Now that Maiden demo exclusive to PS5 gave players a taste of the ambiance inside of Castle Dimitrescu as well as a sneak peak into what Resident Evil Village might look like on the new console hardware. Now that players are allowed outside of the castle, and into the eponymous village, it can be noted that the environments created for Resident Evil 8 are gorgeous.
It really comes as no surprise that Resident Evil Village is the best looking game in the series - it is the most recent after all. It is notable, however, that the jump in quality from Resident Evil 7 to Village is quite significant. RE7 by no means is a bad looking game, but character models especially looked a bit plastic-y and the environments themselves were almost entirely shrouded in darkness. RE7 was the first game to use the new RE Engine, so some visual quirks are expected.
The setting of Resident Evil Village also lends itself to a greater visual experience, and having at least part of the game take place during the day helps immensely. Secluded in the mountains somewhere in Eastern Europe, Resident Evil 8's village and castle locations will almost certainly lead the player to some breathtaking views. As a cross-generation title, though, Village tantalizes players with what visual fidelity may be possible in the RE Engine.
RE Village is Just the Beginning of Gorgeous RE Engine Games
If Resident Evil Village is any indication of what gamers can expect from the RE Engine, then the future is promising for games coming out of Capcom. Even Monster Hunter Rise impresses visually using the RE Engine on the limited hardware in the Nintendo Switch, and the still-mysterious game Pragmata looks poised to be a visual feast. The days of massive jumps in visuals are over now that such realistic games are commonplace. Minute details in environment and techniques such as ray tracing will now push the envelope on realism.
Resident Evil games are typically very carefully crafted, so RE Village probably won't be short on details. The new consoles and the PC version of the game will have ray tracing as well, but the cross generation release of RE8 means players might have to wait a little while longer until the true potential of the RE Engine is revealed. For now, though, Resident Evil Village will suffice with its beautiful vistas and breathtaking gothic architecture.
