Resident Evil Village
Common Sense Media Review
By Paul Semel , based on child development research. How do we rate?
Mature, gory survival horror scares up intensely good play.
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Resident Evil Village
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 18 parent reviews
What’s It About?
A direct sequel to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, RESIDENT EVIL VILLAGE has that previous game's hero, Ethan Winters, living a rather pleasant life with his wife and their new baby when his home is invaded, his wife is shot, and he's kidnapped. But after he escapes and follows his kidnapper's footprints into the woods, Ethan finds himself in a strange village infested with flesh-eating mutants that's run by a weird family who apparently enjoy toying with mortals. That's just the beginning of this nightmare, which includes werewolves, vampires, and other horrific monsters. It's a good thing our hero has a variety of weapons and a willingness to break into people's homes and take their stuff. He's going to need all that and his intellect to survive this nightmare and figure out why this is happening.
Is It Any Good?
Following in the bloody footsteps of the previous game, this survival horror game is freaky, frightening, and oh, so exciting. Set after the events of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Resident Evil Village has you searching a weird village, only to find that the residents include mutants, werewolves, and a rather freaky family. Playing from a first-person perspective, you spend much of your time in firefights against a variety of monsters, including slow-moving zombies, strange bird people, and some gigantic monsters that don't go down easily. It's a good thing that to react and have a chance to face off against these threats, the game has rock-solid controls that are highly responsive. You also have to search high and low for more ammo and other resources, while also finding ways to open up new areas of the town -- which often requires that you solve some rather clever puzzles.
But what makes this more than just another gun game is how downright scary it can be. Not only is the town always overcast, but the spare use of music and often deafening silence really puts you on edge, which is all the better when something leaps out at you. Unlike the previous game, Village has a lot more action, and variety in combat scenarios, which feels similar to an even earlier installment in the franchise, 2005's Resident Evil 4. There are moments when you're unarmed, and others where you have to piece together clues to make progress. You'll have the option to go hunting and fishing, which turns out to be very helpful for Ethan in his fight to survive. You'll also have to escape Indiana Jones-like death traps, and run away from some rather imposing enemies until you've got the items and the weapons to face off with them. All of which makes Resident Evil Village a terrible day for our hero, but a very scary and very exciting European vacation for you.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in video games. Is the impact of the violence in Resident Evil Village affected by the fact that you're attacking and killing monsters? Would the impact be intensified if you were attacking and killing people instead? Does the bloodshed and gore add anything to this game, or is it done merely to shock and desensitize players?
How far would you go to save someone you love? And how far would you expect someone to go for you? Does this give you a different perspective on the actions and motivations of a parent in tough situations?
Game Details
- Platforms: Google Stadia , PlayStation 4 , PlayStation 5 , Windows , Xbox One , Xbox Series X/S
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Capcom
- Release date: May 7, 2021
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Adventures , Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- ESRB rating: M for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Last updated: January 15, 2022
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