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165-594: Resident Evil Village is a 2021 survival horror game developed and published by Capcom . It is the sequel to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017) and the tenth main game of the Resident Evil series. Players control Ethan Winters , who searches for his kidnapped daughter in a village filled with mutant creatures. Village maintains survival horror elements from previous games, with players scavenging environments for items and managing resources while adding more action-oriented gameplay, with higher enemy counts and

330-721: A Famitsu interview, producers Kanda and Peter Fabiano said that they considered the village a character, and wanted to reflect that in the stylization of the title so that players would remember it. Development on the game was hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan , at one point bringing the development process to a halt for a month. "You'll find that many of the enemies that appear in Resident Evil Village are inspired by many figures you might find in classic or gothic horror. However, in order for them to make sense in

495-400: A first-person perspective and encourages resource management and puzzle-solving, more akin to earlier entries in the franchise. Many of these earlier entries were also remade with modern graphics while retaining their survival horror aspects with the remakes of Resident Evil 2 , Resident Evil 3 , and Resident Evil 4 . After these were well received, other games were remade, such as

660-567: A first-person perspective , and has the option for a third-person perspective . It is set in a snowy explorable European village, described as "pulled straight from the Victorian era " and much larger and more immersive than its predecessor. Structures and buildings in the central village can be climbed and used to fight enemies. Compared to Biohazard , the game is more action focused, with protagonist Ethan Winters equipped with more combat skills due to military training. The game's primary enemies,

825-561: A Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA) assault force distracts Miranda. Chris enters a cave beneath the village and discovers the Megamycete, the source of the mold. He plants a bomb on the Megamycete and finds Miranda's lab, learning that she has lived a century since coming into contact with the fungus, and was a mentor to the Umbrella Corporation 's founder Oswell E. Spencer; Oswell used her knowledge to develop

990-399: A balancing act between giving Ethan his own personality, but also helping the player imagine that it could be them, reacting in the same way." — Resident Evil Village scriptwriter Antony Johnston, GamesRadar+ in 2021 In Resident Evil 7: Biohazard , players take Ethan's viewpoint as an embodied presence as opposed to an on-screen avatar. The game's goal for players is to advance

1155-408: A derelict plantation in a small Louisiana town called Dulvey. He locates and rescues Mia, but she abruptly becomes hostile and attacks Ethan while attempting to flee, dismembering his hand with a chainsaw. Ethan attacks her in self defense, landing a seemingly fatal blow on her before encountering Jack Baker, who incapacitates and abducts him. Ethan wakes up to a dinner event where several members of

1320-576: A greater emphasis on combat. Resident Evil Village was announced at the PlayStation 5 reveal event in June 2020 and was released for PlayStation 4 , PlayStation 5, Stadia , Windows , Xbox One , and Xbox Series X/S on May 7, 2021. This was followed by a macOS version and a cloud version for Nintendo Switch in October 2022, and a PlayStation VR2 version on February 22, 2023. An iOS version

1485-404: A horrific setting and atmosphere without the overuse of violence or gore. In 2010, the cult game Deadly Premonition by Access Games was notable for introducing open world nonlinear gameplay and a comedy horror theme to the genre. Five Nights at Freddy's effectively incorporated jump scares into the genre with the first game in the series releasing in 2014. Further evolution of

1650-498: A horror game released that year was Sega 's arcade game Monster Bash , which introduced classic horror-movie monsters, including the likes of Dracula , Frankenstein's monster , and werewolves , helping to lay the foundations for future survival horror games. Its 1986 remake Ghost House had gameplay specifically designed around the horror theme, featuring haunted house stages full of traps and secrets, and enemies that were fast, powerful, and intimidating, forcing players to learn

1815-431: A large chalk artwork of a Lycan creature to be drawn on a hillside at Somerset . The artwork was 58 meters high and over 100 meters long. In Japan, the game was released in two versions to comply with local regulations, a CERO Z version that is legally restricted to ages 18 and up, and a CERO D version with less violence that is available to ages 17 and up with no legal restrictions. Both versions contain less violence than

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1980-404: A limited inventory, while battling or escaping from horrifying creatures, which could lead to permanent death for any of the characters, thus creating tension and an emphasis on survival. It was also the first attempt at creating a scary and frightening storyline within a game, mainly told through scattered diary entries left behind fifty years before the events of the game. Developed by Capcom ,

2145-595: A mission for the BSAA. As she and her escort drive off into the distance, an unknown figure approaches the vehicle. Resident Evil Village was in development for approximately three and a half years before its announcement in June 2020. Capcom asked the Resident Evil team to start development on August 8, 2016, while Resident Evil 7 was still about a half a year from release, according to director Morimasa Sato. Without having RE7 's release to judge its success,

2310-401: A new life with their newborn daughter Rosemary. One night, Chris and his Hound Wolf squad raid the house, assassinate Mia, and abduct Ethan and Rosemary. Ethan awakens next to a crashed transport truck in which he was riding, and discovers a village terrorized by werewolf-like creatures called Lycans. Ethan fails to save the remaining villagers and is captured by Karl Heisenberg and brought before

2475-501: A primary option, such as a limited number of weapons or invulnerable enemies; if weapons are available, their ammunition is sparser than in other games, and powerful weapons such as explosives are rare, if even available at all. Thus, players are more vulnerable than in action games , and the hostility of the environment sets up a narrative where the odds are weighed decisively against the avatar. This shifts gameplay away from direct combat, and players must learn to evade enemies or turn

2640-549: A relatable protagonist. Ray Porreca thought that the "murky" environments of Resident Evil 7 conflicted with Ethan's slightly formal attire, delineating him as "what a modern hero can look like". Porreca noted Ethan is at odds of what constitutes a conventional Resident Evil protagonist, and felt an unskilled everyman who survives against overwhelming odds, subverting player's expectations of "a game [ Resident Evil 7] that upsets tradition to restore some glory to its name". The Escapist ' s Audric Figueroa agreed that Ethan

2805-461: A remnant Hound Wolf Squad have recently acquired. Shortly after entering, an entity calling itself "Michael" makes contact with her, only communicating through writing. He provides Rose resources and enhancements to her abilities, though suggests she leave on multiple occasions. Rose eventually learns of that "Michael" is actually Ethan after he is forced to physically interfere to save her from Eveline. Files reveal that his consciousness survived through

2970-472: A reservoir in close proximity to the village and is described as a " merman ". Karl Heisenberg, who can manipulate electromagnetic fields, leads a group of Soldat simulacra from a contemporary factory. All houses respond to a supreme leader figure called Mother Miranda, the witch -like ruler of the village who is a "presence worshipped by the villagers." Three years after Resident Evil 7 , Ethan and Mia have been relocated to Europe by Chris Redfield to start

3135-426: A result, frequently tell much of their story second-hand through the usage of journals, texts, or audio logs. While many action games feature lone protagonists versus swarms of enemies in a suspenseful environment, survival horror games are distinct from otherwise horror-themed action games. They tend to de-emphasize combat in favor of challenges such as hiding or running from enemies and solving puzzles. Still, it

3300-636: A return to form for the series due to several developmental decisions taken by Climax Studios . This included the decision to openly break the fourth wall by psychologically profiling the player, and the decision to remove any weapons from the game, forcing the player to run whenever they see an enemy. Examples of independent survival horror games are the Penumbra series and Amnesia: The Dark Descent by Frictional Games , Nightfall: Escape by Zeenoh, Cry of Fear by Team Psykskallar and Slender: The Eight Pages , all of which were praised for creating

