Resident Evil Village was unveiled during the June 2020 PS5 showcase last year. The haunting trailer showed off a creepy old town, a tense journey through the snow and the reappearance of a (very buff-looking) Chris Redfield. There’s something mysterious going on in Village, and it’s up to returning protagonist Ethan Winters to uncover the game’s secrets.
Here’s everything we know about the Resident Evil Village so far, and what to expect when it launches.
This article has been updated since its original publication.
Resident Evil Village: Release Date
Resident Evil Village is scheduled for release on May 7, 2021.
It’s set to release on PC (via Steam), PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. For now, it appears the ‘next gen’ versions will arrive on the same day as the base console versions.
Lady Dimitrescu may not be the game’s main villain
When 9’6″ vampire Lady Dimitrescu appeared on the scene, the entire internet fell in love. But while the fervour around Dimitrescu (alternately known as the big titty vampire lady) is running rampant, there’s already a bunch of clues to indicate she’s not the game’s main villain.
In the most recent trailer for RE: Village, Dimitrescu is seen talking on the phone. A transcript of her call reads:
“Mother Miranda, I regret to inform you that Ethan Winters has escaped that fool Heisenberg. [pause] …because he is in my castle and has already proven too much for my daughters to handle. When I find him- [pause] No- [pause] Yes, of course. I understand the importance of the ceremony.”
The tone of her voice and the frequent pauses indicates she serves a higher authority, potentially the woman named ‘Mother Miranda’. The context is unclear, but it appears Dimitrescu and her daughters are just a minor obstacle for Ethan to overcome, rather than the game’s main antagonists. The dialogue also suggests they’re after him for some ritual purpose — potentially a sacrifice of a sort.
The mysterious, bespectacled man seen in early trailers could be the main villain, but we don’t know much about him or his relationship to the mysterious Mother Miranda. The plot of the game is currently being kept under wraps, so it’s likely this mystery have a slower reveal.
Resident Evil: Village – Gameplay
An early gameplay demo has already been released for the game, and it shows off a strange maiden’s journey into the aforementioned castle. (It’s more of a prequel or side story, and doesn’t feature Ethan Winters.)
In the demo, the maiden confronts Lady Dimitrescu’s bug-filled daughters, dank, blood-soaked caverns and yes, the frighteningly tall Lady Dimitrescu.
As expected from the RE franchise, it’s absolutely frightening, and horror fans will be delighted.
You can check out the demo for yourself if you’re keen to learn more about the game.
Resident Evil Village is a direct sequel to Resident Evil 7
While Resident Evil Village has dropped the numerical order (and more on that later), the game is a direct sequel to Resident Evil 7.
It stars Resident Evil 7 protagonist Ethan Winters and takes place a few years after the events of the prior game. While Ethan wants a peaceful life, his solitude isn’t set to last long.
According to Capcom, the plot of the game kicks off with an unexpected visit from Resident Evil mainstay Chris Redfield.
Taking place a few years after the events of Resident Evil 7 biohazard, in which protagonist Ethan Winters travelled to Louisiana to search for his missing wife, Mia, Resident Evil Village sees the reunited Mia and Ethan living happily together and putting their shared nightmares of the Baker’s plantation house behind them.
Ethan’s world suddenly comes crashing down once again when Chris Redfield, an unexpected yet familiar face makes an appearance, setting off a chain of events that sees a distraught Ethan seeking answers to Chris’s shocking actions… and ultimately finding him in a mysterious village.
The game’s first trailer showed off an eerie, medieval-style town complete with strange witch-like denizens, a Wendigo-looking creature and all the creeping horrors we’ve come to expect from a Resident Evil game. There’s something in the woods out there, and it’s not friendly. With more of those horrors to explore than ever before, Village is cracking up to be a horrible little game indeed.
Peter Fabiano, a producer on the game, also recently confirmed development was heavily inspired by Resident Evil 4‘s combat, setting and puzzle mechanics — so if you’ve played this classic, Village will likely feel a bit familiar.
It’s not called ‘Resident Evil 8’ for a reason
Resident Evil Village has a rather clever reason for dropping the ‘8’ from its title, and you can see it in the game’s official logo. Rather than using the number 8, Capcom has elected to stylise the logo in a way that ‘Village’ contains the roman numeral VIII.
It’s a simple and very neat.
While the lack of ‘8’ in the official title may confuse some into thinking it’s a spin-off or prequel, you just need to look a bit harder. Another reason for the title is the team wanted to focus on the Village as an essential part of the game.
Combat and exploration will take centre stage
As Capcom confirmed in a PlayStation blog, Ethan’s journeys through the mysterious Village will be far more exploratory and combat-heavy than past Resident Evil games. The Village is described as a character of its own, with secret terrors waiting in every corner to leap out at players as they travel through its secretive roads.
Capcom described the returning first-person perspective as “visceral” and a “personal fight for survival” against hideous enemies, making every step a major, heart-pounding risk.
We can see a lot of this terror in the early gameplay demo.
The opening chapter may have already leaked
If you care about spoilers, don’t go looking online for information about Resident Evil Village just yet.
While these rumours are currently unconfirmed, a 2020-era playtest for the game appears to have leaked the opening gameplay sequence of Village and what kicks off Ethan’s journey to the mysterious Village. It’s likely these spoilers don’t ruin the game too much, but if you want to be surprised, be careful Googling the game.
The rumours won’t be reprinted here but if you’re interested in spoilers, you can check out the alleged description from We Got This Covered here.
This article will be updated with more information as we get closer to Resident Evil Village’s release.
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