Resident Evil Village on PSVR2 is an Intimate Monster Mash - Revisiting the Village

Introduction

As the eighth major installment in the iconic franchise of survival horror games, Resident Evil Village added a monstrous array of new creatures led by an unforgettable rogue’s gallery of villains known as the Four Lords. After his family is ripped apart by the people Ethan grew to trust, he is forced to embark on a rescue mission to save his baby and uncover the deep-rooted evil festering under the rule of a mysterious religious figure, Mother Miranda. While the core first-person thriller proved to be a worthwhile evolution of the series’ staple gameplay, Resident Evil Village feels fresh when peering through the glass lenses of the PSVR2.

Having not played Village since blazing through it on PS4 at launch in 2021, returning to Ethan’s heroic journey for the first time in three years was full of familiarity but with the added bonus of new surprises in VR. Even some of the areas that I bravely ventured held a more threatening presence in my mind, especially that damned House Beneviento. That said, I don’t think I could’ve handled Village VR without knowledge of the console version since navigating this gothic adventure in VR can be a challenge.

Story and Gameplay

While there are other movement options, I opted for smooth movement and no tunneling, taking things slow at first to allow my body to adapt to being in PSVR2. I spent my first evening with Village getting familiar with the guns in the shooting range, honing the spatial awareness that I would need to survive. While there are a few weird spots within Village’s narrative, it is a story that’s hard to forget, especially when compared to the rest of the series. I was eager to explore castle Dimitrescu with its dusty crawl spaces and beautifully macabre wine cellars but dreaded the VR perspective of House Beneviento’s iconic fright fest. Despite that innate fear in the back of my mind for my entire playthrough, I was beyond excited to see the monsters up close and take them down with an array of awesome weaponry.

RE Village in VR allows for maneuvers that are simply not possible in the base game. For example, Ethan can now throw his knife, which is excellent for uncovering treasures while saving bullets. He can also dual-wield, though doing so is tricky. The flashlight can be activated at any time by grabbing it out of Ethan’s overcoat. Grenades, healing items, multiple weapons are all available by grabbing onto various body shortcuts. I do wish that more of the general items within the game’s world were interactive such as the various goblets, wine bottles, pots, and pans but having new ways to fight kept things fresh enough to make RE Village a joy to play again.

The last time I finished Village, I was desperate for a continuation of this story. While Rose’s DLC offered a taste of what’s next, it simply wasn’t enough and it feels like Capcom are building towards something amazing. As of this writing, a new entry has been confirmed alongside a Dead Rising remaster. Since RE7 and RE Village were so different in their tone, themes, and visuals, the next Resident Evil could be anything and that’s exciting! I do hope that RE9 has direct connections to RE7 and Village simply because of the implications found beneath the surface of Miranda’s mountain home. Just what is the Megamycete? Where did it come from? How will it affect the franchise’s often messy overarching narrative?

Pondering these elements in VR is a great way to stay fully hooked into what RE Village is going for though it can be hard to mentally weave those threads together when a lycan is leaping at one’s face. Aside from the weirdness of scenes taking place in VR, Village’s story is just as strong as it was on PS4. That said, the gameplay might have been far stronger had this chapter of the Resident Evil franchise been completely developed from the ground up as a VR title. Should Capcom choose to make even a spin-off title that leans into the interactivity of VR, it could make for an unforgettable horror experience.

Graphics and Audio

After dialing in the PSVR2’s sweet spot thanks to the recommended Globular Cluster accessory, I was immediately struck by just how well Village’s scenarios fit within the confines of virtual reality. Holding baby Rose while exploring the Winters household or seeing directly into the maul of a draconic beast or hiding in a locker while a fetus monster moans in the edge of one’s vision added a new sense of immersion, broken only by the technical limitations of PSVR2. Despite the unit having a simulated 4K resolution (2000×2040 per eye), there are many moments where reading notes or aiming down the sights of one’s weapons has enough blur to pull one out of the nightmare. Certain puzzles that rely on noticing the finer details of the game’s fantastic 3D models are also far more frustrating in VR than they should be.

Where things get really strange is within the game’s cutscenes, most of which allow the player to look around during the scenes which can lead to some awkward but humorous moments. The harrowing scene where Lady Dimitrescu slices off Ethan’s right hand can feel a little silly if one chooses to look to the left. The Lady of the castle merely phases through the wall to make the cut. The other issue is that if the player is not perfectly calibrated scenes will often be too close, too low, or generally a bit of a mess. Granted, one can turn off this feature for a more traditional cutscene but it was (mostly) fun to actually be in Ethan’s shoes during these intense body horror moments.

When everything is going well, Resident Evil Village looks stunning in VR. The weapons’ intricate details and changes as Ethan finds more modifications gives them a weight that is just delightful to use against the creatures of the night. There are countless moments where I noticed a new detail on a character or monster just because I was so close to them. Even the generic lycans have a new edge in VR, though I quickly learned to aim from the hip while moving. Enemies dart around sporadically but with a simple adjustment in angle, I could keep on target. I don’t think it is the best gunplay I have experienced in VR but there was clearly a major effort made to make these weapons feel natural.

Much like the core game, the audio design of Resident Evil Village is like a warm blanket of terror that adds another layer to the game’s fantastically realized setting. Hearing the wind roar as I took in the view of the village and its massive castle or noticing the gentle clicking sound of the Goats of Warding (shoot these to get fun unlockable weapons!) while within VR is captivating. There are plenty of ambient croaks and growls to keep one on edge and stopping to listen and drink in the terrifying atmosphere is as rewarding as it is impressive.

Feedback

Related to that desire to just exist in Resident Evil Village, I wish there was a way to turn off the monsters just so I could take in all the sights and sounds of this cursed land. Granted, there are ways to unlock infinite ammo for a classic victory lap but I would love to have something similar to what was available in SOMA. Additionally, Village could use a bit more options to help dial in the game’s clarity. I’m not sure if there is a software solution to this but even having Ethan read notes out loud or have them voiced over would help a ton. Lastly, I would love to play the Mercenaries mode and Rose’s DLC section in VR; even a simple horde mode would be fun in this style.

Verdict

One of the best things about this new era of Resident Evil games is the generous amounts of ports and additional ways to play. Since I last played Village, third-person mode and higher graphical fidelity was added. Now there are even VR modes for most of the recent Resident Evil games and that’s a lot of fun for those seeking new ways to interact with survival horror. Granted, I would love to see these VR modes ported over to PC or the Meta Quest but regardless Village remains a must-play on PSVR2, even if for the perfectly passed opening act.

It is clear that having RE Village in VR was a move that spotlights the new PSVR2 hardware as it was one of the first games available for it. While the game is definitely more natural feeling than RE7 on the first PSVR, there is still plenty of room for improvement. Despite this, RE Village on PSVR2 is a fantastic way to revisit the game but I don’t think I would recommend playing this mode first.

Either way, Capcom should continue to invest in VR experience because their characters and scenarios translate so well to a more interactive medium. Personally, I have my fingers crossed for a VR-specific Resident Evil game but until then I am loving the generous free options for games I already own and love.