3465-543: A serum from components across the plantation that can cure Mia and herself. Ethan's journey leads him to battle other members of the Baker family and the Molded, humanoid monstrosities created by Eveline. He ultimately cures Mia who successfully regains control of herself. Mia reveals she was employed by a criminal syndicate to act as Eveline's handler but succumbed to her influence. Ethan confronts Eveline and dispatches her with

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3630-417: A six-player online multiplayer third-person shooter game titled Resident Evil Re:Verse , developed by NeoBards Entertainment. Originally meant to launch on the same day as the main game, the game was delayed until summer 2021, and was delayed again before releasing on October 28, 2022, for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. Lady Dimitrescu, a character who rose in popularity prior to the game's release,

3795-513: A special rite, and that she can be restored if Ethan recovers the other flasks, held by the remaining lords. While killing Beneviento and Moreau for their flasks, Ethan learns Hound Wolf is also in the village. Ethan passes a test from Heisenberg for the fourth flask and is invited to the lord's factory, where Heisenberg proposes they defeat Miranda together. Ethan refuses, once he learns Heisenberg intends to weaponize Rosemary, and escapes. Ethan encounters and confronts Chris over Mia's death, learning

3960-491: A subgenre of survival video games that include horror game elements. The player character is vulnerable and under-armed, which puts emphasis on puzzle-solving and evasion, rather than the player taking an offensive strategy. Games commonly challenge the player to manage their inventory and ration scarce resources such as ammunition. Another major theme throughout the genre is that of isolation. Typically, these games contain relatively few non-player characters and, as

4125-439: A tendency throughout the games for Ethan to suffer from serious injury or complete dismemberment of his limbs, particularly his hands, and an ability to quickly heal or re-attach them with little effort. In her discussion of allusions between Resident Evil 7 and horror cinema as part of the former's use of intertextuality , Dawn Stobbart described multiple instances where Ethan's journey mirror that of specific scenes from

4290-641: A van, a mysterious entity crashes it just outside the village. Ethan has to traverse the village to rescue Rosemary. The village is invaded by werewolf -like mutants called Lycans and governed by four different mutant lords, each controlling their own forces from strongholds within the village. Lady Dimitrescu , a tall aristocrat vampire, resides at Castle Dimitrescu with her three daughters Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela, and mutated female attendants. The hallucination-inducing and ghost-like Donna Beneviento rules from her mansion, House Beneviento, and acts through her puppet Angie. The grotesque Salvatore Moreau operates from

4455-509: A variation that works for a wider audience." The development team opted for a more balanced take on action and horror for Village . RE7 was released in January 2017 and was well received by critics and players, so the team decided to make the next game a direct sequel to RE7 , keeping its protagonist Ethan Winters as the main character and retaining the same style of gameplay. According to Kanda, this also helped to complete Ethan's story that

4620-755: A year and half delay, Re:Verse was activated in October 2022. IGN criticized the balancing of the game, lack of content, and aggressive monetization, while GamingBolt stated that Re:Verse is the worst Resident Evil game. Resident Evil Village is set three years after the events of Resident Evil 7 , largely on the day of February 9, 2021. Ethan Winters returns as the protagonist, having defeated bioweapon Eveline in Resident Evil 7 . Ethan has been living with his wife Mia and six-month-old daughter Rosemary when Chris Redfield —the protagonist of previous Resident Evil entries—and his men suddenly appear, murder his wife in cold blood, and kidnap him and his baby daughter. While Ethan and Rosemary are being transported in

4785-438: Is captured by Karl Heisenberg, one of the four local lords who serve the village's leader, Mother Miranda, and brought before her, discovering that they have Rosemary. Miranda allows Heisenberg to dispose of Ethan, but Ethan escapes. After defeating Alcina Dimitrescu , one of the lords, Ethan discovers that Rosemary was dismembered, her remains stored in four flasks, each of the lords in possession of one of them; he learns from

4950-455: Is depicted as an ordinary civilian searching for his missing wife within a dilapidated estate in Louisiana . He is also the protagonist of the 2021 sequel Resident Evil Village , where he is forced to locate his kidnapped daughter who was taken by a cult leader in a mysterious European village. Originally designed as an unseen everyman to foster the player's identification with him as

5115-515: Is immediately pulled out of the realm and brought back to the previous one by the realm's perpetrator who reveals herself to be Eveline, seeking to kill Rose out of jealousy over being a failed and unloved experiment. Michael once again helps Rose escape. Rose finds herself in yet another deeper stratum that resembles the village where she was kidnapped. There, she discovers and uses the Purifying Crystal which absorbs her powers. Just then

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5280-564: Is mostly a first-person shooter at its core. Meanwhile, the Fatal Frame series has remained true to the roots of the genre, even as Fatal Frame IV transitioned from the use of fixed cameras to an over-the-shoulder viewpoint. Also in 2009, Silent Hill made a transition to an over-the-shoulder viewpoint in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories . This Wii effort was, however, considered by most reviewers as

5445-539: Is never shown within the gameplay for Resident Evil 7 or Resident Evil Village due to players controlling Ethan from a first-person perspective . An unused version of Ethan's character model, hidden within the game's assets, has fully developed facial features. In the expansion "Shadows of Rose" for  Resident Evil Village , Ethan appears in a third-person mode and despite attempts to obscure his face, players could see it by performing certain actions. In Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Resident Evil Village , Ethan

5610-517: Is not unusual for survival horror games to draw upon elements from first-person shooters , or even role-playing games . According to IGN , "Survival horror is different from typical game genres in that it is not defined strictly by specific mechanics, but subject matter, tone, pacing, and design philosophy." Survival horror games are a subgenre of horror games, where the player is unable to fully prepare or arm their avatar. The player usually encounters several factors to make combat unattractive as

5775-437: Is reluctant to leave, but when she hears his agonizing cries, she breaks the crystal and embraces her powers, along with gaining some new ones, and defeats Miranda, finally destroying her existence once and for all. Rose embraces her father, who apologizes for not being there for her upbringing but says that he is proud of her. Rose's consciousness then leaves the Megamycete. She then visits Ethan's grave before being called away on

5940-494: Is usually considered a first-person shooter with survival horror elements. Regardless, the genre's increased popularity led Western developers to incorporate horror elements into action games, rather than follow the Japanese survival style. Overall, the traditional survival horror genre continued to be dominated by Japanese designers and aesthetics. 2002's Clock Tower 3 eschewed the graphic adventure game formula seen in

6105-404: Is very different compared to previous Resident Evil protagonists, who are portrayed as heroic law enforcement agents fighting against corporations, as he is motivated by his personal relationship with Mia. Figueroa suggested that a mundane family man who is eager to rescue his wife is the "perfect protagonist" for the story, where domestic violence both "literal and metaphorical" forms the core of

6270-465: The Alien science fiction horror film series, was released. The game updated the concept of a single un-killable villain chasing the protagonist throughout most of the game, requiring the player to use stealth in order to survive. In 2015, Until Dawn , developed by Supermassive Games , was published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 4 . The game is an interactive drama in which

6435-516: The Baker family gather, but manages to escape his captors and receives assistance from Zoe Baker, a wayward member of the Baker family who had reattached Ethan's hand when he was still unconscious. She reveals that her family is under the control of Eveline, a powerful genetically engineered bio-weapon. Zoe reveals that Eveline can infect other humans, which grants them powerful regenerative abilities and super-human strength. Zoe advises Ethan to synthesize

6600-492: The Dreamcast incorporating action elements from beat 'em up and shooter games . Konami 's Silent Hill , released in 1999, drew heavily from Resident Evil while using real-time 3D environments in contrast to Resident Evil' s pre-rendered graphics. Silent Hill in particular was praised for moving away from B movie horror elements to the psychological style seen in art house or Japanese horror films, due to

