Resident Evil Village🧟‍♀️

[mfnick]

On 09/05/2021 at 17:05, Nag said:

in regards to you worrying about the game being open world and hunting, don't be... it's basically a hub area with a finite number of creatures in it, kill them once and they're gone forever.

Thanks for the heads up. I’m more interested but I’ll wait till I can get it at £30 or less, still not sure about the direction they’ve gone. Heard a couple more podcasters and videos with VII fans on who also aren’t as bothered about it too so I’ll wait. Not heard anyone who loved VII say they really like this one yet. 
 

 

[Nag]

I'll happily say that unless this massively jumps the shark with what I have left to play I much prefer this to VII... and (apart from the shit boss fights) I enjoyed VII.

 

Been making steady progress again today, I've a feeling there's not too much longer to go. Unfortunately due to the Internet being the Internet I've had one of the later twists spoiled for me...

 

In regards to boss fights this has been pretty good, some very Resident Evil feeling bosses... I know that sounds weird but in some respects the switch from third to first person still takes some getting used to.

 

Late game screens... still can't get over some of the lighting in this thing, it's brilliant.

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

[Nag]

Finished this earlier tonight, yeah... I loved it pretty much from beginning to end. The first hour or so is probably the hardest to get through but after the part meeting the villagers it opens up in to something great.

 

I'll admit that when I first saw this and especially once finding out Lady Dimitrescu was just going to be a big bad stalker type enemy I kind've feared the worst... I really shouldn't have.

 

Spoiler

Getting to Hisenberg's factory was really enjoyable and his boss fight is superb in a completely over the top way... it's basically fighting Demolisher from Revenge of the Fallen... it's so stupid but completely Resi.?

 

Finding out about Ethan and finally getting some kind've answer as to why he can lose a hand and then just stick it back on was satisfying... even going ham with an automatic rifle as Chris felt in place.

 

And then an epilogue with a grown up Rose... I really do hope they revisit her and don't just treat her as the next Sheva... never to be seen again.

 

This game has genuinely made me excited to be a Resident Evil fan all over again... can't wait to see where they go from here, although I think that wait will be a long one.

 

End game shots!!!

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

[DANGERMAN]

Bear in mind I haven't played the game, so maybe this gets explained, but why doesn't Ethan's sleeve fall off? 

[Nag]

@DANGERMAN

 

Spoiler

Ethan is dead, he was murdered at the beginning of 7 by Jack Baker and is actually a mold person... I have no idea if that means his jacket is mold too though.?

 

[one-armed dwarf]

Those are end game spoilers btw before you click on it like I did lol

 

(I am already spoiled cause I read that stuff somewhere else)

[Nag]

I kind've got the impression @DANGERMAN wasn't going to bother playing it anyway... sorry if that isn't the case.?

[DANGERMAN]

@one-armed dwarf @Nag I was going to play it (am going to?), but let's face it, I've no one to blame but myself

[Nag]

?.... it's a great game but let's be honest, no one plays a Resident Evil game for its plot points. Again sorry if I did spoil anything.?

[DisturbedSwan]

Started this on Friday, I'm now about 12 hours in and approaching the finish line I believe.

 

As many know, going in I was a little worried about the quotes (or mistranslations) saying they'd dialled back the horror and gone for a more action-based RE this time around, but it turns out I needn't of worried at all though as I've loved this pretty much from the opening minute. It's an absolutely superb game and even manages to exceed my previous favourite 7 in lots of ways. 

 

The setup is great with Ethan and Mia's baby being ripped away from them by Chris, Mia being brutally murdered in their comfy Eastern European home. It immediately brings up lots of questions which then circulate in the players mind throughout the game.

