Resident Evil Village Is PlayStation VR2’s Best Exclusive

Sony’s PlayStation VR2 launched today with only a handful of proper exclusives. Horizon Call of the Mountain, the flagship piece of the hardware’s showcase, is now available. Gran Turismo 7 also has impressive VR modes. The launch library, aside from those exclusive first-party titles, is mostly comprised of prereleased VR games. Capcom has also made Resident Evil Village fully playable in PlayStation VR2 by providing a free update.

Resident Evil 7 was similarly portable to PlayStation VR in 2017. However, I did not find VR play very enjoyable. The game was made for VR early on in its lifecycle, so you needed to use a controller. It wasn’t ideal. Resident Evil 4’s VR remake is, however, fantastic. Developer Armature Studio reworked Resident Evil 4 and made it so great that it is one of my most favorite VR experiences.

With both of those Resident Evil VR experiences in my mind, I went into Village’s VR port with a bit of pessimism. Village, on the other hand, is closer to the better Resident Evil VR port than the terrible Resident Evil 7. VR port.

The tutorial teaches you the basics of the game and it ends with how to play the final version. It feels like an intelligent port that has new mechanics that are well-thought out. For example, reloading is now multi-step and feels fantastic in VR. This makes it even more terrifying. There is nothing worse than trying to reload your gun as werewolves move towards you.

Overall, gunplay feels good. Involuntary shooting increased bullets was my default reaction to an enemy’s attack. In this way, the game feels a little harder, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. To have an immersive experience, I’ll take on a greater challenge.

The only problem with the VR mode is that you have to create a separate save. I started from the beginning and played up to Lady Dimitrescu’s castle. Many early moments have more impact when you feel like you’re in the room. Mia was shot, which was especially distressing. Chris tearing through your home to reach you makes it all that more frightening.

All cutscenes can be viewed in VR, which is why they work so well. The game’s first-person design means that cutscenes play out with Ethan entering a room (or being dragged into a room depending on the circumstance) and the cast of characters standing around and talking directly to him. This worked well in VR, especially when it came to meeting Lady Dimitrescu. VR is great at scale. Lady Dimitrescu meeting in real life really shows her height and intimidating nature.

Every cutscene may not be perfect. Sometimes, elements or the entire cinematic will play on a flatscreen. It is quite unusual to see the interaction between the Duke and the Duchess for the first-time in VR. There’s only one shot during which the camera pans for approximately two seconds. It quickly switches between a flat image, and back into VR for a few seconds. It doesn’t break or ruin the game, but it is undeniably distracting.

I can’t speak for the other areas of the game, but Lady Dimitrescu’s castle felt suited to VR from the moment I stepped inside thanks to its emphasis on self-directed exploration. It’s great at giving you the freedom to take your own time, look at the details, and VR does a fantastic job of this. The castle is reminiscent of the slower, more traditional Resident Evil games. It almost feels like VR was built into the castle when you walk around it and look at the intricate details.

A minor complaint: the VR save system (which involves searching for typewriters in order to save your progress) is not optimal. You are encouraged to stop and take breaks, which is why the game’s oppressive environment of Village makes it necessary to remove the headset from time to time. It is not possible to locate a typewriter that marks great rest points. This would have been made easier if there was a save anywhere feature. VR does not have any subtitle options, which disappoints me as someone who likes to watch every game with subtitles.

Resident Evil Village is by far my favourite PlayStation VR2 game. You can also find other PlayStation VR2 games here. You can only play Resident Evil Village on PlayStation VR2, which is an unfortunate limitation, but it leads to me to highly recommend the game if you’ve invested in Sony’s new headset. You can see your inventory items from another perspective by looking into your jacket. VR also allows you to view small, but not violent, moments such as putting Rose to sleep.