6765-415: The Resident Evil universe, it was imperative that the daughters be "living beings". No matter how supernatural something may appear, there's always some kind of scientific explanation as to why things are happening. This approach isn't just specific to Resident Evil Village , but the franchise as a whole, and was something we were sure to address. When we were constructing the narrative and the full scope of

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6930-461: The first game , appears as a major supporting character in Village ; however, he is instead shown as more nefarious in the game's trailers due to killing Mia and kidnapping Rosemary, which surprised longtime fans. Kanda described Chris's appearance in the game as "a much darker, more sinister role," in contrast to his previous heroic portrayal in the series. Chris's actions serve as a major mystery to

7095-510: The "Mia" Chris killed was Miranda in disguise. Chris reveals that Miranda possesses the power of mimicry and was attempting to abduct Rosemary, succeeding when she crashed the transport truck. Chris destroys Heisenberg's factory while Ethan uses a makeshift tank to kill Heisenberg. After the battle, Miranda shows herself and mocks Ethan, revealing her plans to take Rosemary as her own. She then rips his heart out, killing him. Witnessing Ethan's death, Chris leads Hound Wolf to extract Rosemary while

7260-404: The "Sturm" creature in Resident Evil Village . Resident Evil Village shipped over three million units in its first four days of release, becoming the third-fastest-selling title in the Resident Evil series, tied with 2019's Resident Evil 2 . At the same time, Capcom announced the series had sold a total of 100 million units since its debut in 1996. From May 3 to May 9, 2021, Famitsu rated

7425-480: The 1974 film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre . Ethan's predicament during the dinner table scene with the Baker family is analyzed as the most overt example: like recurring franchise character Sally Hardesty , Ethan is seated at the foot of the table as he awakens to a grotesque feast seemingly made from human entrails, while the other characters present almost identically mirror the characters Sally encounters at

7590-442: The 1979 Japanese only stealth game Manbiki Shounen (Shoplifting Boy) by Hiroshi Suzuki and the 1979 sci-fi horror film Alien , the gameplay of Nostromo involved a player attempting to escape a spaceship while avoiding the sight of an invisible alien, which only becomes visible when appearing in front of the player. The gameplay also involved limited resources, where the player needs to collect certain items in order to escape

7755-404: The 2024 remake of Silent Hill 2 . Sources: Ethan Winters Ethan Winters ( Japanese : イーサン・ウィンターズ , Hepburn : Īsan Wintāzu ) is a character in the Resident Evil survival horror video game series created by the Japanese company Capcom . Ethan was introduced as one of the playable characters in the 2017 video game Resident Evil 7: Biohazard , in which he

7920-509: The Dark uses static prerendered camera views that were cinematic in nature. Although players had the ability to fight monsters as in action games , players also had the option to evade or block them. Many monsters could not be killed, and thus could only be dealt with using problem-solving abilities. The game also used the mechanism of notes and books as expository devices. Many of these elements were used in later survival horror games, and thus

8085-442: The Dark , notably its cinematic fixed camera angles and pre-rendered backdrops. The control scheme in Resident Evil also became a staple of the genre, and future titles imitated its challenge of rationing very limited resources and items. The game's commercial success is credited with helping the PlayStation become the dominant game console , and also led to a series of Resident Evil films. Many games have tried to replicate

8250-504: The Japanese approach tends to favour psychological horror . AX-2: Uchū Yusōsen Nostromo was a survival horror game developed by Akira Takiguchi, a Tokyo University student and Taito contractor, for the PET 2001 . It was ported to the PC-6001 by Masakuni Mitsuhashi (also known as Hiromi Ohba, later joined Game Arts ), and published by ASCII in 1981, exclusively for Japan. Inspired by

8415-496: The Megamycete, and resents her powers. Canine, a member of the Hound Wolf Squad, informs her from Miranda's research that there is a Purifying Crystal within the realm of the Megamycete that can remove Rose's abilities; he proposes that she find the rest of Miranda's research within the sea of consciousnesses stored within the Megamycete fragment that the team has salvaged. Rose uses her powers for her consciousness to enter

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8580-457: The Megamycete, where she discovers herself in a realm similar to Dimitrescu's castle. She finds it covered in spewing mold, with monsters led by a masked version of the Duke hunting and killing clones of herself. She encounters a guiding spirit whom she names Michael. Despite Michael's advice to leave the Megamycete, Rose persists, wanting to rid herself of her powers. With Michael's help, Rose escapes

8745-437: The Megamycete, which he was in close proximity with before his death. After learning the cure is actually a trap set by the remnant of Miranda, Ethan tries to help Rose escape but is critically injured. Rather than leave him to die, Rose enhances herself and battles Miranda, killing her after being further empowered by him. As she leaves the realm, Ethan expresses how proud of her he is, giving her his wedding ring as she returns to

8910-818: The PlayStation 4 version at first place in the Japanese gaming charts, selling 111,171 units in a week. The PlayStation 5 version sold 38,713 units, reaching fourth place in the charts. Resident Evil Village was also the best-selling game across the United States and the United Kingdom during the month of May 2021. It went on to become the eighth best-selling game of 2021 in the US. The game sold 6.1 million units worldwide by May 2022, and reached 6.4 million units by June 2022. By January 2023, it had sold 7.4 million units. By June 2023, it had sold 8.3 million units. At

9075-572: The T-Virus. Miranda experimented with the fungus in an attempt to revive her daughter, Eva, who had succumbed to the Spanish flu ; the four lords, Lycans, and Eveline were failed experiments. Rosemary, however, is a suitable host, due to her special abilities inherited from Ethan and Mia. Chris rescues the imprisoned Mia, who reveals that Ethan should still be alive, due to his powers. Ethan revives after encountering Eveline in limbo, who reveals that he

9240-403: The ability to move and rotate items for better storage space. Players can buy supplies, weapons, upgrades, and items from a merchant called the Duke. The players can hunt animals in the village and have them cooked into dishes by the Duke. Eating side dishes allows the player to gain certain advantages such as decreasing the damage taken while blocking. Treasures and collectibles can be found around

9405-474: The appropriate item is found. Because it has several features that have been seen in later survival horror games, some reviewers have retroactively classified this game as the first in the genre. Malcolm Evans ' 3D Monster Maze , released for the Sinclair ZX81 in 1982, is a first-person game without a weapon; the player cannot fight the enemy, a Tyrannosaurus rex , so they must escape by finding

9570-501: The assistance of a paramilitary company led by Chris Redfield . Ethan and Mia escape the plantation. The amount of blood and gore players as Ethan are exposed to in the Japanese version of the game, Biohazard 7: Resident Evil , is substantially less compared to the international release. On the other hand, smaller changes made to Ethan's dismemberment, such as black blood flowing from his severed limbs, alludes to an important plot point which suggests that he may have been infected with

9735-430: The bomb planted on the Megamycete, while Chris transports Mia and Rosemary to safety. As Mia mourns the loss of Ethan, Chris discovers that the BSAA soldiers sent to the village were organic bioweapons and orders his squad to head for the BSAA's European headquarters. Rose, now sixteen years old, has been separated from Mia while under the protection of Chris. She has become a social outcast due to her abilities gained from

9900-465: The castle but falls into a deeper stratum within the Megamycete. Rose finds herself in a replica of Beneviento's house, where she relives her traumatic childhood of constant bullying by her school mates, with the realm's leader blaming her powers gained from her father. To comfort Rose, Michael shows her a realm similar to her house as a baby, where she finds a letter for her written by her father, saying that he loves her and will always be by her side. She

10065-402: The ceiling or crash through windows. Survival horror games, like many action-adventure games, are sometimes structured around the boss encounter where the player must confront a formidable opponent in order to advance to the next area. These boss encounters draw elements from antagonists seen in classic horror stories, and defeating the boss will advance the story of the game. The origins of

