The idea of the perfect rollercoaster has eluded most theme park engineers for centuries. The design philosophy behind crafting an exhilarating rollercoaster isn't as simple as speed or precision. Most ideal coasters have inversions, unexpected turns, loops, and corkscrews - but balancing these elements out is what gives riders an unforgettable experience. Perhaps you have a second or two to catch your breath, but a great coaster will suddenly throw you into a steep incline, escalating your heartrate with dizzying momentum. You step off the ride, you're fulfilled, and your first natural instinct is to ride it again. I say this because Resident Evil Village is the video game equivalent of that perfect rollercoaster.

Note: This review is spoiler-free.



Resident Evil Village picks up after the events of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. Some time has passed since the horrific night at the Baker estate. Ethan and Mia Winters are now living a secluded life with their baby daughter, Rose. Just when it seems life has returned to normal, Ethan's world is flipped again when Chris Redfield assassinates Mia and kidnaps Rose. Finding himself in an isolated Romanian village, Ethan must venture out to rescue his daughter while dealing with a mysterious, malevolent figure known as Mother Miranda and her children, the Four Lords.

Capcom put a lot of emphasis on Ethan Winters as a character this time, and it mostly works. While he was a bit of a blank slate for players to project themselves onto in Resident Evil 7, here Ethan is a well-rounded, fleshed out character - who once again fills the role of a blank slate, but this time with layers. Ethan isn't suddenly a deep protagonist, but his motivations are emotionally driven, easy to sympathize with, and propelled by a fatherly instinct to save his remaining family. Chris Redfield plays a pivotal role in the events to come as well, but his involvement is a surprise best saved for the full experience.



Every great story needs a great antagonist, and luckily for Resident Evil Village, it has a handful of them. Lady Alcina Dimitrescu, the imposingly tall mistress of Castle Dimitrescu, certainly captured the attention of the community. Like Mr. X and Nemesis, though, her presence is commanding and formidable, playing to the strengths of the franchise's most iconic pursuers. Capcom does not downplay the weird sexual occultism of these vampiric foes either, fitting into the insatiable bloodlust lore of the creatures. These creative liberties extend to every one of the other Four Lords too, drawing inspiration from gothic horror to The Conjuring, oddly enough.

Donna Beneviento's house of paranormal oddities draws several parallels to P.T./Silent Hills...

House Beneviento, for example, is one of the highlights of the game. So strangely detached stylistically from the rest of the survival horror experience, Donna Beneviento's house of paranormal oddities draws several parallels to P.T./Silent Hills and instead, heavily leans into winding white-knuckled suspense and unhinged tension - until it explodes in a section I can only describe as an audio-visual heart attack unfolding in real time. It's genuinely one of the scariest and most inventive levels I've ever played in a horror game.



The Four Lords command specific sections of the map, with the village acting as a kind of hub area that you'll frequently return to. When you first set foot into the village, you're immediately greeted with its furry inhabitants. Lycans roam the area and hunt down villagers who have taken to barricading themselves indoors (first of many Bloodborne comparisons). As you explore the village, you'll have to familiarize yourself with the layout. It becomes crucial to your survival, especially when you're being hunted by Lycans and need a safe haven or home to barricade yourself in.

As the game progresses and you return to the village, new items may open hidden or locked paths that shift the dynamic of the area. The village quickly becomes a character in and of itself, but it changes ever so slightly - and almost menacingly - too. Without spoiling anything, the village and castle aren't the only areas in the game, and there's a lot more than meets the eye.



Capcom's level design for Resident Evil Village is absolutely world-class. Much like Dark Souls, areas are interconnected and weave in and out of secret paths and doors, with the aforementioned village linking everything. It encourages players to explore off the beaten path constantly, whether it's treasure-hunting or finding new shortcuts to unlock. Clues are scattered around the village, either in the form of notes or puzzles, that may point you to these vital areas of interest too.

Capcom's level design for Resident Evil Village is absolutely world-class.

The gameplay once again dons a first-person perspective, but Capcom have considerably upped their creativity since Resident Evil 7. Every big action or horror sequence happens from Ethan's point of view, adding a claustrophobic and almost personal feeling of dread to the experience. This extends to the combat too, which has been refined to perfection. Thanks to the PS5's DualSense features, guns have a terrific weighty kick to them and each shot fired feels like you're constantly pinching your last bullet. With the amount of weapons doubled since Ethan's last outing, you're given a considerable amount of ammo, though never to the point where you can run into fights guns-blazing. You still need to carefully weigh your options before engaging enemies, as losing ammunition is the kiss of death.



