It is no secret that Resident Evil Village, Capcom's eighth mainline entry in the long-running survival horror franchise, has been a huge success. In June, just a month after its release, Resident Evil Village broke an impressive sales milestone for Capcom, proving that its return to its survival horror roots is something fans have longed for.
While the popularity of Resident Evil Village has been mostly generated by new characters such as Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters, its story and gameplay are also contributing factors to its success. Additionally, Resident Evil Village was also able to embody one important formula that made it scary and memorable, and this formula was taken from another survival horror franchise: Silent Hill.
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It is worth remembering that both Resident Evil and Silent Hill began during the late '90s, which is the golden age for survival horror games. While both titles belong in the same genre, their idea of evil is very different. Silent Hill leaned more into psychological horror, with most enemies being manifestations of the character's guilt, regrets, or trauma. This approach made the story of each game unique and interesting, given that the horror aspect depends on the character the player is controlling.
Players face more tangible and realistic enemies in Resident Evil, given that monsters in the franchise are either byproducts of a dangerous virus or bioweapons created by evil corporations. No matter who the character is or what they are going through, they all experience the universe in the same way. However, beginning with Resident Evil Village, it is evident that Capcom has embraced the approach Silent Hill has been using for many years now, and this is seen with the game's main character, Ethan Winters.
Those who have played the most recent installment can attest that Resident Evil Village is one of the scariest entries in the franchise, specifically the part where players stumble upon House Beneviento. Within its lower floors, players will encounter The Baby, which is an overgrown fetus that pursues the player. Once captured, The Baby will devour Ethan whole, but the creepiest part is its giggles and cries that still sound very human.
Although most monsters in Resident Evil Village are bioweapons, The Baby is a unique and terrifying foe, given that it is a psychological creature and a product of Ethan Winters' mental state. It is worth remembering that Ethan's journey in the basement of House Beneviento was actually a hallucination created by Donna Beneviento via her powers from possessing a parasite known as Cadou. Instead of an actual bioweapon, The Baby was a representation of Ethan's guilt, especially since, at this point, he already knows that his daughter Row has already been divided into different parts.
Additionally, The Baby appears to be a huge monster because of Ethan's fears that Rose could also become a monster due to the mold experiments. Fans should remember that Ethan already witnessed how the mold has twisted Mia in Resident Evil 7, and it is likely that he fears that the same thing would happen to Rose. Like Silent Hill, the Baby Monster sequence in Resident Evil Village utilizes a character's guilt and trauma to deliver great horror. Additionally, it demonstrated how Capcom adapted Silent Hill's tried and tested psychological horror formula and seamlessly combined it with Resident Evil's sci-fi setting. In the end, it resulted in one of the most brilliant and creepiest moments in Resident Evil history.
Resident Evil Village is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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