Resident Evil Village has just been released, and it is already shaping up to be one of the biggest survival horror games this year. In less than two days after its launch, Resident Evil Village managed to reach a total of 101,726 players on Steam, surpassing the peak player count of all other Resident Evil games available on the platform. Reviews for the game also reflected its launch success, with many praising its perfect balance of survival horror and action.

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Can You Change Difficulty in Resident Evil Village?

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Like its predecessors, Resident Evil Village does not allow players to change difficult settings once selected. However, it's not all doom and gloom for those who find themselves struggling to survive after choosing a high difficulty level. Once the player dies from any enemies in Resident Evil Village, a pop-up message asks players if they want to change the difficulty setting. If players choose yes, the game automatically switches to the next lower difficulty, so players on Hardcore will be lowered to Standard and Standard to Causal.

It is worth noting that once the difficulty setting has been lowered, there is no way to switch it back up. Given this, players must make sure that they really want to switch down the difficulty setting, especially since it will affect the achievements that they will earn after completing the game. While some may be disappointed for the lack of freedom to change difficulty at any time, having a set difficulty is one of the cornerstone features of the Resident Evil franchise.

Resident Evil Village: Difficulty Levels and Achievements

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Resident Evil Village offers players four difficulty settings to choose from. The first is Casual Mode, which is perfect for players who are only after the game's story. Standard Mode offers a balanced experience, while Hardcore is for veteran Resident Evil fans who like to be challenged. During the first playthrough, only Casual, Standard, and Hardcore are available for players to select. But once players beat the game, or if they purchased the Deluxe Edition's Trauma Pack, they would be able to unlock Village of Shadows Mode, which is the hardest difficulty available in Resident Evil Village.

The four levels of difficulty are also tied to specific achievements and rewards players will get once they complete the game. Here are all the achievements and rewards for each difficulty tier in Resident Evil Village:

  • Great Dad - Finish the story on at least Casual difficulty (Reward: USM-AI)
  • Best Dad Ever - Finish the story on at least Standard difficulty (Reward: Dragoon)
  • World's Best Dad - Finish the story on at least Hardcore difficulty (Reward: Handcannon PZ)
  • Universe's Best Dad - Finish the story on the Village of Shadows difficulty (Reward: Rocket Pistol)

Resident Evil Village is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

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