Test – Resident Evil Village Gold Edition, a sequel that doesn’t go scot-free

More opening, more shooting, but not scary at all, Resident Evil Village is a great action game with a well done seedy and morbid atmosphere. Alternately chilling and gory, it offers moments from anthologies with grotesque and Dantesque boss fights. But it remains big strings with fairly linear exploration at the end, very easy puzzles, and a sense of knowing when the big fights are coming. The title often oscillates between the experiences of episodes four and seven and sometimes even goes so far as to parody itself. Fortunately not too often, so as not to fall into the big horn. And above all, he deems an adventure that reserves some pleasant reversals of the situation for a first journey of less than ten hours. The DLC shadow of the rose does not bring much and only extends the adventure by 2h30. When we add it up we still get a decent lifespan for the genre. Especially since you are far from finished exploring the village with challenges, four levels of difficulty and the mercenary mode. I recommend this destination for your free time. I give TripesAdvisor five stars. Without hesitation.

Note: This is a review of Resident Evil Village Original (released May 2021), updated to release the gold edition to which a paragraph is devoted at the end

Previous ending, in Resident Evil 7

It’s not easy to follow such a strong episode Resident Evil 7. Dangerous even. This claustro-freaking closed door featured the ghosts. Um, pretty traumatized, right? So when a new opus comes out in first person, I personally was in alternate mode. Suddenly optimistic, reminding me of Louisiana snap sequences, at times pessimistic at the prospect of heading out again for some slight surprise effects or spherical enemies.

After the events in Louisiana, we find Ethan, who once again reluctantly embarks on an impossible story. No, but the boy really should question his karma. Well, for those with a memory lapse, a brief cutscene evokes memories of his previous adventure in the preamble. But that’s where the family drama ended, by definition entangled in Baker’s ownership. Also done with the bayou, Ethan had the brilliant idea of ​​settling in a region of the world reminiscent of Romania. And of course it turns into seagull droppings (disaster level higher than peanut).

So much to tell you straight, I’ve had enough pleasantly surprised by the quality of the story and its overall staging. Significantly less creepy, less intimate, less visceral than that of the seventh, this new episode still brings a fresh breeze of pure and hard action and gain a real identity. As his name suggests, Ethan finds himself in a forbidding city. Also, it looks more like a maze riddled with keys to collect, small puzzles that are not very difficult features of the series. But this “Exploration”, quite restricted and on rails at the end, Slice (ahah) with Baker’s property. A certainly restricted sense of freedom, but the quality of the decoration and the spooky atmosphere do the rest. We really feel like we’re setting foot where incredible events have taken place and where Ethan will be drooling. An immersion in unknown and hostile land.

Next in ideas

Hmm, a not so unknown country. And actually not that hostile. So yes, there are anthology scenes. Dantesque fights. Grotesque and impressive monsters. Characters who are “instant classics”.. But in between we end up in small stages of collecting objects, unlocking the passage by finding a key. Then a bigger area, an arena where we already know there’s going to be a fight. Gimmicks that will accompany Ethan to the end.

The village serves as a central area for gradually accessing boss camps. Classic but smart, Capcom has a real know-how to maintain the sense of exploration and design a map where shortcuts always land you on your feet. Oh yeah, I was talking about the bosses, just a word to say how successful they are. Unique in its kind, sometimes the time of their confrontation brings a brief revival of gameplay. Rare moments of bravery. On the other hand, the fights in normal difficulty are done very quickly. Resident Evil Village but pushes with the reception reserved for Ethan upon his arrival, reminiscent of the fourth plant with barricades, leaking roofs and the stress of being in hiding. Filiation, homage or even parody even goes so far that it is interrupted with the ringing of bells.

The feeling of absolute urgency is no longer felt. The blame with a provided arsenal, common resources to craft care, ammo, and explosives. The bestiary appears to derive from Eastern European folklore. Lycanthropes, ghouls, and other fantastical creatures deliciously made dead and then thawed out in the open (then regret, then…) will allow Ethan to practice his marksmanship. Oh, he needs it badly. In fact, this idiot always holds his gun strangely and I always have the impression that shooting will be crap. Well, in the end, the enemies take their bullets… But why not be able to properly aim your weapon, aim your sights, and operate by the rules of the art?

Welcome stranger

In this opus, a merchant accompanies you on your journey. Offers some pretty funny references Resident Evil 4She offers the only moments of light a horror and gory action story of the very first degree. In truth, always gory action and never terrible. To be honest, running into the unexplored zones has often happened to me. Unthinkable in the Resident Evil 7 ! I felt safe in the village, with my arsenal and this foresight to feel that the battle will go on, in this great space that appears on my map. And I’ve never been wrong. So don’t rely on this opus. Ah, and no need to rely on infiltration or avoidance. Where it was sometimes necessary to play Baker, the powder is always right here.

If you are reading this review, you will understand, dear reader, dear reader, that episodes four and seven are often quoted. Because that resident Evil “huitage” happily borrows gimmicks from these two cult games. So it bothers me. But beware, hmm! Not because I’m talking about major threads already seen in these two monuments, but rather during the nine hours it took to complete the story I was pleasantly surprised by twists “but no” style a few times.

A rose that lacks spice

One of the great additions to this Gold Edition is theIntroducing the third-person perspective whether for the DLC shadow of the rose or the main adventure. Unfortunately, I very quickly had the feeling that this was not planned at all. In small restricted areas, we particularly admire the back of our character and we totally miss the effects meant to scare us. On the other hand, the visual comfort is good and anyone who swears by this view will be satisfied overall, even if you don’t have to be in cramped places.

The other contribution is obvious the DLC with rose, Ethan’s daughter. Time has passed, we find her as a teenager, bad in her skin and Said to have extraordinary powers. Well in real life it’s a bit of a scam his skills I’ll come back to that a little later. This content plays it beginning or The Evil Inside because after vague explanations, here Rose has magically invaded the consciousness of the Megamycetes. Her goal is pretty stupid too, which is to recover a wondrous crystal that should rid her of powers she no longer wants. Ah, but let’s talk about the latter: they boil down to stunning the enemies for a few seconds. That’s all ? Almost, Rose unlocks some super badass stuff, but of course at the very end of the final boss fight, big deal… Also, during the 2h30 of the DLC, we’re carrying around a young woman who’s traveling at a ridiculous speed! I, too, with my MS, have more vibrancy. As a result, the fights are often painfully difficult. There are some good action sequences, but it’s still disappointing. Otherwise, The sets are a lazy recycling of areas already present in the base game. The castle, the dollhouse, the village… No surprises, no inventions. Still, there’s a script opening at the very end that promises we’re not done with Rose.

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