A Brief Review of Resident Evil 8 Villages without Spoilers: An Ambitious Work that combines Tradition and Innovation

Game
Game
2024-10-09

preface

Since its release in 2017, Resident Evil 7 has been seen by some players as an alternative existence. After all, the innovative perspective, the new "shameless protagonist" Ethan, and the plot that is relatively detached from the main storyline of the series, all make it controversial and still ongoing today. However, the cumulative sales of 8.5 million units worldwide are enough to prove the success of the 7th generation, and aside from the controversy over game perspectives and plot settings, its essence is indeed the "survival horror" that the Resident Evil series adheres to.

Four years have passed, and after two consecutive remakes, the "Resident Evil" series has finally welcomed a legitimate sequel. Can this hidden "Village" with serial number VIII meet the expectations of fans?

UCG 513 will publish a comprehensive collection of strategies and challenge insights for "Resident Evil 8 Villages"

Bilibili viewing address

Perspectives and visuals

Resident Evil 8 Villages continues the isolated perspective of the 7th generation and is built with an evolved version of the RE engine. Compared to the previous two remakes, the overall visual style of this game places more emphasis on realism, and has made significant progress with the added functionality of the next-generation console.

Even though the 8th generation does not place great emphasis on terror, the limited field of view and overwhelming impact created by subjective perspectives still make the perilous environment and terrifying enemies more oppressive. Moreover, there are significant differences in visual styles among different scenes, such as dilapidated and abandoned villages, extremely luxurious castles, damp and decaying reservoirs, highly mechanized factories... Players will experience significant visual changes when traveling between different areas.

However, even on the next-generation consoles PS5 and XSX, there are still a few issues with visible texture refresh delays in the large scenes in this game, and the frequency is not low. As for the dizziness and physiological discomfort that subjective perspectives can easily cause, although it varies from person to person, it cannot be ignored. The length of the process and combat intensity of this game should also be taken into consideration when not corresponding to VR devices.

Whether players in

can accept the subjective perspective of "Resident Evil" will greatly influence their evaluation of this game.

Gameplay Core

If the 7th generation is the first generation of Resident Evil, who wants to return to the origin of the series, it presents a sense of urgency for survival terror with limited resources. So, Resident Evil 8 Villages is benchmarking against Resident Evil 4, which also led the series of innovations in 2005. Not only did the merchants return, but even the prop bar perfectly paid tribute to the 4th generation, allowing players to freely place, adjust, and expand.

The puzzle solving section was further weakened in Resident Evil 8 Villages, and the proportion of battles was greatly increased. The number of enemies on the same screen increased significantly, and there were dropped items after being knocked down. Therefore, the significance of combat is not only to survive and pass the level, but also to accumulate funds for acquiring and transforming weapons.

The previously criticized shortcomings of Resident Evil 7- a limited variety of monsters and slightly monotonous battles - were completely compensated for in Resident Evil 8 Village. Villages, castles, and factories all have exclusive miscellaneous soldiers, and the werewolf is a brand new monster that is much more difficult to deal with than previous zombies or mushroom beasts. In addition, there are various elite enemy soldiers, coupled with rich weapons and upgraded enhancement systems, which will definitely make players who are passionate about fighting enjoy it.

However, the game's design of bosses seems to be overly focused on "massification". Large bosses undoubtedly have a unique visual impact and are more impactful in the process of plot performance. However, at the same time, it is also easy to make battles tend to become more patterned, reducing the level of richness in gameplay. In fact, there were similar issues in the early versions of Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6. The impressive bosses in Resident Evil 7 were actually those with relatively normal body sizes, which is actually a common problem in many similar games today.

Although "big" is good, sometimes "big" can easily lead to battles becoming more streamlined.

Process and Playability

Due to the negative public opinion caused by "Resident Evil 3 Remake", the length of the process in "Resident Evil 8 Villages" has always been one of the most concerning topics for fans. Overall, the main storyline of this game is more substantial compared to its predecessor, and the clearance time is also longer.

In this plot, the four nobles each correspond to a scene area. As the central village, it contains a large collection of elements and requires multiple trips, while the surrounding areas correspond to different gameplay themes and visual styles. The rhythm of the game will also change accordingly with the scene transition. In addition, there are also branches of "treasure hunting" and "hunting" interspersed in the process, which are used to obtain funds, weapons, or to make dishes and improve abilities

Of course, even if the branch line is completely ignored, it has no impact on customs clearance. These branches do not dominate, but rather make the overall rhythm appear relaxed and moderate, rather than blindly engaging in high-intensity battles. Based on the premise of full collection, the average first appearance time of over ten hours per week is definitely the longest work in the series since Biochemistry 6.

In addition to achievements and trophies, the game has over 90 built-in challenge goals, and with the addition of "mercenary mode", it has returned. Whether players prefer to repeatedly pass through the storyline mode, strengthen weapons to fight monsters, or enjoy constantly honing and challenging high scores in mercenary mode, Resident Evil 8 Villages is definitely guaranteed in terms of playability.

Merchant Returns, he is the most reliable guarantee for players to venture into Longtan alone and face strong enemies.

No spoilers talk about the plot

Resident Evil 8 Villages also demonstrates ambition in terms of plot, and once players suffer from spoilers, the game experience will be greatly compromised. If you want to evaluate it without involving the core content, it can be said that the plot of this game is among the top in the series, and the "magical" elements that players were worried about before the release are actually explained accordingly.

The plot of Resident Evil 8 Villages not only follows the 7th generation, but also adds a key foreshadowing from the previous work, completely enriching the image of Ethan Winters as the "shameless male lead", and the relationship with the main storyline of the Resident Evil series is also closer. Towards the end, there are frequent "digging holes", which makes people eagerly anticipate the development of the story in the future. In addition, the Chinese dubbing still maintains a high level, especially the outstanding performance of the female city lord and several daughters, which is unforgettable.

Ethan Winters, who never showed his face from beginning to end, has been elevated through this work.

epilogue

The subjective perspective adopted since the 7th generation, like a double-edged sword, may discourage some players, but if they can accept this perspective and enjoy the core gameplay of Resident Evil 4, I believe that Resident Evil 8 will satisfy players in many places.

Although the official plan for the subsequent DLC has not yet been announced, we still hope that this game can inherit the fine tradition of the 7th generation, continue to enrich the gameplay and continue the popularity with high-quality and diverse additional DLCs, after all, RE: VERSE will not be released until summer.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Resident Evil series, and there are still many works that fans can look forward to.