ORIGINAL REVIEW FROM 06-07-2021

This review's been a long time coming, but given how much this game borrows from Resident Evil 4, I wanted to play that game for just a smidge beforehand to see how they compare. I'm a ways off from beating 4, but it was an interesting comparison all the same.

So! You may recall that I was lukewarm on RE7 as a game. It was a great story and had atmosphere in spades, but lacked that kind of gameplay-driven horror and enemy design that made REMake and RE2 2019 such sublime games. RE8 isn't quite like either: Again, its an RE4-type game. That's honestly the direction I would have went with too if I was in charge of 8, and while it lacks a lot of what made that game's gunplay so sublime, it makes up for it by also mixing in elements from all past RE entries into a game bursting at the seams with variety.

But its variety in the good way, where everything still feels like Resident Evil. You get your RE3 Nemesis stalker in Dimitrescu's, brief ambient RE7 horror in the Bieniviento house, more typical RE2-style play at Moreau's, dangerous enemies in a threating maze at Heisenberg's a la RE1...there's even some love paid to RE6-style action near the end, and inbetween all of these major sections the base gameplay simply SCREAMS RE4 in the best way possible. While the 1st person camera isn't perfect for either action or horror, this game shows its utility in bridging the gap between them: The action of a first-person shooter that utilizes the horror that comes from that claustrophobic view.

It's a miracle the game ends up being as fun as it is whilst still stretching itself this thin, but it absolutely still is. Nothing about its gameplay is truly outstanding, but its all polished extremely well and in such large quantities of variety whilst still being paced well. So while I can see this not being everyone's FAVORITE RE game, I find it hard to imagine there are many RE fans who could outright dislike it. Playing on the "too easy" Normal difficulty, ammo was never really an issue, yet still remained satisfying to maintain and collect.

I have a few minor gripes, I suppose. Sprinting by clicking in the stick has never felt right in games, and I do still wish the game had some SOME extra depth to its gunplay, even something as simple as RE4/5's melee attack system would've sufficed. There's a lot they could've done to make the experience tighter toward either action or horror but the important part is that they NAILED the pace and progression, which are the two most important things to nail when your foundation is solid.

I'm also not sure if I'm entiiirely on board with the shop system, both here and in RE4? Though shop mechanics tend to make me anxious in most games without infinite money. I also still really don't like knife combat just as I didn't in 7 but I'm sure that's on purpose on some level. The story's great too: While 7's story was great in a self-contained way, it lacked a bit of that iconic Resident Evil camp. This game did a fantastic job tying 7 and this game to the rest of the series as well as making it a more enjoyable romp in general. Not much else to say here, reviews like this are like the least interesting for me to write because I pretty much just agree with what everyone else has said lol.

The game's fantastic!!! Though if I'm to be honest, I think I prefer RE2Make a slight bit more despite thinking its more flawed. RE2Make stumbles around haaaard in a few places. Puzzles aren't always great, the dark-hallway visuals kinda get samey, Mr.X overstays his welcome, the bosses are mediocre, et cetera. But its combat and map design are PEAK Resi: 8, whilst solid all around, lacks those highs. Resident Evil Village feels like a big banquet celebration of the series and sticks the landing despite trying to do so much. Its not groundbreakingly stellar in any one area yet unbelievably solid as an all-round package.

Playtime: 25 hours
Key word: Buffet