The highly anticipated follow-up to 2017's Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil Village is just weeks away from release, and Capcom has finally started showing off more gameplay of the game. The latest five minutes of gameplay footage gives players the very first look at Resident Evil Village running on a last-gen console.
Initially revealed as a next-gen only game, Capcom stated later on that it's working to bring Resident Evil Village on last-gen consoles as well. During its January Resident Evil Village showcase, Capcom finally confirmed that the game would release simultaneously on all platforms, including the PS4 and Xbox One.
The new Resident Evil Village gameplay footage from IGN is running on a PS4 Pro and takes Ethan through the blood-soaked dungeon of the mysterious castle. It kicks off in a similar castle room as seen in the earlier trailers, as Ethan sneaks by the infamous Lady Dimitrescu. Some of the dungeon areas also resemble the ones seen in the Resident Evil Village Maiden Demo. A huge chunk of the trailer focuses on Ethan exploring the narrow spaces of this surprisingly lit dungeon and fighting hooded monsters. Interestingly, these creatures seem to drop silver coins. The footage ends with Ethan taking an elevator to the castle's balcony as the Lady Dimitrescu cutscene from the third trailer is triggered.
RE Engine games have always had highly detailed character animations and cloth textures, and Resident Evil Village looks to be no different. Resident Evil Village seems to a major departure from Resident Evil 7 in terms of visuals and quality of life changes, even on last-gen consoles. Ethan's reload animation has been overhauled and has a more stable aim compared to his last adventure. He walks faster this time around as well. Enemy physics has been overhauled as well, with them now reacting to every shot.
The PS5 and Xbox Series X shortages continue all across the world, and it's no surprise that a majority of people still play games on last-gen consoles. Hence it's praiseworthy that Capcom is taking the time to reveal relatively inferior-looking gameplay footage of one of its biggest 2021 games. Given how CD Projekt Red refrained from revealing any Cyberpunk 2077 last-gen footage before the game's release, which led to a lot of controversies, such a move from Capcom makes even more sense. While Resident Evil Village looks quite polished on PS4 Pro, it is still too early to assume that will be the case with the base PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game. Fortunately, fans won't have to wait long enough to find out.
Resident Evil Village launches May 7, 2021, on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.