Resident Evil Village is officially set to release later this week on consoles and PC, and the review embargo for Capcom’s latest and greatest Resident Evil video game just concluded. In general, the critical reaction seems to be pretty positive with the vast majority of early reviews seemingly clocking in at roughly 70 or above on Metacritic. We’ve pulled together a selection of critics’ reviews to give you an idea of what to expect when the video game comes out.
More specifically, Resident Evil Village is set to release for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC later this week on Friday, May 7th. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the upcoming Resident Evil video game right here.
Are you excited to check out Resident Evil Village when it releases later this week? Are you the kind of person that really follows reviews closely? Let us know in the comments, or feel free to reach out and hit me up directly over on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk about all things gaming! And keep reading to check out what critics are saying about the latest and greatest Resident Evil title.
ComicBook.com – Tanner Dedmon
“With as far as Village reaches and as much as it tries to incorporate into one short experience – one playthrough lasted just under 11 hours – it has more successes than shortcomings to show for its efforts. It’s not perfect, though it shows how Resident Evil can grow outside of its comfort zones while still managing to pay respects to history and satisfy all types of players.”
Rating: 4 out of 5
You can check out our review in full right here.
IGN – Tristan Ogilvie
“Roaming the streets of Resident Evil Village is like visiting a disturbing and deadly Disneyland, where every attraction is a house of horrors. I got just as big a thrill out of revelling in its frenzied violence as I did retracing my steps through the gradually revealed recesses of its sizable village setting to uncover the darkest story secrets of its monstrous main cast. Boss fights are a bit of a letdown but the great variety of enemies throughout keeps things tense, especially on Hardcore mode. The fact that it’s very much a throwback to the fast-paced action of Resident Evil 4 also means it largely takes a step back from the slow-burn scares of Resident Evil 7’s excellent opening hours, which may well disappoint those who prefer more psychological dread to blowing off heads. But if you have an itch for action-heavy survival-horror, then Resident Evil Village will scratch it like a fistfull of Lady Dimitrescu’s freakish fingernails.”
Rating: 8
You can check out IGN’s full review right here.
GameSpot – Phil Hornshaw
“Resident Evil 7 was an excellent return to the horror underpinnings of the franchise, but cunningly altered with new ideas and a new perspective. Similarly, Village is an intelligent reintroduction of the best action elements of Resident Evil. Though it captures some of the same things that made RE7 such a breath of fresh air (or maybe rancid, stale, mold-filled air, but in a good way), Village evolves to become its own unique creature. It makes you wonder what beautifully twisted fiend Resident Evil might mutate into in the future.”
Rating: 9
You can check out GameSpot’s full review right here.
VGC – Jon Bailes
“Resident Evil: Village, the eighth entry in the mainline series, follows on from its immediate predecessor, but splices its DNA with that of 2005’s seminal Resident Evil 4. It’s a volatile cocktail of formidable forces that slowly congeals into a potent combination.”
Rating: 4 out of 5
You can check out VGC’s full review right here.
PC Gamer – Andy Kelly
“Village can occasionally feel like half a dozen different horror games jammed together. But the strength and variety of its ideas, the quality of the art direction, and its darkly evocative atmosphere more than make up for it. It’s a bold and experimental horror game, but also one that leans into the series’ past glories—particularly Resident Evil 4. There’s a lot of Mikami’s 2005 reinvention here, from the enigmatic merchant and weapon upgrades, to the rural setting and corrupted villagers. But ultimately, Village is its own game with its own identity, and the elements it borrows from earlier sequels never define it. This is a quality horror game in its own right, and proof Resident Evil still has the power to thrill, surprise, and scare 25 years on.”
Rating: 85
You can check out PC Gamer’s full review right here.
Polygon – Suriel Vasquez
“Eventually, the swings between horror and action became so common that, moment to moment, I had no idea what I’d see next. That’s the cycle that Resident Evil Village keeps chasing: the hesitation, anticipation, and payoff that make both action and horror such powerful draws. It’s definitely an action game, and despite all the shooting, it’s also a horror game. And while it induces both creeping dread and righteous fury, its biggest triumph is in not-so-quietly arguing that horror and action aren’t that different after all. They’re both just ways to get your blood pumping.”
Rating: Polygon Recommends
You can check out Polygon’s full review right here.
GamesRadar+ – Leon Hurley
“I feel like I want to give Resident Evil Village a running commentary of scores, such is the range and variety of its sections: 8, 9 (…Jesus, maybe a 10?), 8, 7, 6… There’s so much going on but it chops and changes from beat to beat in such a way you can almost see the line between sections. Most noticeably it feels like there’s a real difference between the first and second half. The opening is strong, clever, and fun – full of atmosphere and intrigue as you explore (and features a part that’s probably one of the best stand-alone horror levels of the year). While the latter half veers into ‘okay’ territory, with some combat slogs, a boss fight that’s a bit of a stretch even by Resident Evil standards and, while it’s still good, it lacks the same spark and craft as the beginning.”
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
You can check out GamesRadar+’s full review right here.
VG247 – Alex Donaldson
“Resident Evil Village is an excellent and worthy sequel to RE7, even if it can’t quite meet that game’s heights – and action-lovers are in for a real treat.”
Rating: 4 out of 5
You can check out VG247’s full review right here.
