Last night Capcom blew the doors wide open on the future of Resident Evil. A Resident Evil showcase gave us a release date for Resident Evil Village and our most substantial look at it yet, as well as the reveal of a new multiplayer game titled RE: Verse celebrating the series’ 25th anniversary and more.
To kick things off, Capcom debuted a trailer that finally divulged some information surrounding the plot and characters of Resident Evil Village. The trailer heavily features a very tall woman named Lady Dimitrescu who the entire internet wants to step on them, and who seems to lead a pack of witches/vampires who can transform into swarms of flies and haunt the player as they explore the massive castle at the heart of the village.
We’re finally provided with the reason for why Resident Evil 7: Biohazard’s protagonist Ethan Winters is in the titular village and castle too. It turns out that his daughter has gone missing, which leads me to believe Ethan is the worst family man ever. First his wife, now his kid. I shudder to think what or who he might lose next. Someone check on Ethan’s grandmother.
The twist though, as the trailer reveals, is that longtime Resident Evil character and sometimes-protagonist Chris Redfield may have had some part in the disappearance of Ethan’s daughter, and it’s likely up to us to figure out what exactly happened there.
The trailer also provides the RE Engine a chance to flex its muscles and show off the gaudy interiors of the castle, as well as some of the more disheveled denizens we might find in the tunnels predictably carved under it.
Before the story trailer is over, we get a look at a guy who looks vaguely out of Bloodborne, the best game ever, for what appears to be a boss fight.
Between trailers, it was announced that Resident Evil Village would be coming to PS4 and Xbox One as well as current-gen consoles and would be releasing on May 7, 2021.
The second of the two trailers shown off featured gameplay, which looks to be mostly the same following Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. The game is once again in first-person and the trailer shows off some of the situations you’ll find yourself in both inside and outside of the castle. Outside, there look to be beast hybrids (again kind of looking like Bloodborne) who swing hammers and lunge at you tons. Inside, we are once again transported to the caverns seemingly below the castle where things that most resemble typical zombies present a more typical encounter. In the halls of the main castle, we’re treated to an encounter with one of Dimitrescu’s witches in a way that resembles how Jack from Resident Evil 7 would seem to follow you and show up to throw you off.
Throughout, you get a glimpse of some returning and new features. For example, Resident Evil 4’s inventory system looks to be back in some way, and most of the same survival elements from previous titles look to be back too. They’re also introducing crafting, which looks to expand on the simple “combine” function that already exists in the majority of the series.
We also get our first look at the new merchant character, a large man called “The Duke” who you’ll often find in “different situations when you encounter him” according to producer Pete Fabiano, who narrates the trailer. He will provide weapons and your ability to upgrade them, as well as materials and recipes for crafting.
The traditional survival-horror experience of smashing pots and barrels for supplies is alive and well too, and there are teases of the same old Resident Evil bells and whistles, such as environmental puzzles, doors with strange faces or icons on them and secrets to find.
The Resident Evil Village portion of the showcase ended with the announcement of a demo which launched on PS5 exclusively immediately after the showcase. The demo doesn’t feature any combat or blocking, aiming to give players “a real feel for the visuals and audio” of Resident Evil Village. The demo places you in the shoes of a character only called “Maiden” as she explores the castle halls and faces much of the same dangers Ethan will in the main game. A different demo will be released on all available platforms later in the spring.
Shifting gears, producer Tsuyoshi Kanda took the lead on introducing everyone to a new multiplayer game being developed for the 25th anniversary of the series, which is set to pass on Mar. 22. The game, titled RE: Verse, is a competitive multiplayer game with a pop art style and cel-shaded graphics. It looks to pit every conceivable character in the franchise against each other and take you to familiar locations, like the Raccoon City Police Department. Among the notable inclusions are Jack Baker and the Molded enemies from Resident Evil 7, Ada Wong, and Nemesis as he appears in the recent Resident Evil 3 remake. will come free with the purchase of .
The celebrating continued as a representative from Ubisoft Massive (shockingly) came on to announce that there would be a cross-promotion event in Tom Clancy’s The Division 2. During the event, you will be able to “collect some of the iconic outfits and items from the original Resident Evil trilogy.” Just signing on during the event will net players Leon Kennedy’s RPD outfit. A trailer played which showed off even more outfits, such as those of the original STARS squad in Resident Evil.
Finally, a producer on the upcoming CG movie Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness appeared to give a small update on the film, which will be coming to Netflix later this year. It will center on Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy, the protagonists of Resident Evil 2 and is set a few years after Resident Evil 4, with Leon “looking sharp in a suit” and caught in another outbreak. I’m not joking when I say this was an actual touted detail of the film and I’m so excited for it.
That concluded the showcase, which shows that across all mediums, Resident Evil is alive and kicking.