Resident Evil Village review roundup: Scary good

The 27th title of the Resident Evil series is upon us after a wave of remakes from last year as Resident Evil Village releases on 7th May 2021 for PS5, Xbox SX and PC for all to rejoice in.

The game, developed and published by Capcom, is a continuation of the events of Resident Evil 7, set three years in the future.

Our protagonist, Ethan, has to get his daughter Rosemary after his wife is murdered cold-blooded and the family is kidnapped and taken to Transylvania.

With an array of creatures and a winter setting like no other, the village is full of life (and death) to explore and based on the reviews so far, it is worth looking in every nook and cranny of the place.

Check out the Resident Evil Village review roundup, featuring comments from the top critics.

Resident Evil Village Metacritic average

The Resident Evil Village title is being well-received across all platforms with Metacritic scores of 84/100 on PlayStation 5, 82/100 on Xbox Series X and an 85/100 on PC.

The averages are a sum of a total of 88 critic reviews before release day.

(Picture: Capcom)

At the time of writing, it is roughly 24 hours before the release of Resident Evil Village so the Metacritic score isn’t final and is subject to change. Metacritic will be your best friend when it comes to hearing from journalists and players alike so check out their user reviews before opening your wallet just for the hype.

Resident Evil Village Review Roundup

In this section, we take a look at what some of the top critics have to say about Resident Evil Village.

Please note full credit goes to the publications featured, as well as their quotes used to summarize what the critics say about Resident Evil Village in this review roundup.

IGN - 8/10

• Read IGN's full Resident Evil Village Review

"Roaming the streets of Resident Evil Village is like visiting a disturbing and deadly Disneyland, where every attraction is a house of horrors. I got just as big a thrill out of revelling in its frenzied violence as I did retracing my steps through the gradually revealed recesses of its sizable village setting to uncover the darkest story secrets of its monstrous main cast."

“Boss fights are a bit of a letdown but the great variety of enemies throughout keeps things tense, especially on Hardcore mode."

"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 fistful of Lady Dimitrescu's freakish fingernails."

Gamespot - 9/10

• Read Gamespot's full Resident Evil Village review

“Resident Evil 7 was an excellent return to the horror underpinnings of the franchise, but cunningly altered with new ideas and a new perspective. Similarly, 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.”

(Picture: Capcom)

The Guardian - 4/5

• Read The Guardian's full Resident Evil Village Review

“Resident Evil 7 reminded us why we loved this series in the first place, and now Village has taken tentative steps towards embracing the changes in pace and direction that Resident Evil 4 introduced.”

“It does so with guile and relish, and without ever losing sight of the uncanny dread and pulsating body horror that made Resident Evil 1 and 2 so wonderful. This is a game that does nothing really new, that looks constantly backwards, that doesn’t really make any sense – but does it all incredibly well. It’s a sublime puzzle box dripping in blood, gore and truly abysmal dialogue. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

(Picture: Capcom)

VG247 - 4/5

• Read VG247's full Resident Evil Village Review

“Taken alone, any one slice of the game – like a single house, the village itself, even the way combat handles – has its issues. But combined, it merges into something that’s still special – even if it isn’t quite as brilliant as Resident Evil 7 or 2 Remake. It’s an easy recommendation – though if you didn’t back in 2017, you might want to play RE7 first.”

(Picture: Capcom)

EGM Now - 4/5

• Read EGM Now's full Resident Evil Village Review

“Still, despite its handful of missteps and missed opportunities, Resident Evil Village truly does feel like a culmination and expansion of what RE7 promised us as a reinvention of the series. By starting from a more expansive view of horror, Capcom has brought back a sense of the unexpected.”

“When you wrap up Village, you’re not just thinking about what you’ve played, but wondering, with no small measure of excitement, where the series goes from here. What does Village’s (fittingly bananas) post-credits teaser mean for a sequel? What kind of horror will Capcom tap into next?”

(Picture: Capcom)

“After zombies and fungus and werewolves and vampires, anything seems possible. For a franchise that’s now a quarter-century old, that’s not a bad place to be.”

ScreenRant - 4.5/5

• Read ScreenRant's full Resident Evil Village Review

“Capcom has managed to make a game that feels both familiar and fresh at the same time. It's not a complete overhaul, but rather a refinement of the series as a whole. Resident Evil Village is a gorgeous innovation that preserves the heart of a beloved franchise, and continues a string of excellent mainline entries that will dazzle veterans and newcomers alike.”

(Picture: Capcom)

Game Informer - 9.25/10

• Read Game Informer's full Resident Evil Village Review

“Resident Evil Village is an impressive package. Village expands on Resident Evil 7: Biohazard’s approach to first-person combat, offering a series of white-knuckle encounters that perfectly complement Capcom’s unnerving environmental design.”

“Thankfully, Village’s amplified action doesn’t diminish its horror. If anything, Village maintains a sense of dread that few games can match. If you have the intestinal fortitude for intense terror, playing Resident Evil Village is a great way to check your pulse."

(Picture: Capcom)

After all, Resident Evil’s latest instalment seems to be a huge hit amongst the critics and the reception has been kind to the franchise.

To summarize, if you are a Resident Evil fan at heart, Village should be both a breath of fresh air and a walk back memory lane all in the same title. 

• Read more: Resident Evil 4 VR announced for Oculus Quest 2

Make sure you don't miss the title’s launch special on 7th May 2021. Check out the full release event details are listed in our following piece.