Resident Evil 7 vs Resident Evil Village
Resident Evil 7 vs Resident Evil Village
10 Best Resident Evil Village Characters
Welcome to WatchMojo and in this installment of versus, we’ll be putting “Resident Evil 7” and “Resident Evil Village” head-to-head. We’ll be looking at which one is truly the best; that doesn’t mean the loser is a bad game, they’re both outstanding, just that one is a better experience than the other. Let us know in the comments which one you think deserves to win.
Round 1: Characters
The 10 Most Underrated Resident Evil Characters
After the misstep that was “Resident Evil 6”, Capcom opted for a soft reboot with “7”, creating new characters, new lore, and devising a brand-new setting, too. Instead of the action heroes Chris, Leon, and Jill all became, we had Ethan Winters, an ordinary guy caught up in bioweapon research after the mysterious disappearance of his wife, Mia. Mia’s been captured by the Baker family, whose minds have been destroyed by a deadly Mold. But none of these characters were particularly compelling; you don’t see enough of the Bakers, save for Zoe, before they went insane to really feel for them, nor do you have much of a connection to Mia. Ethan and Mia both returned for “Resident Evil Village” along with Chris Redfield – who showed his face only at the very end of “7”. But it’s the villains that make “Village” such a joy to play; while you could feel bad for Jack Baker once you found his messages, he and his ilk still weren’t characterized anywhere near as much as “Village’s” villains. The four House Lords and Mother Miranda at the top are extremely interesting characters, all with unique mutations inspired by Gothic horror and popular literature. Every single one of them is interesting and unique, and none overstays their welcome. The Bakers are frightening, and you do feel bad for them when you start to unravel the game’s story, but they’ve just got nothing on the Four Lords of the village. The Bakers are crazy and violent because they’re being manipulated, not because they have concrete goals and motivations of their own – that’s why “Village’s” characters shine the brightest. ROUND WINNER: “Resident Evil Village” SCORE: “Resident Evil 7” 0 / “Resident Evil Village” 1
Round 2: Stalkers
Capcom has said that “Village” was toned down because “7” was too scary for a lot of people, and the stalking segments are the main reason this was the case. Being stalked through the Baker house by Mia right at the beginning was scary enough, but the segment with Jack Baker is truly terrifying. Few gaming moments will get your adrenaline pumping like being relentlessly pursued by him will. And the family matriarch, Marguerite, is just as bad, mutating into a spider-creature and crawling around the walls after she already spent a long time harassing you with her cloud of insects. “Village”, on the other hand, just isn’t as strong where stalker enemies are concerned. This is even clearer following not only the success of Jack Baker, but the stalking enemies Mr. X and Nemesis in the recent remakes of “2” and “3”. Lady Dimitrescu is a great villain, but she’s not that intimidating; she’s slow, very easy to lose, and her attacks are extremely simple to dodge because they’re telegraphed so clearly. When you can just walk right past an enemy and immediately escape in the next room, you start to see through the cracks. “Resident Evil 7” builds tension like few games ever have through the constant threat of the unkillable Bakers. In contrast to “Village’s” frightening but easy-to-avoid stalkers, it’s clear that Jack Baker takes the cake. ROUND WINNER: “Resident Evil 7” SCORE: “Resident Evil 7” 1 / “Resident Evil Village” 1
Round 3: Level Design
Hidden Video Game Level