Thankfully, crafting plays a key role in how you progress Resident Evil Village. The Duke, a cheerfully burly merchant that travels around the village in his caravan, acts as your shop to upgrade weapons, buy supplies, and sell treasures. Ethan can also be upgraded too. Animals such as chicken, goats, and fish are littered around the map. Hunting them rewards you with ingredients that you can then give to The Duke, who'll cook up a dish that upgrades Ethan's health, blocking or speed. Hunting gives you a lot of reason to explore and prolong your adventure, especially if you're hoping to survive your next encounter. Taking one of many elements from Resident Evil 4, the suitcase is also back for item management, and it's a welcomed one.

Creatively, Resident Evil Village is a game that's constantly firing on all cylinders from beginning to end.

Resident Evil Village is a different beast entirely to Resident Evil 7 in terms of scope, tone and variety. It's a sizeable map to explore, but just large enough that you can quickly become familiar with every road, alley, building and location. Tonally, it's still very much a survival horror game, with architecture echoing gothic Romanian castles and buildings looming overhead - enough to build an atmosphere of otherworldly terror. Werewolves and vampires are just the icing on the cake when you consider the staggering amount of diverse enemies, ranging from giant bats and mermen to possessed puppets and body horror. Creatively, Resident Evil Village is a game that's constantly firing on all cylinders from beginning to end.



This is a testament to Capcom's stellar art direction in Resident Evil Village too. On a visual level, the game is stunning and densely packed with detail - to the point where it's almost hard to describe unless you see it for yourself. The RE Engine has flexed its impressive muscles in the past, but here, it transcends anything the developer has done before in the series. It also runs incredibly smooth on PS5, with hardly any framerate drops worth mentioning. It's striking in the visual department, but that works hand in hand with the excellent audio design, creating a level of immersion that seizes your attention and never lets go.

If I had but one tiny gripe, it's the puzzles. Resident Evil Village may not offer the most difficult or challenging puzzles of the series - and most of it can feel like simple retreads of the previous game - but it now delivers them in doses that feels more organic and well-placed within the world. Don't expect to scratch your head too often, as the game's ultimate goal is to always take you back to exploration and encounters.



If you've played a Resident Evil game before, then you might be comfortable with its length. While not as long as Resident Evil 4, Village boasts a length of around 8-10 hours, and you can push it further if you're looking to explore every corner of the game. However, the games have always excelled in terrific replay value, and Resident Evil Village is no different. After completing your first playthrough, you unlock plenty of new weapons and skills that might aid you in repeated playthroughs. Additionally, Mercenaries mode unlocks as well, an arcade-styled wave-based sub-game that honors the modes of the past in terms of sheer fun factor and value, but keeps the action/horror focus superbly balanced as well.

While not as long as Resident Evil 4, Village boasts a length of around 8-10 hours...

Resident Evil Village's brilliant presentation is what sells this entry as perhaps one of the best Resident Evil games to date. If I had to make the comparison, it's a hybrid of Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 7 (with sprinkles of Bloodborne), though carves its own identity enough to be quite distinct. If anything, it wears its cinematic influences on its sleeve, from Underworld to Van Helsing and The Conjuring. All of these ideas meld together seamlessly in the context of the game, yet somehow manages to have classic over-the-top and kind of goofy Resident Evil moments thrown in too - but they all work beautifully and should please fans of the series hoping for some of that old-school fun factor that the series mostly skipped over with Resident Evil 7.



However, Resident Evil Village still retains its scares and in some cases, even outshines Resident Evil 7. While its predecessor might be a scarier or more suspenseful game overall, Village laser-focuses its tension and knows when to smash the accelerator on the action, all the while balancing nail-biting horror in some sections. It's a fine balancing act, but done in a way that feels just right for Resident Evil. In essence, Village still very much feels like the classics, only it expands ideas and concepts thanks to new technology and methods.



Resident Evil Village is the best game in the franchise since Resident Evil 4, and one of the best horror games I've ever played - a praise that I genuinely thought long and hard about. Very few games have given me the exhilarating rush, the well-choreographed scares, or the masterful immersion of this game. It's a powerhouse of the genre brimming with creativity thanks to spot-on art direction and a vast list of monsters from almost every corner of horror. Most of all, it's a rewarding experience to both fans and newcomers, capable of being scary, anxiety-inducing, funny and action-packed - somehow all at once.

*PS5 Review code provided by Capcom