Resident Evil Village Review Roundup

After several well-received remakes, the Resident Evil series is finally back with a new vision of horror. In Resident Evil Village, we catch up with RE7 protagonist Ethan Winter, who has settled down to a life of peace with Mia and their newborn baby after the terrors they witnessed at the Baker estate. But when series hero Chris Redfield comes knocking on their door, Ethan is thrust back into the world of bio-weapons and the monstrosities those weapons create.

Ethan will face all new threats in Village, including (for the first time in series history) werewolves and vampires. Those are some giant obstacles, but even they are dwarfed by Lady Dimitrescu, the nine-foot-tall vampiric lady of the castle that stands high above this mysterious village. Will Ethan survive? We’ll have to wait and see.

For now, here are what the critics are saying about the game:

Tristan Oglivie, IGN:

“Roaming the streets of Resident Evil Village is like visiting a disturbing and deadly Disneyland, where every attraction is a house of horrors. I got just as big a thrill out of revelling in its frenzied violence as I did retracing my steps through the gradually revealed recesses of its sizable village setting to uncover the darkest story secrets of its monstrous main cast. Boss fights are a bit of a letdown but the great variety of enemies throughout keeps things tense, especially on Hardcore mode. The fact that it’s very much a throwback to the fast-paced action of Resident Evil 4 also means it largely takes a step back from the slow-burn scares of Resident Evil 7‘s excellent opening hours, which may well disappoint those who prefer more psychological dread to blowing off heads. But if you have an itch for action-heavy survival-horror, then Resident Evil Village will scratch it like a fistfull of Lady Dimitrescu’s freakish fingernails.”

Score: 8/10

Ben Reeves, Game Informer:

“Resident Evil Village is an impressive package. I loved the recent remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3, but I’m excited to see Capcom push the series forward again. Village expands on Resident Evil 7: Biohazard’s approach to first-person combat, offering a series of white-knuckle encounters that perfectly complement Capcom’s unnerving environmental design. Thankfully, Village’s amplified action doesn’t diminish its horror. If anything, Village maintains a sense of dread that few games can match. If you have the intestinal fortitude for intense terror, playing Resident Evil Village is a great way to check your pulse.”

Score: 9.25/10

Phil Hornshaw, Game Spot:

“Resident Evil 7 was an excellent return to the horror underpinnings of the franchise, but cunningly altered with new ideas and a new perspective. Similarly, Village is an intelligent reintroduction of the best action elements of Resident Evil. Though it captures some of the same things that made RE7 such a breath of fresh air (or maybe rancid, stale, mold-filled air, but in a good way), Village evolves to become its own unique creature. It makes you wonder what beautifully twisted fiend Resident Evil might mutate into in the future.”

Score: 9/10

Chris Carter, Destructoid:

“I don’t think Resident Evil Village is going to be very divisive per se: I suspect the reaction will be generally positive. But it’s going to definitely spark some conversations as to how it stacks up against the current darling of RE7, and it has a long hill to climb to match its success financially. As for me, I think it complements it quite well, and then some.”

Score: 9/10

Alex Donaldson, VG247:

“Taken alone, any one slice of the game – like a single house, the village itself, even the way combat handles – has its issues. But combined, it merges into something that’s still special – even if it isn’t quite as brilliant as Resident Evil 7 or 2 Remake. It’s an easy recommendation – though if you didn’t back in 2017, you might want to play RE7 first.”

Score: 4/5

Leon Hurley, Games Radar:

“One thought that kept popping into my head while I was playing was just remembering how good Resident Evil 7 was. I recently completed another playthrough in preparation for this (along with some Revelations and Veronica, just because) and number 7’s reverse home invasion slasher terror is still up there as one of the greatest horror games of all time. Resident Evil Village is an enjoyable, occasionally silly, monster hunt that’s entertaining but almost completely resets all the incredible work Resident Evil 7 did to reinvent the series.”

Score: 3.5/5

Make sure to check out all of our Resident Evil Village coverage here.