Spoiler

Why is Rose so important to Chris? Why did Chris kill Mia? Where is Rose? Is Rose alive? etc. On the face of it it's a very simple catalyst akin to Bowser kidnapping Peach in a Mario game or something but the fact that Chris is directly involved makes you question pretty much everything about the murder and abduction through the early stages of the game. It is just a great mystery to start the game off with and spur the player on. These core questions will keep you guessing throughout the game, with the player gradually being fed morsels of information about the whole situation in the village, with Chris, Rose etc. as the game goes on. I still don't know what is fully going on but it's clear that not everything is as it seems, that Mia was most likely killed for good reason, that Rose was kidnapped for good reason and the Lords and Mother of the village wanted Rose for their own selfish means. The plot itself is far better than 7 and is definitely one of the best RE plots in recent memory, it's clear Rose, Mia and Ethan are all important characters to Chris and the Village elders without them realising it. 

 

You start off just outside this dark foreboding village, immediately after having your Wife murdered and Daughter kidnapped. As you slowly make your way in to the Village, it reveals more of itself to you and Ethan, you're both learning more about this village and the precarious situation you find yourself in at the same time. Just after the Luiza's house section that was in the demo, you're free to explore the village a little but this turns out to be a bit of a false dawn. You're meant to fail here and be kidnapped by the Lycans, for the purpose of introducing the game's suite of villains to you akin to how the Baker family was introduced to you in RE7. It's clear they all have their own distinct personalities from the gruff Heisenberg, the eccentric but affable Lady Dimitrescu, the slightly pathetic and milquetoast Moreau and the downright weird Beneviento all being lead by the mysterious dark figure of Mother Miranda. 

 

The Village has an identity and character of its own, it acts as the 'RPD Police Station' in this game. It's an area you'll repeatedly come back to, learn more of, uncover more of its mysteries and gradually unlock more of the strange doors and contraptions hidden about the place to gather treasures, hidden weapons and newly accessible areas. It is a fantastic area to explore and far far better than the Louisiana House and annexes of RE7, this is what makes the metroidvania-esque RE hidden doors, keys and areas concept reintroduced in RE7 and perfected with RE2 so immediately gratifying. 

 

Spoiler

 

So, the Village is the hub you'll be returning back to time and time again after you've dealt with one of the 4 Lords dotted around the village. First you'll go to Castle Dimitrescu and get stalked by the eponymous lady of the house (and her two daughters) around its opulent hallways and corridors, this a huge mini-Spencer mansion in itself with about 8 different floors, tons of different rooms to explore and secrets to uncover, puzzles and trinkets seemingly round every corner. It really is a magnificent and impressive place to explore, the light ricocheting off the gold leaf of the lavish walls and glimmering off grand chandeliers, strange dungeons filled with all sorts of ne'er-do-well lurking around every corner.

 

Next you'll go to the dark and mysterious House Beneviento. On the way there it almost gives off a Silent Hill vibe with the fog enveloping your view and obfuscating your path to the House, when you finally reach a Graveyard and make your way up on a lift the House finally appears peeking out of the fog, perched precariously atop a cliff. You're left to explore for awhile which lulls you into a false sense of security, the game switches gears, taking all your weapons away from you, leaving you vulnerable and dialling up the spooks and scares. You'll have to navigate a more horrifying entity here (reminiscent of a certain PT creation) whilst solving puzzles and eventually escaping.

 

The last place I visited is the domain of Moreau, a slightly pathetic slug looking creature who seems to be made fun of by the other Lords, and I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for. He resides in a Windmill next to a reservoir and is very different proposition to deal with compared to the rest of the Lords, for most of your time with him in his domain he isn't really about kind of stumbling around in the background with you being left to your own devices to solve (partly by boat at one point which was a nice change) an elaborate puzzle involving raising select bridges from the watery depths, obtaining cranks to operate machinery, navigating gangplanks and decrepit jetties in a dilapidated fishing town, eventually powering up a number of Windmills so you can ultimately drain the reservoir. 

 

 

I'm now (somewhat) safely back in the Village where I'll explore some more, picking up a few more trinkets, treasures and oddities, hoping I've found everything and completed everything here before moving on to the Fourth Lords' Lair. 

