The next entry in the iconic Resident Evil franchise, Resident Evil Village, is just weeks away from release. Horror enthusiasts have a lot to look forward to, especially because Resident Evil Village is shaping up to be quite the departure from previous Resident Evil games, even more so than Resident Evil 7.

Resident Evil Village is not just looking to be the most expansive Resident Evil campaign of all time, but it's also a meaty package as a whole. Resident Evil 3 Remake felt like an inadequate release, so Resident Evil Village feels like a decent surprise. For fans still hesitant to get the game at launch, here's a breakdown of everything Resident Evil Village offers at launch.

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Resident Evil Village shoves players into the shoes of the returning Ethan Winters, who is on a mission to find his daughter Rose. Unlike Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil Village doesn't take place primarily in a single house; instead, it takes place in a whole village with versatile locations to explore. As mentioned above, the game takes a more open-ended approach with a newfound emphasis on exploration. IGN recently gave a sneak map of the game's map that revealed some of the different areas of the game. This includes Castle Dimitrescu, Heisenberg's Factory, and Moreau's Reservoir, to name a few.

Resident Evil Village's focus on exploration and variety means that this will be a relatively longer game than some of the previous Resident Evil entries. Notable leaker Dusk Golem had revealed earlier that Resident Evil Village is the longest RE Engine game to date. He further suggested that Resident Evil Village would be longer than Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil 2, and Resident Evil 3, but shorter than Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 6.

The campaign in Resident Evil Village could take 12-15 hours to beat, however, it's possible that Capcom would add a new difficulty option later on to encourage replayability. Resident Evil 7 added a "madhouse" difficulty challenge that featured reduced checkpoints and saves, placed more enemies in certain areas, and more such options to heighten the game experience. Resident Evil Village is rumored to add an unlockable difficulty mode that would randomize enemy and item placement, though this has yet to be confirmed by Capcom. Needless to say, all of this would contribute to a substantial single-player campaign in Resident Evil Village.

The fan-favorite bonus Mercenary mode returns in Resident Evil Village with some new bells and whistles. The Mercenary mode retains the over-the-top arcade-style action where players fight enemies in a time-restricted zone, with new additions like the option to visit the Duke's shop in-game. Aside from the usual weapon upgrades, players will also gain new abilities. These abilities provide bonuses such as increased damage for handguns, increased movement speed, or decreased damage taken while guarding.

With a wide array of weapons at their disposal, the Mercenary mode is shaping up to be a challenging and fun gameplay experience for both newcomers and hardcore fans alike, and would add a few more hours to the gameplay experience.

RE: Verse is a free-to-play multiplayer expansion for everyone who purchases Resident Evil Village. It's a six players deathmatch mode where players get to play as some of the iconic protagonists and antagonists of the Resident Evil franchise. Players start as one of the heroes, however on dying they turn into villains like Mr. X or Jack Baker.

It's also important to note that every character would have its own unique weapons and abilities which would lead to a more tactical gameplay experience. All of the action takes place in one of the many popular Resident Evil game locations, including the RPD from the Resident Evil 2 Remake. Unfortuantely, the RE: Verse beta had a plethora of game-breaking issues that deteriorated the gameplay experience, though it would be interesting to see how the game handles at launch.

All of this makes up for a solid day one Resident Evil Village experience. Unlike some other next-gen titles, Resident Evil Village is still priced at $60 and offers a substantial amount of content in return. Moreover, if Resident Evil 7 is any indication, Resident Evil Village players should expect some free story DLC and paid expansions in the future.

Resident Evil Village launches May 7, 2021, for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

MORE: Parallels Between Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil 4