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10230-485: The character's occasional reactions to inconsequential details but mostly silent nature in the face of danger, and thought that its narrative unravels into a "voyeuristic" exploration of the estate's inhabitants instead of its protagonist's personal stake in it. Hannes Rossow from German publication GamePro was highly critical of the character's perceived lack of personality in Resident Evil 7 . He wrote that Ethan's prominence in Village had dampened his enthusiasm for

10395-439: The character's role in Resident Evil 7 as a factor behind the video game's popularity and ongoing commercial success. Josh West from GamesRadar+ suggested that Ethan's return to headline a direct sequel to Resident Evil 7 is unprecedented and noted that Capcom had never entrusted a single protagonist with back-to-back installments of the mainline Resident Evil series. Some commentators have positively reviewed Ethan as

10560-480: The claustrophobic feeling of the Baker mansion in RE7 , the horror in the game came from the uncertainty on what lurks in the "openness" of the village, while easing the "tension curve" compared to the previous game through quiet moments such as save points . Sato also stated that the village's snowy weather was inspired by the team's trip to Europe for research for the game, where they were met by an "unseasonable cold snap,

10725-486: The consciousness of Miranda appears, who reveals that Canine was an illusion to lure Rose into the Megamycete. Still determined to revive her daughter Eva, Miranda intends to use Rose's consciousness as a vessel now that she is powerless. Michael immediately manifests, reveals himself to be Ethan's consciousness within the Megamycete, and helps Rose escape, but Miranda catches up to them. Ethan encourages Rose to leave and battles Miranda himself. Seeing her father in danger, Rose

10890-503: The context of the dangerous environments and characters he faces. Ian Walker from Kotaku was amused by Capcom's persistent attempts to hide Ethan's face behind the weapons he wields within promotional art, while GamePro ' s Hannes Rossow called the attempts to maintain the illusion of Ethan as a faceless character absurd, as the character's actual face is known to exist within the game assets of Resident Evil 7 . Moises Taveras of Paste wrote he didn't feel that Ethan belonged in

11055-470: The detonator from Chris as Miranda's mold spreads, separating Ethan and Chris. Ethan limps toward the Megamycete and detonates the bomb, sacrificing himself as it destroys the village while the helicopter containing Chris, Mia, and Rose flies away. In the Shadows of Rose DLC chapter, set sixteen years after the game's main events, Rose enters the Megamycete's realm to find a way to remove her powers through

11220-497: The end of 2023, it had sold 9.3 million units. By November 2024, it had sold over 10.5 million units. Survival horror game The term "survival horror" was first used for the original Japanese release of Resident Evil in 1996, which was influenced by earlier games with a horror theme such as 1989's Sweet Home and 1992's Alone in the Dark . The name has been used since then for games with similar gameplay and has been retroactively applied to earlier titles. Starting with

11385-457: The enemy's patrol routes and hide from them. However, reviewers eventually criticized the traditional Japanese survival horror formula for becoming stagnant. As the console market drifted towards Western-style action games, players became impatient with the limited resources and cumbersome controls seen in Japanese titles such as Resident Evil – Code: Veronica and Silent Hill 4: The Room . In 2005, Resident Evil 4 attempted to redefine

11550-432: The environment against them. Games try to enhance the experience of vulnerability by making the game single-player rather than multiplayer, and by giving the player an avatar who is more frail than the typical action game hero. The survival horror genre is also known for other non-combat challenges, such as solving puzzles at certain locations in the game world, and collecting and managing an inventory of items. Areas of

11715-473: The exit before the monster finds them. The game states its distance and awareness of the player, further raising tension. Edge stated it was about "fear, panic, terror and facing an implacable, relentless foe who’s going to get you in the end" and considers it "the original survival horror game". Retro Gamer stated, "Survival horror may have been a phrase first coined by Resident Evil , but it could’ve easily applied to Malcolm Evans’ massive hit." 1982 saw

11880-412: The focus on exploration distinguished it from previous installments, and felt rewarding and motivating from new discoveries and the inclusion of a merchant character. The game's boss fights and puzzles drew criticism. Hurley thought that the quality of the puzzles was "consistently low", particularly criticizing an example in which a map is given to find a locked door that the player passes previously in

12045-539: The game also featured up to 20 possible endings . However, the game would not be released in Western markets until 2011. Riverhillsoft 's Overblood , released in 1996, is considered the first survival horror game to make use of a fully three-dimensional virtual environment. The Note in 1997 and Hellnight in 1998 experimented with using a real-time 3D first-person perspective rather than pre-rendered backgrounds like Resident Evil . In 1998, Capcom released

12210-435: The game and expressed a preference for another protagonist who is a properly developed character. Chandler Wood of PlayStation LifeStyle called Ethan Resident Evil ' s most forgettable character for his lack of emotion, leading to real-world instances where people could not recall his name and felt that the player was unable to both simultaneously control and emphasize with him. Matthew Bryd of Den of Geek felt Ethan

12375-431: The game as successfully taking the best elements of the action from Resident Evil 4 and combining it with the modern design from Resident Evil 7 . Hornshaw praised the new direction, feeling its notable departure from Resident Evil 7 made it work as a sequel and opined that the game provided an excellent balance of action and scares. Conversely, Leon Hurley of GameRadar was critical of the new approach, lamenting that

12540-746: The game by an independent cracker was released, effectively stripping away the Denuvo and Capcom digital rights management (DRM) software. Leadbetter tested this version against the original release and was able to confirm that the crack improved upon the game's performance, stating that "By stripping out what the hackers call Capcom's entry points for the DRM... the game is absolutely transformed in those areas." A similar problem where Capcom had added additional DRM atop Denuvo had affected Devil May Cry 5 for Windows, and after Capcom's official update that removed Denuvo and its DRM, Devil May Cry 5 ' s performance

12705-526: The game for select iPad and iPhone models was released on October 30, 2023. At E3 2021 , Capcom announced that downloadable content for the game was in development. At the Capcom Showcase in June 2022, the Winters' Expansion was revealed. It includes a new story expansion titled Shadows of Rose , featuring Rosemary Winters as the playable protagonist, alongside a third-person camera mode for

12870-414: The game had performance problems, particularly during intense combat. Richard Leadbetter of Digital Foundry noted the "tremendously high frame times" and "extraordinary" stuttering, especially during encounters with the maidens and other enemies with certain animations. Leadbetter attributed this to a combination of Denuvo along with Capcom's own anti-tamper software . In July 2021, a pirated version of

13035-405: The game is credited with making the survival horror genre possible. In 1994, Riverhillsoft released Doctor Hauzer for the 3DO . Both the player character and the environment are rendered in polygons . The player can switch between three different perspectives: third-person , first-person , and overhead . In a departure from most survival horror games, Doctor Hauzer lacks any enemies;

13200-525: The game was a horror action RPG revolving around a female SWAT member Lila rescuing survivors in an isolated monster-infested town and bringing them to safety in a church. It has open environments like Dragon Quest and real-time side-view battles like Zelda II , though War of the Dead departed from other RPGs with its dark and creepy atmosphere expressed through the storytelling, graphics, and music. The player character has limited ammunition, though

13365-467: The game was originally slated for localization in 2004 but abruptly cancelled. Building on its previous success in Korea and interest, a remake was developed in 2015. Fatal Frame from 2001 was a unique entry into the genre, as the player explores a mansion and takes photographs of ghosts in order to defeat them. The Fatal Frame series has since gained a reputation as one of the most distinctive in

