new turn into the series.
Gameplay
We know that the game will feature a first-person view, much like its predecessor, and will focus on both survival and horror elements. Those are the two basic ingredients in the RESI recipe we all love. The game runs on the updated version of the RE Engine, powering the recent remakes, which will promote next-gen graphics as well as no loading times. We’ve seen only glimpses of its setting, with werewolves, witches, a man looking awfully like Van Helsing and breathtaking scenery.
In terms of gameplay, the only thing we’ve seen is a screenshot of the inventory, which looks like a briefcase and follows the same pattern as that of the seventh installment. The inventory also shows what seems to be a currency with the name “Lei”, which could mean the return of a merchant or interactions with villagers within the game. Other than that, we are looking at basic RESI stuff right here.
Resident Evil Village Characters
As for notable characters, we know Ethan, Mia, and Chris will be there. Developers hint about Chris not being “exactly what we think he is”, which raises suspicion about his role in the game. We are baffled about his new buffed up look.
The opening of the trailer hints that one of the main male protagonists might be seeing their last days within the game. As far as we know, Ethan is moving to the countryside in order to start a new life. Given what we’ve seen this new life won’t come easy and will result in Chris making some terrible decisions, possibly including Mia since we don’t have any hints of her moving there with Ethan.
Resident Evil Village Plot Hunt
Producers Tsuyoshi Kanda and Pete Fabiano have shared a key art for the game during a recent Developer Message. This key art shows what seems to be a fossiled embryo used a sigil with feathers and branches. Developers asked fans to let their imagination go wild with this art piece, as “there’s a lot being shown in it”. We could theorize about it having to do with Mia being pregnant but that’s as far as we can go for now.
Up to this point, we’ve known Resident Evil as a franchise to branch around a zombie-related horror theme. This theme is slowly changing after Resident Evil 7. Now, the franchise is taking a new turn, opening up to even more possibilities for its premises. Werewolves do play a big role, with them possibly taking precedence over the classic RESI zombies. The developers have provided an in-depth look into the setting of Village, making it the closest we’ve seen so far to Resident Evil 4.
Capcom promises that the next update for Resident Evil Village will be in August so it might be high time for them to show some gameplay too before going full-in with its marketing campaign. Not that any Resident title needs tons of marketing, the name sells for itself.
Resident Evil Village Platforms
Resident Evil Village releases on PS5, Xbox Series X and PC in 2021, with no release date yet. Rumors want the game to also support VR, which is really close to reality given the success of the VR version of Resident Evil 7 Biohazard before it. At least we now know, that almost all rumors that were circling the internet about RE8 were true. We have werewolves, we have Chris and Ethan as a protagonist. With some luck, we might have a playable demo for Resident Evil Village early next year.
