Resident Evil Village Critic Roundup

One of the biggest games of the year finally arrives later this week on May 7, and with it critics have shared their opinions on Resident Evil Village before the world gets their hands on it this Friday.

In our review, we really loved the atmospheric open setting which is crammed with some exciting set pieces, but found that the action-orientated direction lost some of the charm found in Resident Evil VII.

With that being said, there are a lot of opinions out there from many different Resident Evil fans, so we've rounded up just a few of the multiple reviews that have hit the internet this afternoon.

Push Square (9/10)

While the Resident Evil series has been on a high for a number of years now, Resident Evil Village sets an entirely new standard. Its cast of villains is up there with the very best, memorable sequences and gameplay sections beg to be played over and over again, and a sense of constant dread created by the atmosphere and soundtrack keeps you on the edge of your seat.

GameSpot (9/10)

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.

IGN (8/10)

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.

Video Games Chronicle (4/5)

Resident Evil: Village is a powerful monster, bolting together parts from Resident Evils 7, 4 and more besides. It’s longer than recent games in the series, yet still feels trim and sculpted as it shifts between it wide range of locations and set pieces. The downside of its eclectic approach is some unevenness and less tension, especially in a relatively weak opening act. But its eventual blend of parts is gloriously big, daft and fuelled by the finest of nightmares.

GamesRadar (3.5/5)

One thought that kept popping into my head while I was playing was just remembering how good Resident Evil 7 was. I recently completed another playthrough in preparation for this (along with some Revelations and Veronica, just because) and number 7's reverse home invasion slasher terror is still up there as one of the greatest horror games of all time. Resident Evil Village is an enjoyable, occasionally silly, monster hunt that's entertaining but almost completely resets all the incredible work Resident Evil 7 did to reinvent the series.

Pure Xbox (7/10)

Resident Evil Village may not quite live up to the highs of its terrifying predecessor but it's a still a solid entry in the long-running series that's well worth checking out. Eastern Europe makes for a fantastically atmospheric and surprisingly open setting here, it's chock full of delightfully oddball characters and features a handful of properly entertaining set-pieces to blast through. There may well be a few rough edges, with a rather painful protagonist and some duff boss battles to contend with but, overall, this is one truly messed up village that's well worth a visit.

It seems the general consensus is very positive of the next entry, but in some cases, critics feel it doesn't reach the same horrific heights as Resident Evil VII. The turn to a more action-packed focus may prove divisive for fans of its predecessor.

There are only a few scores for the Xbox version on Metacritic currently, so the average will likely change throughout the day, but the PlayStation 5 version is now sitting on a general score of 84 based on around 50 reviews.

Are you picking up Resident Evil Village this week? Let us know in the comments below.