I'm not sure how common this feeling was but I was a little disappointed when RE8 was shown off and they didn't use the gameplay style they established in RE2make and went back to RE7. Don't get me wrong, I definitely didn't dislike 7 but it's not exactly a type of game I really feel much value in doing multiple playthroughs thanks to it's emphasis on cinematic moments. I was also, kind of concerned how that would combine with the more action focus now that it's trying to be more like RE4 than RE1.
How was that like actually playing though? In some ways it works out better than I expected and in some ways exactly like I thought. Similar to RE7, it kind of takes a minute to actually feel like your proper in the game. Luckily, a lot of it is proper cutscenes and not just walking around so you can skip most of it on repeat playthroughs so that's a huge plus. Unfortunately there are a lot of little scripted moments, chase moments that I don't really find all that interesting. The moment right after you meet the four lords was really dumb. I feel like they were meaning for it to be a tense moment but a lot of it you could just casually walk through and be completely fine. I know people like to talk about how Lady D should've been in the game more but she wasn't offering a lot as a chase monster since she wasn't exactly threatening from a gameplay or story perspective. That being said, the fish chase segment was even worse in this regard. I can't even tell you if he can even kill you during that section since he didn't even hit me. I wasn't exactly being super careful either. The dollhouse section was pretty effective though. I can't see it being that way on a second playthrough now that I know when the scary chase moments happens. Either way its also thankfully short at least.
The factory was easily the best part of the game for me. It balanced out action, exploration, and some light puzzle solving as well as some minor chase moments. I kind of think my opinion of this game would've been higher if most of the game was paced more like that section. Most of the boss fights were pretty great too. The final boss in particular was a stand out moment. I do however find the 4 weapon slots were straining towards the end. I get the limitation on some level for console players but since I was playing on PC, I just couldn't help but look over at all the unused numbers on my keyboard. This was already something I thought about in 2 and 3 remake but Village has so many weapons that I usually just found it easier to play it like RE4 and just menu when I needed to switch.
As for the story, I think Ethan and the main villains motivations were pretty good. I do kind of feel like it's getting away from what works in an RE game since it feels way more magical than science fiction. It does seem like the set up for 9 will lean back towards sci-fi though. I also find some of the lore implications for the whole series a bit questionable. Also, they did my boy Chris pretty dirty with the opening and the information he held back for no good reason. Please Capcom, let Chris retire. He doesn't deserve this.
How was that like actually playing though? In some ways it works out better than I expected and in some ways exactly like I thought. Similar to RE7, it kind of takes a minute to actually feel like your proper in the game. Luckily, a lot of it is proper cutscenes and not just walking around so you can skip most of it on repeat playthroughs so that's a huge plus. Unfortunately there are a lot of little scripted moments, chase moments that I don't really find all that interesting. The moment right after you meet the four lords was really dumb. I feel like they were meaning for it to be a tense moment but a lot of it you could just casually walk through and be completely fine. I know people like to talk about how Lady D should've been in the game more but she wasn't offering a lot as a chase monster since she wasn't exactly threatening from a gameplay or story perspective. That being said, the fish chase segment was even worse in this regard. I can't even tell you if he can even kill you during that section since he didn't even hit me. I wasn't exactly being super careful either. The dollhouse section was pretty effective though. I can't see it being that way on a second playthrough now that I know when the scary chase moments happens. Either way its also thankfully short at least.
The factory was easily the best part of the game for me. It balanced out action, exploration, and some light puzzle solving as well as some minor chase moments. I kind of think my opinion of this game would've been higher if most of the game was paced more like that section. Most of the boss fights were pretty great too. The final boss in particular was a stand out moment. I do however find the 4 weapon slots were straining towards the end. I get the limitation on some level for console players but since I was playing on PC, I just couldn't help but look over at all the unused numbers on my keyboard. This was already something I thought about in 2 and 3 remake but Village has so many weapons that I usually just found it easier to play it like RE4 and just menu when I needed to switch.
As for the story, I think Ethan and the main villains motivations were pretty good. I do kind of feel like it's getting away from what works in an RE game since it feels way more magical than science fiction. It does seem like the set up for 9 will lean back towards sci-fi though. I also find some of the lore implications for the whole series a bit questionable. Also, they did my boy Chris pretty dirty with the opening and the information he held back for no good reason. Please Capcom, let Chris retire. He doesn't deserve this.