13530-454: The game were photo mode, which allow to screenshot in-game moments, and a button to skip cutscenes. The Mercenaries Mode, an arcade-style game mode of past Resident Evil games, returns in Village . In this mode, players fight through timed stages, and purchase items and upgrades from the Duke's Emporium. Players who purchased Village also received Resident Evil Re:Verse , a six-player online multiplayer third-person shooter . After nearly

13695-416: The game world will be off limits until the player gains certain items. Occasionally, levels are designed with alternative routes. Levels also challenge players with mazelike environments, which test the player's navigational skills. Levels are often designed as dark and claustrophobic (often making use of dim or shadowy light conditions and camera angles and sightlines which restrict visibility) to challenge

13860-457: The game would become the main inspiration behind their later release Resident Evil . Its horrific imagery prevented its release in the Western world, though its influence was felt through Resident Evil , which was originally intended to be a remake of the game. Some consider Sweet Home to be the first true survival horror game. In 1989, Electronic Arts published Project Firestart , developed by Dynamix . Unlike most other early games in

14025-403: The game's "encounter philosophy". In 2023, Ashley Bardhan of Polygon thought about living like Ethan for a week to survive her "horrors of the holidays". Others have criticized Ethan for lacking in personality or character development . Game Informer ' s Andrew Reiner described Ethan's personality to be "as transparent as the specters he encounters". He noted an incongruency between

14190-467: The game's emphasis on a disturbing atmosphere rather than visceral horror. The game also featured stealth elements, making use of the fog to dodge enemies or turning off the flashlight to avoid detection. The original Silent Hill is considered one of the scariest games of all time, and the strong narrative from Silent Hill 2 in 2001 has made the Silent Hill series one of the most influential in

14355-520: The game, and another that had the solution next to it. Ogilvie similarly criticised the puzzles, saying that the solutions were either "exceedingly straightforward" or spoiled by instructional notes nearby. Hornshaw noted the movement system was unchanged from Resident Evil 7 and as a result felt "a little slow and clunky"; they opined it was better suited when surrounded by enemies rather than during boss battles. Hurley similarly thought that boss fights did not feel designed for first-person combat because of

14520-475: The game, it was an aspect that we were very conscious of." —Morimasa Sato, Resident Evil Village: Meet Lady Dimitrescu's three daughters . Like RE7 , Village was developed with the RE Engine . According to art director Tomonori Takano, the developmental team drew inspiration from Resident Evil 4 as they wanted memorable characters to populate the village. Takano said the developers wanted to continue

14685-564: The game, which Capcom felt was an opportunity to showcase the character's progression to fans who were already familiar with him. Chris eventually becomes playable towards the end of Village , where the game briefly transitions from survival horror gameplay into a more action-heavy segment due to Chris's veteran experience in fighting bioweapons, which Andy Kelly of PC Gamer saw as a "cathartic moment for players who have been carefully conserving ammunition up until that point." Similar to Resident Evil 3 (2020), Resident Evil Village included

14850-467: The genre by emphasizing reflexes and precision aiming, broadening the gameplay with elements from the wider action genre. Its ambitions paid off, earning the title several Game of the Year awards for 2005, and the top rank on IGN 's Readers' Picks Top 99 Games list. However, this also led some reviewers to suggest that the Resident Evil series had abandoned the survival horror genre, by demolishing

15015-415: The genre continues to grow among independent video game developers . The Last of Us , released in 2013 by Naughty Dog , incorporated many survival horror elements into a third-person action-adventure game. Set twenty years after a pandemic plague, the player must use scarce ammo and distraction tactics to evade or kill malformed humans infected by a brain parasite, as well as dangerous survivalists. This

15180-415: The genre conventions that it had established. Other major survival horror series followed suit by developing their combat systems to feature more action, such as Silent Hill: Homecoming , and the 2008 version of Alone in the Dark . These changes were part of an overall trend among console games to shift towards visceral action gameplay. These changes in gameplay have led some purists to suggest that

15345-531: The genre has deteriorated into the conventions of other action games. Jim Sterling suggests that the genre lost its core gameplay when it improved the combat interface, thus shifting the gameplay away from hiding and running towards direct combat. Leigh Alexander argues that this represents a shift towards more Western horror aesthetics, which emphasize action and gore rather than the psychological experience of Japanese horror. The original genre has persisted in one form or another. The 2005 release of F.E.A.R.

15510-503: The genre was carried out via platforms such as itch.io that allowed independent creators to distribute games more easily and therefore became hives of experimentation, an example of which is the emergence of games with PS1-style low-poly aesthetics, such as those developed by Puppet Combo , that became a genre unto itself which eventually went on to be published on more mainstream storefronts such as Steam. Overall, game developers have continued to make and release survival horror games, and

15675-474: The genre, with the first game in the series credited as one of the best-written survival horror games ever made, by UGO Networks . Meanwhile, Capcom incorporated shooter elements into several survival horror titles, such as 2000's Resident Evil Survivor which used both light gun shooter and first-person shooter elements, and 2003's Resident Evil: Dead Aim which used light gun and third-person shooter elements. Western developers began to return to

15840-559: The genre, it featured a science fiction setting inspired by the film Alien , but had gameplay that closely resembled later survival horror games in many ways. Travis Fahs considers it the first to achieve "the kind of fully formed vision of survival horror as we know it today," citing its balance of action and adventure, limited ammunition, weak weaponry, vulnerable main character, feeling of isolation, storytelling through journals, graphic violence, and use of dynamically triggered music - all of which are characteristic elements of later games in

16005-567: The genre. According to IGN, the "golden age of survival horror came to a crescendo" with the release of Silent Hill . A game similar to the Clock Tower series of games and Haunting Ground , which was also inspired by Resident Evil 's success, is the Korean game known as White Day: A Labyrinth Named School (2001). "White Day" was reportedly so scary that the developers had to release several patches adding multiple difficulty options, and

16170-548: The graphic-adventure gameplay of the original Clock Tower rather than following the Resident Evil formula. Another survival horror title that differentiated itself was Corpse Party (1996), an indie , psychological horror adventure game created using the RPG Maker engine. Much like Clock Tower and later Haunting Ground (2005), the player characters in Corpse Party lack any means of defending themselves;

16335-507: The horror atmosphere of its predecessor. However, the game often considered the first true survival horror, due to having the most influence on Resident Evil , was the 1989 release Sweet Home , for the Nintendo Entertainment System . It was created by Tokuro Fujiwara , who would later go on to create Resident Evil . Sweet Home ' s gameplay focused on solving a variety of puzzles using items stored in

16500-430: The increased variety of enemies compared to Resident Evil 7 , saying that it added "depth and decision making" to crafting. The more open-world style of exploration was well received by critics. Hurley wrote that Resident Evil Village was the first time the series had experimented with open-world, and that a lot of his time was spent exploring areas with new skills and discovering surprises. Ogilvie concurred, writing that

16665-513: The international releases. A collector's edition was made available for the console versions, featuring extras such as a Chris Redfield figurine, a hardcover art book, and a village map poster. A macOS version and a cloud version for Nintendo Switch were both released on October 28, 2022. A virtual reality mode for the PlayStation 5 version was released alongside the PlayStation VR2 headset on February 22, 2023 as free DLC. A version of

16830-489: The intricacies of the house and rely on their wits. Another game that has been cited as one of the first horror-themed games is Quicksilva 's 1983 maze game Ant Attack . The latter half of the 1980s saw the release of several other horror-themed games, including Konami 's Castlevania in 1986, and Sega's Kenseiden and Namco 's Splatterhouse in 1988, though despite the macabre imagery of these games, their gameplay did not diverge much from other action games at