Generally speaking, “Resident Evil” games are short and sweet; you progress quickly through linear stages, learning their ins and outs as you navigate the various rooms and backtrack for better items. “7” is claustrophobic in the best way; you really feel like you’re stuck in a swamp in the middle of nowhere with no help on the way. But the individual levels aren’t always strong. The first house is reminiscent of “P.T.”, but things go downhill from there. By the time you reach Lucas’s hideout near the salt mines and the flashback sequence on the wrecked ship, you’ll be wishing to go back to the swamps. “Village’s” levels are all incredibly distinct. You’ve got the village itself as a hub overrun with dangerous Lycans and then the stages themselves. You’ll never get bored because you move through the areas so quickly and they’re all so well designed. Castle Dimitrescu is an early tour-de-force in the lifetime of the ninth-gen consoles, with astonishing detail bringing this homage to Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” to life. Then you have a haunted house stage in House Beneviento, a large boss level at Moreau’s Reservoir, while a terrifying, industrial nightmare still awaits in Heisenberg’s “Frankenstein”-esque factory. “7” may still be well-designed, but the stages are of varying quality, rather than being consistently engaging like in “Village”. It’s clear that Capcom learned a lot from “7” and really acted on that for “Village”, which is a definite improvement over its predecessor. ROUND WINNER: “Resident Evil Village” SCORE: “Resident Evil 7” 1 / “Resident Evil Village” 2
Round 4: Puzzles
Top 20 HARDEST Video Game Puzzles Ever
Like many horror games, “Resident Evil” has long been characterized by its bizarre, obtuse puzzles and elaborately designed settings. Why, exactly, does the RPD need so many convoluted puzzles anyway? Puzzles more or less disappeared after a while, only to make a return in “Resident Evil 7”. They form many of the obstacles Ethan has to surmount, often while being pursued by hostiles. But it still takes more suspension of disbelief to imagine the Bakers built their ranch with these puzzles in mind – unlike the eccentric founder of Umbrella, Oswell E. Spencer. By contrast, “Resident Evil Village’s” four lords have been living in the village for decades – some close to a century – seemingly with very little to do beyond terrorizing the locals. So it makes more sense that they would set up complicated puzzles throughout the region. But as well as that, the puzzles are just better. The village itself has many gates you’ll need to backtrack to later once you have the correct key, along with lots of treasure troves hiding unique and valuable items for Ethan to acquire. You constantly need to keep your eyes peeled for interesting finds that can combine into cool objects, like Heisenberg’s hammer and Lady D’s necklace. “7’s” puzzles are more annoying than engaging and are often simply blocking you from progressing rather than hiding cool loot and Easter eggs. That’s why “Village”, which uses its puzzles to pace the story and give you a constant drip-feed of valuable items and lore, is better in this regard. ROUND WINNER: “Resident Evil Village” SCORE: “Resident Evil 7” 1 / “Resident Evil Village” 3
Round 5: Bosses
The 20 HARDEST Resident Evil Bosses
One of the most enduring changes to the franchise made by the action-heavy games was the inclusion of more elaborate boss battles. That’s not to say the first few games didn’t have boss battles, but they’re nothing like the encounters seen in “Resident Evil 4” and onward. In “Resident Evil 7”, the best fights are the ones against Jack, who keeps mutating and coming back bigger and badder than before. He’s truly formidable when you fight him in a tiny garage with a chainsaw – and the insectoid Marguerite is pure nightmare fuel. But Lucas was a disappointment and the fight against Eveline wasn’t anything too memorable. The first big boss fight in “Resident Evil Village” is against Lady Dimitrescu who, after pursuing Ethan throughout the level, transforms into a dragon you have to fight on the battlements. Already, that’s one of the coolest fights in the whole series. But then you add the battle against Moreau – clearly reminiscent of “RE4’s” Del Lago – and the final battle against Heisenberg’s Sturm and the man himself, not to mention Mother Miranda, and you have one of the best video games ever made where boss battles are concerned. The boss fights and stages are so well-designed in “Village” that it has to be our winner this time, frightening as Jack Baker is. Ultimately, while “7” has two good bosses, “Village” has far more, and is the new gold standard of “Resident Evil” enemy encounters. ROUND WINNER: “Resident Evil Village” OVERALL SCORE: “Resident Evil 7” 1 / “Resident Evil Village” 4 “7” was a return to form, but “Village” improved on this in practically every way, leading it to victory.
