The eighth mainline installment to the franchise, the trailer itself was atmospheric and moody, with Resident Evil 7 protagonist Ethan Winters returning once again, this time locked in a snowy mountain village trapped by unforeseen horrors strawn across the woods. We see Ethan interact in first person with several characters, some malicious monsters, foreboding characters, and more odd horrors than ever before, until the trailer ends with a surprise appearance by longtime Resident Evil character Chris Redfield - who proceeds to shoot Ethan's wife Mia.
The world of VIllage is definitely larger in scope than Resident Evil 7. Gone are the tight corridors of the Baker plantation, but instead we get sprawling winter forests, a gothic castle, and of course a decaying village. The characters shown in the trailer are a mix of frightening and unsettling, with an apocalyptic feel intermixed with the darker folklore from horror media such as The Witch. We don't know who any of these characters are yet, but their appearance is certainly a sinister addition to the franchise.
Not much else is really shown in terms of gameplay, though Resident Evil: VIllage is clearly sticking to the first person perspective adopted by Resident Evil 7, and adds onto it with more first-person combat mechanics attached. Ethan uses a variety of guns this time around, but every fight is still one of survival; Ethan is not an action hero and VIllage makes a point to show that.
The stakes seem to be higher than ever though, with a more supernatural edge attached to this Resident Evil title than previous entries. We shall see if the more supernatural forces become a major force to be reckoned with, when Resident Evil: VIllage releases in 2021.
