The Resident Evil Showcase Gave Us Our First Look at Village Gameplay

Witches, Werewolves, and Vampires, Oh My

While the first trailer during the Resident Evil Showcase may have been relatively thin when it came to plot points, the following Gameplay teaser went in a different direction, dropping a couple of interesting plot points in amongst the combat and exploration.

Here were some of the biggest takeaways:

1- Ethan has a daughter who’s been kidnapped by the coven living in the castle, led by the mysterious Mother Miranda. How this ties into what we already know or suspect – like that Chris Redfield reportedly brings Ethan to the village after killing Mia – is unknown. And why would they steal a baby? My guess is that it has something to do with the fact that both Ethan and Mia survived Resident Evil 7‘s Mold, perhaps granting their child some abilities that the coven wants. Their powers do seem to be an evolution of some displayed by Evelyn, and it’s unlikely that the new game would take a drastic turn to the supernatural.

2- The combat is a natural evolution of what we’ve seen in Resident Evil 7. It’s still first-person, there’s still the ability to block, but things are just… well, grander. Like 7, you seem to be stalked by various members of the coven as you explore the castle, while the world definitely seems bigger than the Baker Ranch, with more to explore and more to do. You’ll be attacked by more – and more varied – creatures at once, with the previously-seen werewolf-like monsters seemingly playing second fiddle to a giant, bat-headed creature with a hammer. Each creature has specific ways to deal with them, forcing you to think on the fly and take every encounter as it comes.

3- Merchants are back, this time in the form of the Duke – an obese aristocrat who appears in different situations.

4- There’s plenty of puzzles to solve, with the video showcasing the welcome return of some of Resident Evil’s common motifs like statues and hidden doors.

5- Like Resident Evil 7 before it, Resident Evil: Village comes with a demo, Maiden, currently available for download exclusively on PS5, with a further demo releasing later in the year for all consoles.

In short, there’s a lot to digest, and a lot to look forward to. Will Resident Evil Village go down in the horror hall of fame? If the game plays as good as it looks, there’s a good chance of that.

Has your daughter ever been kidnapped by a cult of witches with seemingly supernatural powers and an army of monsters at their disposal?  Let us know in the comments, on Twitter, or on Facebook.