Resident Evil Village map shows first glimpse at a big world

Published , by Ozzie Mejia

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard largely focused on a smaller area, having Ethan Winters explore the Baker house and its surroundings. Some may have expected the same kind of idea with the upcoming Resident Evil Village. However, it now looks like Capcom is thinking much bigger with the next entry in the franchise. If the newly-revealed map is any indication, the titular village will be far bigger than players may have expected.

IGN had an exclusive first look at the Resident Evil Village map. The key points of interest are four explorable areas: Castle Dimitrescu (home to the recent PS5 demo), House Beneviento, Heisenberg's Factory, and Moreau's Reservoir. All of these locations house their own distinct horrors.

"When you hear the word 'village', you might imagine quaint houses lined up along a street, but that's not really enough to make a videogame out of," Resident Evil Village director Morimasa Sato said in a previous IGN interview. "Especially in a horror game, I think it's important to keep providing new experiences along the way. Within the village, it’s important to keep delivering new surprises to the player."

While Biohazard went back to Resident Evil's survival horror roots, the size of the village (and the fact that it's a village setting, period) is more reminiscent of Resident Evil 4. The specific horrors that await players remain shrouded in mystery, as does Village's plot, as a whole. The only knowns so far are the returning Ethan Winters, Chris Redfield, and a baby, and a nine-foot-tall vampire lady commanding a hoard of villainous bloodsuckers.

Any questions about Resident Evil Village, its plot, and its contents will be answered soon. A special Resident Evil Village showcase is slated for Thursday, April 15. Look for the game to release on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia on May 7.