Resident Evil 8
Enjoying life with his family, Ethan Winters is once again drawn into the fold as perception does not appear to align with reality…
Introduction
I played this video game not too long after the previous instalment. The first six Resident Evil games essentially took place within interconnected storylines with various familiar characters appearing throughout its run. Resident Evil 7 essentially marked the beginning of a new chapter with a new set of characters. This latest instalment carries on the new Ethan-centric saga. Even though this is a direct sequel, there are distinct differences in the gameplay between the two, which will be established below.
Story
This section will contain cameo spoilers and the generalised ending in reference to Resident Evil 7.
During the finale sequence of Resident Evil 7, Chris Redfield makes an appearance and rescues Ethan and his wife. As fans of the previous Resident Evil saga would know, he is a fan-favourite character and his cameo offered some sort of a connection to the previous saga in a storyline with entirely new characters.
It is clearly established he is a ‘good guy’ and does what he can to protect the law. However, during the very beginning of Resident Evil 8, Ethan and his wife alongside their child are having your typical family dinner. Then, out of nowhere, his wife gets shot by a sniper through the window and his entire house gets raided by a SWAT or special forces team. And the man in charge of this operation? Chris Redfield. An established ‘good character’ suddenly enters the family who he rescued not too long back, only to shoot his wife in cold blood. Ethan, just like the player, was completely baffled by his actions and could not comprehend why everything unfolded in the way it did.
After being knocked down, Ethan eventually wakes up in the middle of a desolate road in some snowy environment in the deep countryside within Eastern Europe. He must now figure out a way to survive his tribulation, rescue his child and uncover the truth of what actually happened.
Characters
A lot of the characters presented here were also present in the previous game. These are as follows:
- Ethan Winters (Todd Soley) — He is the husband of the Winters family. After rescuing his wife from the clutches of the Baker family, his goal is to now rescue his child, which sort of reminds me of the first two Taken Movies in reverse order. Since the last instalment, this character is now trained in self-defence and gun training to prep for the harsh wilderness ahead of him.
- Mia Winters (Katie O’Hagan) — She is the wife who went missing in the previous instalment. After rescuing her, they spend time as a family at the beginning of this game. However, she is suddenly shot dead by Chris Redfield for no discernible reason. It sort of reminds me of Taken 3.
- Chris Redfield (Jeff Schine) — A hero of the previous Resident Evil saga and part of the special ops of the military, this veteran character is respected throughout the Resident Evil fandom. Yet, he intentionally shoots a civilian dead at the beginning of this game which is completely antithetical to his values. What could possibly justify his rationale?
Without spoiling too much, the remaining characters are essentially the leading family members of the village which Ethan Winters eventually winds up in during the beginning sequences of the video game. Each of these family members has great importance to the status of the village as a whole:
- Lady Dimitrescu (Maggie Robertson) — She is, as of the writing of this review, the tallest of the Resident Evil villains. She is the head of her posh-looking castles and is surrounded by her daughters.
- Salvatore Moreau (Jesse Pimentel) — He is one of the other influential members of the village, although not much is known about him. When Ethan encounters him, he is essentially a hunchback with an amphibian-like appearance.
- Donna Beneviento (Andi Norris) — This character is a doll-maker. As evident by her title, she has the creepiest sequence in the entire video game. Baby dolls, baby laughs, in the dark, staring at you…
- Karl Heisenberg (Neil Newbon) — This is my favourite of the four lords. He owns a mechanical underground base and I feel he has the most personality of the aforementioned villains.
All of these lords answer to Mother Miranda (Michelle Lukes), who is essentially in charge of the entire settlement.
Worldbuilding
This chapter of Resident Evil was a lot more detailed than its predecessors. Although, I might be biased because it was the first Resident Evil game to be fully optimised for the PlayStation 5. Whilst both of these chapters were technically grounded, this video game feels a lot freer and more open. There is a clearly-defined hierarchy which correlates to the functionality of the village. There is a lot of lore to uncover which has dramatic repercussions and provides further insights into the Resident Evil saga. Furthermore, each of the lordship holdings are also well-defined from each other, providing a sense of diversity in its environment.
Gameplay
Just like its worldbuilding, the gameplay is also more open and flexible in this entry. The game is also more action-orientated as opposed to the horror-focus of its predecessors. There is now plentiful ammo to pick from in comparison and there is a diversity of weapons to choose from. As in your typical Resident Evil fashion, the strongest weapon would be the Magnum, whose ammo is sparsely located throughout the game, hence should be conserved accordingly. Ethan meets a travelling salesman who offers him new weapons, upgrades abilities and player modifications. He conveniently sets up his shop wherever Ethan goes, sort of like the trader from Resident Evil 4. Once you fully upgrade a weapon, you have the option to purchase an infinite-ammo feature for that specific weapon for the next playthrough. The currency for that ‘bonus shop’ is associated with completing in-game challenges.
Summary
In short:
- Resident Evil 8 takes place in a village in a snowy environment located somewhere in Eastern Europe.
- This entry is less constrained and more action-focused when described in comparison to Resident Evil 7.
- The story is a mystery, to begin with, but slowly starts to make sense over the course of the game.
Critique
I had no complaints with this latest instalment of the Resident Evil franchise. I only wish that I could ‘team up’ with a certain villain when the opportunity was offered. Also, I wish the upcoming DLC “Shadows of Rose” was out already, so I can figure out where the next story goes to.
Afterwords
This is definitely a top-tier Resident Evil game. My other reviews can be found below:
*Resident Evil 2’s review also contains a brief review of the original Resident Evil game.