16995-482: The local merchant The Duke that she can be revived should he retrieve all flasks. After obtaining them, and killing all the lords except for Heisenberg, Ethan reunites with Chris who reveals that the "Mia" he killed was a shapeshifting Miranda posing as her to kidnap Rosemary, and he was trying to protect the family. Using a makeshift tank assembled by Chris, Ethan kills Heisenberg, only to be fatally wounded by Miranda as she rips out his heart. However, Ethan survives due to

17160-667: The main story, and two new stages and Chris Redfield, Lady Dimitrescu, and Karl Heisenberg as additional playable characters for the Mercenaries mode. The expansion released for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S versions on October 28, 2022, for the Nintendo Switch cloud version on December 2, 2022, and for the macOS version on January 13, 2023. Resident Evil Village received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic . Some critics noted

17325-500: The main threat is instead the sentient house that the game takes place in, with the player having to survive the house's traps and solve puzzles. The sound of the player character's echoing footsteps change depending on the surface. In 1995, WARP 's horror adventure game D featured a first-person perspective, CGI full-motion video , gameplay that consisted entirely of puzzle-solving , and taboo content such as cannibalism . The same year, Human Entertainment 's Clock Tower

17490-495: The mold generated by Eveline. Ethan returns in Resident Evil Village as its central character. Set three years after the events of the previous game, Ethan lives in Europe with Mia and their newborn daughter, Rosemary. Chris Redfield storms the house and kills Mia while taking him and Rosemary under custody. The truck transporting Ethan is attacked and he is stranded in a nearby village whose inhabitants are massacred by lycans. He

17655-403: The more action-centered gameplay in comparison to Resident Evil 7 , and compared the switch in direction to that of Resident Evil 4 . Phil Hornshaw of GameSpot wrote that while he felt Resident Evil 7 leaned towards the "dark and creepy haunted house" setting akin to Resident Evil , Village took cues from the "faster, panickier" Resident Evil 4 . IGN ' s Tristan Ogilvie saw

17820-437: The narrative while keeping him alive with limited resources. According to Morimasa Sato, who was a writer for Resident Evil 7 and the director of Resident Evil Village , the development team initially thought of Ethan as merely "a camera for the player" and "transparent". Towards the end of development for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard , its developers had begun planning for the next mainline Resident Evil game. A decision

17985-433: The new game, "we're bringing the essence of Resident Evil 4 , while Resident Evil 7 functions as the base for the game". Looking back at the use of horror of RE7 , producer Tsuyoshi Kanda said, "One of the lessons we took away is that this isn't something that is black and white, it's always going to have some variation or modification, and figuring out, OK, this worked for [ RE7 ], but rather than replicating it, let's find

18150-446: The original Clock Tower , and embraced full 3D survival horror gameplay. In 2003, Resident Evil Outbreak introduced a new gameplay element to the genre: online multiplayer and cooperative gameplay . Sony employed Silent Hill director Keiichiro Toyama to develop Siren . The game was released in 2004, and added unprecedented challenge to the genre by making the player mostly defenseless, thus making it vital to learn

18315-505: The other lords', likely due to the lower altitude of its location. Salvatore Moreau was conceived as "the most repulsive character on Earth"; his domain was originally inspired by a frozen lake the team sighted during a research trip in Eastern Europe. House Beneviento furthered some of the ideas that the team had used in Resident Evil 7 , with Sato noting that the fully veiled Donna Beneviento and her puppet Angie are considered to be

18480-409: The pantheon of great video game characters." Ashley Bardhan from Kotaku has also criticized and compared Ethan to James Sunderland from Silent Hill , stating that both characters are "the same" and "boring". Conversely, Andy Kelly from PC Gamer and Jade King from TheGamer opined that being "boring" or "generic" is Ethan's most positive contribution to the player's gameplay experience, given

18645-431: The player and provide suspense, although games in the genre also make use of enormous spatial environments. A survival horror storyline usually involves the investigation and confrontation of horrific forces, and thus many games transform common elements from horror fiction into gameplay challenges. Early releases used camera angles seen in horror films , which allowed enemies to lurk in areas that are concealed from

18810-649: The player character can punch or use a knife if out of ammunition. The game also has a limited item inventory and crates to store items, and introduced a day-night cycle ; the player can sleep to recover health, and a record is kept of how many days the player has survived. In 1988, War of the Dead Part 2 for the MSX2 and PC-88 abandoned the RPG elements of its predecessor, such as random encounters , and instead adopted action-adventure elements from Metal Gear while retaining

18975-511: The player controls multiple characters and features a butterfly effect system in which the player's choices can change the story and may dictate who survives the night. All playable characters can survive or die, depending on the choices made. Players explore the environment from a third-person perspective and find clues that may help solve the mystery. Multiplayer asymmetrical survival horror games gained popularity as well. Dead by Daylight , released in 2016, features one player taking on

19140-438: The player's view. Also, many survival horror games make use of off-screen sound or other warning cues to notify the player of impending danger. This feedback assists the player, but also creates feelings of anxiety and uncertainty. Games typically feature a variety of monsters with unique behavior patterns. Enemies can appear unexpectedly or suddenly, and levels are often designed with scripted sequences where enemies drop from

19305-441: The protagonist endures a confrontation with the ultimate antagonist. Another major influence on the genre is Japanese horror , including classical Noh theatre , the books of Edogawa Rampo , and Japanese cinema . The survival horror genre largely draws from both Western (mainly American ) and Asian (mainly Japanese ) traditions, with the Western approach to horror generally favoring action -oriented visceral horror while

19470-465: The protagonist of Resident Evil 7 , Capcom intended to shape Ethan from a blank state into a more defined character in Village . He is voiced by Hidenobu Kiuchi in Japanese and Todd Soley in English. Ethan has received a mixed reception from video game publications , with some praising his relatability, while others have criticized him for a lack of emotional range and character development . "It's

19635-554: The real world. To promote Village , Capcom released a developer diary titled “The Making of Resident Evil Village: Winter Comes for Ethan” in September 2020, where staff members discuss Ethan's role within the game. The Resident Evil Village Deluxe Edition is bundled with an art book titled "The Tragedy of Ethan Winters". Ethan has received a mixed reception. Some video game journalists , such as Chris Moyse from Destructoid and Liana Ruppert from Game Informer , credit

19800-408: The regenerative abilities he developed through the effects of the strain of mold from Louisiana. Shortly after, Ethan begins to hallucinate. Eveline appears to Ethan, taunting Ethan that he has been dead since Louisiana, having been killed by Jack Baker in their first encounter. Ethan comes back to reality, being transported by The Duke in his carriage. Ethan confronts Miranda and defeats her, rescuing

19965-421: The release of Resident Evil 4 in 2005, the genre began to incorporate more features from action games and more traditional first person and third-person shooter games. This has led game journalists to question whether long-standing survival horror franchises and more recent franchises have abandoned the genre and moved into a distinct genre often referred to as "action horror." Survival horror refers to

20130-422: The release of Square 's Parasite Eve , which combined elements from Resident Evil with the RPG gameplay of Final Fantasy . It was followed by a more action-based sequel, Parasite Eve II , in 1999. In 1998, Galerians discarded the use of guns in favour of psychic powers that make it difficult to fight more than one enemy at a time. Also in 1998, Blue Stinger was a fully 3D survival horror game for

20295-420: The release of another early horror game, Bandai 's Terror House , based on traditional Japanese horror, released as a Bandai LCD Solarpower handheld game . It was a solar-powered game with two LCD panels on top of each other to enable impressive scene changes and early pseudo-3D effects. The amount of ambient light the game received also had an effect on the gaming experience. Another early example of

