The Resident Evil Village showcase that took place on January 21 wasn’t really long (unless you include the 30 minute countdown and 10 minute pre-order screen at the end). However, we still got to learn about some of the game’s features from it, and there was also a new trailer for both Village and the multiplayer title Re:Verse. Oh, and we’ve got a PS5-exclusive demo and a release date for Village too.
Here’s a quick rundown of what was revealed on January 21.
Resident Evil Village Gameplay
The showcase didn’t provide a very long look at Resident Evil Village's gameplay, but we did get to see features like crafting, blocking, puzzles, items hidden in smashable items, inventory management, and the return of the weapon-selling merchant, now called the Duke.
The gameplay footage (start from 34:55) shown takes us on a tour of the game’s wonderfully-crafted castle, which protagonist Ethan Winters has to venture into in an attempt to find his daughter. It also provides a longer look at some of the enemies that were first glimpsed in the game’s first trailer. There’s a brief section where the scary hammer-wielding giant tries to reduce you to red paste without worrying about injuring his own allies, for instance. More importantly, we get to see more of Lady Dimitrescu, the towering vampire lady first-glimpsed in the game’s first trailer, and her daughters, each of whom can transform into a swarm of insects.
Resident Evil Village 3rd Trailer
A new trailer for Resident Evil Village, which provides a longer look at Lady Dimitrescu’s phone call that was briefly seen in the first trailer.
Resident Evil Village Demo
PS5 owners can now try out a platform-exclusive demo called Maiden. In the demo, you’re a prisoner called the “Maiden” who has to escape from the castle of Lady Dimitrescu. There’s no combat or blocking, with the focus of the demo being the visuals and audio. The PlayStation Blog has dedicated a post to it too.
A separate demo will be released on all platforms in Spring.
Resident Evil Re:Verse - Teaser Trailer
Made as a “thank you to fans” for the series 25th anniversay, Re:Verse is a cel-shaded online game that will feature Resident Evil characters battling it out in a deathmatch. It will be free to those who buy Resident Evil Village, which is good because the game does not look good enough to warrant a purchase (the trailer has 7.9k dislikes compared to 5.5k likes at the time of writing).
You can register for its closed beta test now till January 25, 2.59 PM GMT.
Purchase Options, Platforms, and Release Date
The showcase revealed that Resident Evil Village will be available on current-gen consoles in addition to PS5, Xbox One, and PC. The PS4 version can be upgraded for free to the digital PS5 version, while the Xbox One version will use Xbox Smart Delivery to let you play the Xbox Box Series X version. All versions will be available on May 7. Pre-orders are already available.
Aside from the standard edition, all platforms will have the option of getting the Digital Deluxe Edition of Resident Evil Village, which includes the Trauma Pack DLC. The DLC offers bonuses like safe room music, the Samurai Edge – AW Model-01 pistol, a max difficulty option, and more. Meanwhile, consoles can get the Collector’s Edition, which offers the Digital Deluxe Edition contents as well as a Chris Redfield figure, art book, steel book, and a microfiber cloth map.
Finally, there’s a Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village bundle (for all platforms too). The bundle will offer the Gold Edition of RE7, and the Trauma Pack DLC is included as well.
