Similarly to Resident Evil 4 back in the day, Village will attract a new generation of players and redefine the franchise for the modern age. I guess it’s time to stop looking back and counting on the series to return to its roots. Capcom is well aware of those roots and willingly draws from them to create something new but still infused with Resident Evil’s spirit. Village is not perfect, but neither was RE4, and once again it’s easy to turn a blind eye to the flaws, because overall it’s an amazing game. [07/2021, p.56]

Resident Evil Village feels like such a culmination. Bringing together elements from the franchise all the way up to now and crafting what looks to be the next step of survival horror, it embraces every aspect of the franchise. While the insidious dread of Resident Evil VII is missing, there are still plenty of scares. The monster designs are fantastic, from the generations undead, the fury of the Lupine beasts, to the towering monstrosities. It's well worth delving into the concept art and 3D models to enjoy them fully. The story is just the right amount of silly with the terrifying, and the odd dash of the surreal. The combat is smooth and fluid, best evidenced in the addictive Mercenaries mode. All of these elements added together make quite possibly the best Resident Evil to date, and a foundation for a fresh new generation of terror.

RE: Village is a mixture of almost all previous Resident Evil elements, making the most of both survival horror and puzzle intensity, but with the primary stage being left for the more action-like nature of Resident Evil 4. It has some great story moments, sprinkled with a few lacklustre characters that are still overshadowed by its most notable characteristic – most detailed environment to date.