20460-495: The restored Rosemary, but begins to succumb to his wounds, which prove to be too severe for his regenerative abilities to counter. Having planted a bomb to destroy the Megamycete (the source of the mold that birthed Miranda, the Four Lords, and Eveline) Chris attempts to help Ethan and Rosemary to his helicopter. However, Ethan realizes he is dying, and entrusts his daughter to Chris and asks him to watch over her. Ethan then takes

20625-508: The role of a killer and four others play as survivors. The game is also notable for featuring multiple characters from other survival horror franchises, such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill . Other examples which use similar one versus four gameplay include Friday the 13th: The Game , VHS , Evil Dead: The Game , and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre . The Resident Evil series abandoned its action-oriented direction beginning with 2017's Resident Evil 7: Biohazard . The game utilizes

20790-548: The same approach that started with Resident Evil 7 in that they wanted to move away from simply using elements like zombies to scare players but created unique situations and characters that would create fear in new ways. Capcom had considered populating the game's castle and village with hundreds of witches but found this difficult to conceptualize. The team decided to switch directions from witches to vampires for Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters, albeit avoiding stereotypical tropes of vampires in popular culture. Castle Dimitrescu

20955-427: The scariest of the four lords by his American colleagues, even though the team approached Angie's design with an instant impact in mind rather than being purely frightening. For major antagonist Mother Miranda, Takano stated that crows were the primary motif of her design, noting them being symbolic in the game's village, as well as functioning as an overarching design theme for the game. The Lycans' werewolf-like design

21120-453: The scenery was covered in snow. This inspired us to implement snowscapes into our game. We use snow not just for visual presentation, but as gameplay elements as well.” While it is recognized by Capcom as the eighth main game in the series, and its logo stylized to include the Roman numeral "VIII" for 8, the producers stylized the title to emphasize on the "village" aspect rather than the "8". In

21285-418: The sections for being too action-heavy, negatively comparing them to Call of Duty and "the worst action-heavy portions" of Resident Evil 6 . Critics praised the variety of gameplay throughout the game's sections. Hornshaw commended the diversity of horror ideas and was impressed by how the game switched between them, calling each area "fun, intense, and, naturally, frightening in its own way." Hurley lauded

21450-497: The sections in the game's first half as "full of atmosphere and intrigue", particularly one for being "one of the best horror moments I've played in a long time", but thought that the game's latter half felt average. Despite this, he opined that the shifting of ideas throughout the game created excitement for what was coming next. Ogilvie noted the changes in gameplay for each section, with one catered towards stealth, while another leaned towards psychological horror over combat. He praised

21615-616: The ship, and if certain required items are not available in the warehouse, the player is unable to escape and eventually has no choice but to be caught and killed by the alien. Another early example is the 1982 Atari 2600 game Haunted House . Gameplay is typical of future survival horror titles, as it emphasizes puzzle-solving and evasive action, rather than violence. The game uses creatures commonly featured in horror fiction, such as bats and ghosts, each of which has unique behaviors. Gameplay also incorporates item collection and inventory management, along with areas that are inaccessible until

21780-410: The slower movement, and that dodging attacks in large open spaces meant the player was often forced to move the boss out of their field of view . Ogilvie found that many of the battles fell "surprisingly short" and amounted to little more than dodging and shooting an enemy's weak points, noting that he would have preferred them to be more engaging and "epic-sized". Hornshaw wrote that the game's narrative

21945-409: The story as "a compelling mystery" that engaged him throughout his entire playthrough." The arcade mode "The Mercenaries", which is unlocked on completion of the main game, was praised by Hornshaw for "demonstrat[ing] how tight the combat in Village can be" and for being fun in its own right. Ogilvie also praised the mode as "addictive" and "the most valuable bonus to unlock". The Windows version of

22110-428: The successful formula seen in Resident Evil , and every subsequent survival horror game has arguably taken a stance in relation to it. The success of Resident Evil in 1996 was responsible for its formula being used as the basis for a wave of successful survival horror games, many of which were referred to as " Resident Evil clones." The golden age of survival horror started by Resident Evil reached its peak around

22275-414: The successful sequel Resident Evil 2 , which series creator Shinji Mikami intended to tap into the classic notion of horror as "the ordinary made strange". Rather than setting the game in a creepy mansion no one would visit, he wanted to use familiar urban settings transformed by the chaos of a viral outbreak. The game sold over five million copies, proving the popularity of survival horror. That year saw

22440-440: The survival horror formula. The Thing from 2002 has been called a survival horror game, although it is distinct from other titles in the genre due to its emphasis on action, and the challenge of holding a team together. The 2004 title Doom 3 is sometimes categorized as survival horror, although it is considered an Americanized take on the genre due to the player's ability to directly confront monsters with weaponry. Thus, it

22605-417: The survival horror game can be traced back to earlier horror fiction novels. Archetypes have been linked to the books of H. P. Lovecraft , which include investigative narratives, or journeys through the depths. Comparisons have been made between Lovecraft's Great Old Ones and the boss encounters seen in many survival horror games. Themes of survival have also been traced to the slasher film subgenre, where

22770-490: The survival horror genre. Despite this, it is not likely a direct influence on later games in the genre and the similarities are largely an example of parallel thinking . In 1992, Infogrames released Alone in the Dark , which has been considered a forefather of the genre. The game featured a lone protagonist against hordes of monsters, and made use of traditional adventure game challenges such as puzzle-solving and finding hidden keys to new areas. Graphically, Alone in

22935-514: The team kept the initial designs around the core survival horror gameplay roots that had been in Resident Evil 4 ( RE4 ) and had been a return to form in RE7 . During this early period they came up with the concept of the village as the central theme, inspired by RE4, where its village was also a central location as well as many of the gameplay mechanics established by the title. The team used RE4 's approach to create "a balance of combat, exploration, and puzzle solving". Sato said that for

23100-637: The time. Splatterhouse in particular is notable for its large amount of bloodshed and terror, despite being an arcade beat 'em up with very little emphasis on survival. Shiryou Sensen: War of the Dead , a 1987 title developed by Fun Factory and published by Victor Music Industries for the MSX2 , PC-88 and PC Engine platforms, is considered the first true survival horror game by Kevin Gifford (of GamePro and 1UP ) and John Szczepaniak (of Retro Gamer and The Escapist ). Designed by Katsuya Iwamoto,

23265-421: The title was "one of the 'not a horror game' Resident Evils " and concluded that whilst the game was fun, it had undone the redefining work of Resident Evil 7 . Later sections of the game received mixed opinions for their emphasis on action. Ogilvie praised the final chapters for their "chaotic levels of carnage" that reminded him of a run-and-gun Call of Duty campaign, whereas both Hornshaw and Hurley criticised

23430-421: The turn of the millennium with Silent Hill , followed by a general decline a few years later. Among the Resident Evil clones at the time, there were several survival horror titles that stood out, such as Clock Tower (1996) and Clock Tower II: The Struggle Within (1998) for the PlayStation. These Clock Tower games proved to be hits, capitalizing on the success of Resident Evil while staying true to

23595-468: The village priestess Mother Miranda and her lords: Alcina Dimitrescu, Donna Beneviento, Salvatore Moreau, and Heisenberg himself. Ethan escapes a death trap made by Heisenberg and ventures into Dimitrescu's castle to find Rosemary, with help from a mysterious merchant known as the Duke. Ethan eliminates Dimitrescu and her daughters, finding a flask containing Rosemary's head. The Duke explains that Miranda placed Rosemary's body parts in four different flasks for

23760-428: The village, and sold to the Duke for currency. Players can manually save the game progress by locating and using typewriters , which replaces the tape recorders in Resident Evil 7 and marks their first appearance in a mainline game since Resident Evil 4 . A map of the village can be accessed from the pause menu, as well as a diary with sketches recapping the player's progress in the story so far. Two features added to

