Step inside Capcom’s gothic rollercoaster: Resident Evil Village, a game that is equal parts terrifying, ridiculous, and unforgettable. Our Resident Evil Village review will let you know if the horror works or it just turns into a parody of the franchise.
Resident Evil Village, a survival horror game and part of the famous Resident Evil franchise, dropped on 7th May 2021. Developed and published by Capcom, it is a direct sequel to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and the eighth major entry in the long running franchise. With Resident Evil 9 on the horizon for release soon in 2026, this seems like a perfect time to discuss Resident Evil Village so that we can know how the game’s predecessor stacks up.
This franchise has been the definition of survival horror for years, if not decades. From claustrophic mansions to forests filled with creepy monsters, there is little that the franchise has left unexplored. Resident Evil Village blends gothic castles, eerie dollhouses, along with grotesque monsters, and puts us in the shoes of Ethan Winters, a common man who is forced to pick up a gun after his daughter gets kidnapped. In this Resident Evil Village review, we shall explore if Capcom manages to deliver a chilling and mind-blowing experience, or has ended up creating something that looks unintentionally hilarious.
Setting the Stage in Resident Evil Village
With Resident Evil Village, it is obvious that Capcom wanted to expand their story beyond the cramped corridors and hallways of Resident Evil 7. The tone shifts to a large extent; Resident Evil 7 was claustrophic and oppressive, you felt completely trapped in a mansion with nowhere to go. However, here, you find yourself in a village, castles, swamps, factories. Yes, Resident Evil Village gives you more breathing room, but at the same time, this also gives the game’s theatrics more space. At the time of its release, expectations for this game were indeed high, due to the legacy of the franchise. What players get is both more and less than their expectations!
Story & Pacing
You play as Ethan Winters, who this time, is trying to rescue his daughter Rose after a mysterious kidnapping from his home. The setting is simple yet effective because you feel Ethan’s motivation i.e. a father searching for his newborn child. Soon you will find yourself trekking through horror and eventually find yourself at the Dimitrescu’s castle, where the game truly begins. The castle is a gothic playground filled with towering architecture, lavish halls, creepy basements and most importantly, narrow corridors that echo with footsteps. The first time when you encounter Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters inside those walls, the sense of being hunted does feel immediate and terrifying.
The pacing unfortunately is extremely uneven. The game has countless moments where you explore quietly, scavenging for ammo and solving puzzles, and then- Boom! without warning the villains appear out of nowhere. They grab Ethan, throw him around, mock him with cartoonish insults, and then leave him alive so the story can continue. Not only are these scenes unnecessary but they are devoid of logic and common sense. Plus, instead of heightening fear, these scenes can break immersion. You feel less like prey in a horror scenario and more like an actor in their theatrical performance. And no, it is not just me saying this! Several other critics have also noted this clash in tone, with Village moving back and forth between genuine horror and camp spectacle in ways that do not always blend smoothly.
Lady Dimitrescu herself is a perfect example of this. She looks imposing and her presence in the castle is unforgettable, but when she and her daughters act more like arrogant cartoonish showboaters than true evil predators, the tension slips away. The game seems torn between presenting you with horror that unsettles and villains that entertain. For some players this B-movie vibe was part of the fun, while for others it diluted the fear factor. The result is a game where the strongest moments of horror are often interrupted by theatrics that might make you roll your eyes and laugh ridiculously rather than grip the controller tighter.
Gameplay & Survival Horror
In technical aspects, Resident Evil Village tries to keep the foundation of its predecessor. First-person view (though it can be switched), limited ammo, exploration etc. However, it soon starts focusing on heavier combat, more enemy waves, as well as more variety in tools.
The gameplay of Resident Evil Village tries to mix the survival horror elements of Resident Evil 7 with the action spectacle of Resident Evil 4, which many consider to be the best in the franchise. But instead of striking a clean balance, it often feels like a cartoonish middle ground. It never matches the claustrophobic dread of Resident Evil 7, where every hallway felt like a trap, and we think and look out for hidden dangers dozens of times every time we cross the hallway. Nor does the game manage to deliver us the razor- sharp combat of Resident Evil 4 and the feeling of being an action hero. Instead, Village swings between extremes: one moment you are searching for ammo and trying to hide from gigantic bosses, and next moment you are blasting through waves of monsters like you wandered into a gothic shooting gallery.
Some players and critics enjoy this variety, arguing it keeps the game unpredictable. Some say the game is intentionally dumb, which is why the game is enjoyable. Others however feel that this weakens both aspects of the game. So, we could say that at times the game feel fun and ambitious but rarely it makes us feel as tensed or focused as the earlier Resident Evil entries.
Immersion & Ethan Winters
Here’s one of the sharpest criticisms that most players including me have: Ethan behaves like a superhuman at times. He’s not a soldier. He’s not Leon. Yet he walks through dangers with slashed hands, fighting off grotesque transformations and death traps with the calm of someone struggling to find some breakfast. His reactions feel muted. The game wants you to feel tension, but Ethan rarely conveys fear.
This flatness makes the theatrical villain moments fall flat harder. Some players might think: Ethan doesn’t feel rattled, why should we?
Resident Evil Village Characters
Let’s talk the Four Lords- our villains. On paper, these Resident Evil Village characters are terrifying. In practice, they sometimes slide into caricature.
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Lady Dimitrescu: She was supposed to be iconic horror, but she turned into meme-fodder. The internet elevated her as the “goth mommy” more than the terror queen.
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Donna Beneviento: Creepy, haunted dolls, twisted atmosphere- it has the potential to be effective horror when done right.
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Salvatore Moreau: Tragic fish-man with body horror potential, sometimes undercut by his theatrics.
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Karl Heisenberg: He’s got swagger, I admit, but at times he feels like a steampunk villain audition gone off-script.
These Resident Evil Village characters don’t always behave like ruthless monsters we are supposed to be terrified of. They grab Ethan, toss him around, insult him with cheesy lines, and then let him live. That’s immersion breaking. The game sometimes wants us to fear them; other times it wants us to laugh at them.
Yes, sometimes the theatrics hit in a fun, B-movie way. But at the same time, when they clash with our suspension of disbelief, they can pull us out of the experience.
How Long is Resident Evil Village
So, how long is Resident Evil Village? The main story typically runs 10-12 hours.
If you want to explore thoroughly, dig into side content, and everything the game has to offer, you’ll have to squeeze 20-30 hours or more.
So if you’re a speed-runner, it won’t take you forever.
Summing Up Our Resident Evil Village Review
At its best, Resident Evil Village is a gothic thrill ride: eerie mansions, twisted dolls, vampire aristocrats, and moments that genuinely creep under your skin. At its worst, the game unfortunately forgets that it is horror and turns into a melodramatic spectacle: with villains that toy with us more than terrorize, and a hero who barely flinches.
If you’re a fan of the Resident Evil franchise, you may find it disappointing as it will not match what you have been playing all these years. However, at the same time, you shall appreciate the ambition. If you came for pure, unrelenting horror, the game might not be for you. It’s messy, sometimes hilariously over the top, but still might be worth playing for some- just don’t expect terror in every corner.
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