 

Suffice to say, I've had an absolutely grand time with it so far. It takes some cues from RE2 Remake's RPD Police Station in the Village itself, RE1's Spencer Mansion in Castle Dimitrescu and has a similar formula to RE7's Louisiana Homestead (in that each of the main villains all have their distinct little areas to explore and all vary from one another), combining all these influences into create a whole which is really something very special. I think it is pure genius what they have done to intertwine the mysterious plot to the way the game plays and Ethan's motivations so perfectly, nothing feels out of place, there's no narrative dissonance at play and the Village takes on a character of itself, it's a believable place to explore within the context the game frames it in.

 

Really can't recommend it enough to anyone really, but to fans of RE7 in particular, I think you're in for a treat here.

 

Lots of pics:

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mfnick]

2 minutes ago, DisturbedSwan said:

Really can't recommend it enough to anyone really, but to fans of RE7 in particular, I think you're in for a treat here.

Hmm, ? different to what I’ve heard elsewhere but it is available for £40 at the minute... 

[DisturbedSwan]

6 minutes ago, mfnick said:

Hmm, ? different to what I’ve heard elsewhere but it is available for £40 at the minute... 

 

They're entitled to their opinions, but yeah, can only speak for myself and I adore this after absolutely loving 7 previously. It's a similar formula but injects more of an identity into the hub itself and the plot is a million times better. Just one area (Castle Dimitrescu) is more interesting to explore than a lot of the areas in 7 too. 

[one-armed dwarf]

I mean most of what I've heard on this game from ppl I trust is that it's actually really good. Only reason I'm not playing it is I'm waiting to see those PC issues fixed.

 

Like I haven't really heard anyone massively upset by it, at least. Especially compared with 3make

[Nag]

I don't think @mfnick needs to play it now anyway... just read the walkthrough Blakey posted.?

[one-armed dwarf]

4 minutes ago, Nag said:

I don't think @mfnick needs to play it now anyway... just read the walkthrough Blakey posted.?

Yea it's weird isn't it? Such a spoilerphobe but yet ?

[DisturbedSwan]

18 minutes ago, one-armed dwarf said:

Yea it's weird isn't it? Such a spoilerphobe but yet ?

 

I didn't see anything spoilery in my post except the locations which I thought I kept vague enough. Nevertheless, have put in spoiler tags just in case.

[OCH]

They are probably referring to your play by play of the entire game, Blakey?

 

Anyway, I've watched it all now. Via a YouTube Let's Play. Just had to skip the bits with the ball puzzle mini games and I didn't get any headaches from the rest of it. A lot of influences on display here. RE 4 (Heavily), RE 1/Castlevania/Bloodborne, RE 7/PT, Shadow of the Colossus ETC The surprise ones were Inside/Little Nightmares, which I didn't expect. Which gave a unique visual identity to a late game area. They really need to work on a better new protagonist though. Instead of relying on the established fan favourites. To watch, it was a lot more enjoyable than RE7. Although it does have the same failing all RE's do with the final third.

[one-armed dwarf]

I'm still very early but I'm just finding, so far, that it's not got a lot of the stuff I really like about Resident Evil. But maybe I'm just way too early in, I 

Spoiler

turned a vampire lady into crystal

which was a section I hated cause I couldn't understand if it wanted me to run around finding windows to shoot. So I ended up cheating again and found out you're just supposed to kite the boss around and shoot it over and over. It really sucked

 

So yea I'm missing that haunted house adventure game vibe here, it feels like it doesn't have it maybe. More like it's a very silly roller coaster directed by Sam Raimi, which if you're into that you'll have a good time but it's not working out for me. Blakey says the village is a RPD 'hub' or something so maybe that's when it starts to feel like RE.

[Nag]

It's got to the point now we're I'm genuinely surprised when you like a game... ?

[one-armed dwarf]

Give the Nier thread a click. Or Devotion. Half Life Alyx, Hitman III, Control etc.