23925-432: The village, leading Capcom to describe the village as "a theme park of horror". In contrast to past Resident Evil games that generally have been linear progressions, the team created a more open world -style village, with optional and secret areas, designed to reward the player for exploration. The main story remained in a pre-set order that the team felt best for how the player should experience it. He said that compared to

24090-403: The werewolf-like Lycans, are agile and intelligent and can wield weapons and attack in packs, forcing the player to rethink their strategy on whether to use sparse ammunition, use melee combat, or run away. Similar to Resident Evil 4 (2005), makeshift barricades can be used to fend off enemies. The inventory management mechanic is similar to that of Resident Evil 4 , featuring a briefcase and

24255-530: The world, due to his ambiguous backstory and lack of physical appearance. As a result of his faceless presentation and lack of background information provided by Capcom, Ethan's character is often discussed in fan theories about his true nature. In addition, Epic Games included Ethan, along with Jill Valentine and Lady Dimitrescu, in a list of characters and brands as part of a 2021 survey it distributed to Fortnite players in order to gauge interest in future crossover promotions. Some critics have noted

24420-420: Was a survival horror game that employed point-and-click graphic adventure gameplay and a deadly stalker known as Scissorman that chases players throughout the game. The game introduced stealth game elements, and was unique for its lack of combat, with the player only able to run away or outsmart Scissorman in order to survive. It features up to nine different possible endings. The term "survival horror"

24585-497: Was already killed in his first encounter with Jack Baker in Dulvey, but was revived by her mold, which gave him regenerative powers. The Duke brings Ethan to the ritual site where Miranda attempts to revive Eva, but ends up reviving Rosemary instead. Enraged, she battles Ethan, who kills her, before the Megamycete emerges from the ground. Ethan, with his regenerative powers finally having reached their limit, sacrifices himself to detonate

24750-457: Was also inspired by Peleș Castle in Romania . The other three Houses in the villages drew from other classic gothic horror themes of simulacra, mermen, and ghosts for Heisenberg , Moreau , and Beneviento , respectively. Karl Heisenberg is characterized as an engineer with an extravagant dress sense inspired by men's fashion from the 1960s; his base of operations is not covered in snow unlike

24915-463: Was also playable once and live for 8 hours. A multi-platform demo released on May 1, 2021, for all platforms. It allowed players to explore both the Village and Castle for 60 minutes and it was live for a seven-day period. Village was released for PlayStation 4 , PlayStation 5 , Stadia , Windows , Xbox One , and Xbox Series X/S on May 7, 2021. In celebration of the release, Capcom commissioned

25080-459: Was developed with the game's gothic horror setting in mind, with Sato explaining, "[They] very much spawned from the fact that we wanted to create an enemy that represented the village...We designed it very much where this is kind of the twisted outcome of a human being where we draw a lot of inspiration from werewolves, being able to tap into that gothic horror visual." Chris Redfield, a prominent protagonist in several Resident Evil entries since

25245-469: Was featured extensively in promotional material and merchandise prior to the game's launch. To promote the game, Capcom announced that a special lottery event would be held to give away a free Resident Evil Village acrylic jigsaw puzzle which could be entered by tweeting the hashtag #VILLAGE予約. On March 3, AMD announced that the PC version would feature ray tracing and AMD FidelityFX. Resident Evil Village

25410-583: Was first used by Capcom to market their 1996 release, Resident Evil . It began as a remake of Sweet Home , borrowing various elements from the game, such as its mansion setting, puzzles, "opening door" load screen, death animations, multiple endings depending on which characters survive, dual character paths, individual character skills, limited item management, story told through diary entries and frescos, emphasis on atmosphere, and horrific imagery. Resident Evil also adopted several features seen in Alone in

25575-414: Was followed by a sequel in 2020. Shinji Mikami , the creator of the Resident Evil franchise, released his new survival horror game The Evil Within , in 2014. Mikami stated that his goal was to bring survival horror back to its roots as he was disappointed by recent survival horror games for having too much action. That same year, Alien: Isolation , developed by Creative Assembly and based on

25740-418: Was improved. Capcom released a patch for Village later that July that, among other changes, altered how the game used Denuvo. Leadbetter found that the patch improved performance, running equivalent to the pirated version. Shortly after release, film director Richard Raaphorst accused Capcom of plagiarism , citing close similarities between a monster that was featured in his film Frankenstein's Army and

25905-490: Was left open in RE7 . The team had become attached to his character, and worked to devise a story for him with the other Resident Evil teams within Capcom. As they continued to develop the village, Sato said they wanted to give players more freedom toward solving problems, and make it "a horror movie that you can play". Kanda said that like with RE4 , they were able to incorporate a variety of different themes of horror within

26070-404: Was made by the developers to set it as a direct continuation of Resident Evil 7 and Ethan's story arc, as they had developed an attachment to Ethan and saw potential in him as a character. Producer Peter Fabiano stated that the team wanted players to experience Village from Ethan's perspective, with Sato describing Village as the story of Ethan and "the entirety of who he is". Ethan's face

26235-429: Was not one of the better Resident Evil stories, and was disappointed it did not resolve all of the plot threads from Resident Evil 7 or sufficiently tie the games into the series at large. Hurley opined that the pacing of the story was "inconsistent", and that due to how much time the player spent exploring, key story sections could either feel "weirdly short, or artificially extended." On the other hand, Ogilvie praised

26400-471: Was praised for both its atmospheric tension and fast action, successfully combining Japanese horror with cinematic action, while Dead Space from 2008 brought survival horror to a science fiction setting. However, critics argue that these titles represent the continuing trend away from pure survival horror and towards general action. The release of Left 4 Dead in 2008 helped popularize cooperative multiplayer among survival horror games, although it

26565-406: Was released exclusively for the PlayStation 5 on January 21, 2021. For PS4 and PS5 users, an early access demo Village was released on April 15, 2021. It allowed players 30 minutes to explore the village and was playable only once and live for eight hours. The Castle demo was released for PlayStation early access users on April 24, 2021. It allowed players to explore the castle for 30 minutes, it

26730-664: Was released on October 30, 2023. Resident Evil Village received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its gameplay, setting, and variety, but criticism for its puzzles, boss fights , and performance issues on the Windows version; the increased focus on action divided opinions. The game won year-end accolades including Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards . It had sold over 10.5 million units by November 2024. Like its predecessor, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard , Resident Evil Village uses

26895-452: Was the featured cover game in the April 2021 issue of Game Informer . On April 30, 2021, a puppet show featuring the four lords was released on YouTube, with each puppet claiming that they are not scary. On May 11, 2021, Capcom released a video that showed a behind-the-scenes on their YouTube channel on working on the game's theme song, "Village of Shadows". Maiden , the first of two demos,

27060-579: Was the worst protagonist of a Resident Evil title and even gaming in general, citing "bad voice acting, bad writing, and questionable lore", as well as further character flaws. Giovanni Colantonio of Inverse described Ethan as the worst game hero of all time. He further said that "Ethan feels like the dumbest, most hapless man in the world, and yet nothing can hurt him." Gene Park of The Washington Post called Ethan an "idiot" for how he reacted to events during Resident Evil Village . He criticized that Ethan "has no character arc" and "isn't likely to enter

27225-560: Was voiced by American actor Todd Soley. In Japanese, he was voiced by Hidenobu Kiuchi . The character model was based on the Tunisian ;model Yaya Chamki. Ethan made his first appearance in the 2017 video game Resident Evil 7: Biohazard . He is an American systems engineer who worked in Los Angeles . Nearly three years after his wife Mia's disappearance, Ethan receives a cryptic video message from Mia that leads him to

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