Morimasa Sato, the game’s director, said the idea for Village came about by chance during Resident Evil 7 production. The team first designed protagonist Ethan Winters as a blank slate, before realizing there was potential for an interesting character.
After finishing RE 7’s story, they wanted to carry on and see what happens to Ethan and, by extension, those connected to him. It’s not certain what role Mia Winters plays in RE 8, but the presentation said Chris Redfield is surrounded by darkness and almost unrecognizable in Village.
So it’s no surprise Art Director Tomonori Takano said the scenario they came up with is scarier than the Baker’s derelict house.
Some of the scare factor comes from the stage design. Takano said the team used lighting in more and varied ways for Village to create a distinct sense of atmosphere, more so than in RE 7.
Another change is pacing. Sato said Resident Evil 8 is easier to get into, and the story design compels players to keep going to find out what happens next.
But Re Village also encourages players to take their time and explore. We knew that the team wants the village itself to be akin to a main character, but Sato elaborated further on how that might be handled.
While the village is as small and intimate as one would expect from a place smaller than a town and bigger than a hamlet, it’s packed full of secrets and hidden areas to discover.
Resi 8 gets a puzzle overhaul as well. Most Resident Evil puzzles have one solution, but Sato said with Village, the team wants players to experiment and find their own solutions to various situations.
If things start to get a bit confusing, the team has added the storybook element to help keep track it all. It’s called “Village of Shadows,” and it’s what Mia reads from in the teaser trailers.
At the end of the showcase, the development team said the goal is getting Resident Evil 8 on PS4 and Xbox One, but they aren’t making any promises.
There’s more to come from Capcom’s 2020 Tokyo Game Show, so stay tuned to GameSkinny for more Resident Evil 8 news as it develops.
