The first-person perspective plays an important role – now Ethan speaks more often with an inner voice, which is important for psychologism and demonstrating the state of the protagonist throughout the passage.
At the same time, the developers understood that in the seventh part, the hero was more of a walking camera, and the plot focused on other characters – however, in Capcom affection for the hero appeared, and the story could be continued. As a result, the RE Village narrative revolves around Ethan.
“The developers want to make the hero so that people begin to sympathize with him as much as the developers themselves. They want to show the real Ethan Winters and why he’s cool“.
Chris Redfield will also become an important part of the plot, where the developers want to plunge into the darkest traits of the character of the hero, which were previously only slightly hinted at. But his role is kept secret.
The place of action was a forgotten village without a name: “There is a historical reason, which you will learn during the walkthrough, why this place does not have its own name“.
It is also “Death village“:”Goat heads hang from tree branches, and horse carcasses and other carcasses are scattered across the streets.“.
Despite this, the village turned out to be “beautiful, but full of shadows” – the goal was to create something aesthetically pleasing and at the same time the most grotesque in the history of Resident Evil. Naturally beautiful with a “dark seamy side”.
The philosophy of Resident Evil 8 is to balance moments of quiet and dark horror with adrenaline-filled survival skirmishes. To do this, they created the largest locations for the series to focus on survival with strategic elements.
Particularly much attention is paid to the ability to attack through defense: there are many interactive elements in the village, thanks to which you can deal with opponents much more effectively. For example, being on top, Ethan can throw enemies into the abyss, and a shot at a bag of flour will disorient them.
“Village has a much greater focus on momentary gameplay – players have to choose the paths to go on the go, come up with strategies and improvise to survive“.
The preview tells a lot about a new type of enemy – lycans (or werewolves). They are smart and cunning: if the player did not notice the enemy, then he can wait on the roofs or in the bushes, preparing to set up an ambush. However, their behavior changes if they hunt alone or in a pack.
Werewolves were created taking into account the open and vertical design of the environment of the eighth part – they can even run on walls and roofs, and with proper preparation, sprint on four legs.
The magazine describes two scenes with lycans – one resembles a moment from Resident evil 4, where at the beginning of the passage the player will have to fight with them in an open location, but after the bell rings, they will retreat.
In the second episode, Ethan finds himself in a grain field, which the werewolves begin to fill. The player does not see them, but can understand the location of enemies by the sounds and movement of the stalks of the grain.
It is also worth considering here: you can try to shoot at the approximate location of enemies in the hope of killing at least some of them, or wait until they come closer – however, this is more dangerous.
Hunting animals such as chickens, pigs and horses will become an important part of the gameplay – meat, eggs and other similar things have become the basis for pumping the hero, thanks to which he can increase the level of health or temporarily increase the speed of movement.
The developers also believe that they managed to implement the best puzzles in the history of the series – they are not too difficult or simple, but perfectly integrated into the world and the plot. They don’t seem like “random” or “jigsaw puzzles”. Each of them has its own “charisma”.
“Also, the developers are well aware that horror is not only about a collision with a monster. It includes working with the imagination, creating tension, false expectations, balance and creativity, and that quiet episodes are often more important than loud ones.“.
Overall, Capcom expects to make Resident Evil Village the quintessential 25-year history of the series, presenting players with an ultimate horror game with intense scenes and graceful action. The task was as follows: “What has worked for us in the past and how can we improve it?“.
Resident Evil Village launches May 7 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One and PC. The day after tomorrow, April 16 at 01:00 Moscow time, the developers will hold a presentation showing fresh footage and, probably, the release of a gameplay demo.
Other illustrations from GI
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