Resident Evil Village is just around the corner and is set to release in just a few hours. The game serves as the next major installment in the Resident Evil franchise and will see the return of Chris Redfield and Ethan Winters and the first-person gameplay of Resident Evil 7, which is a first for a mainline Resident Evil game.

It is no secret that the story of Resident Evil Village is closely linked to its predecessor, taking place just a few years after Ethan Winters survived the Bakers. However, going into Resident Evil Village without playing Resident Evil 7 may find themselves overwhelmed with everything that is going on. Here is a quick breakdown of every important plot point in Resident Evil 7 that players should know before Resident Evil Village. As such, this post will heavily feature major Resident Evil 7 spoilers.

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Resident Evil 7 featured Ethan Winters, who is the first protagonist in a mainline Resident Evil game that was not involved in the Raccoon City saga (except Resident Evil 6's Piers Nievans, Jake Muller, and Helena Harper, who were semi-protagonists). Given that Resident Evil 7 featured a brand new protagonist, most of the game's story is not directly linked to its predecessors apart from the basic concept of having a shady company conducting biological research.

After receiving a cryptic video from his missing wife, Mia, Ethan traveled to Dulvey, Louisiana, where he stumbled upon the Baker family's home. Upon exploring the house, Ethan found Mia but soon discovered that she, and the rest of the Baker family, are infected with a new bioweapon known as The Mold. Throughout the game, Ethan explores Baker's mansion in search of a cure for Mia, and after curing her of the Mold, Ethan discovered that his wife works for a mysterious group known as The Connections.

Under their employ, Mia was tasked to care for a new bioweapon known as Eveline, who appeared to look like a 10-year-old girl. It was later revealed that Eveline could control The Mold and everyone infected with it. After defeating members of the Baker family, Ethan had a final showdown with Eveline. He was able to neutralize her with the help of a weapon dropped from a helicopter by Blue Umbrella.

The end of Resident Evil 7 revealed that series veteran Chris Redfield led the rescue of Ethan and Mia Winters. Interestingly enough, Redfield was revealed to be working with Blue Umbrella, and his involvement in the game was further explored in the DLC, Not a Hero. After rescuing Ethan and Mia Winters, Chris pursued Lucas Baker, who was able to escape in the main game, in an attempt to stop him before he can transmit data regarding the Mold and Eveline's progress to The Connections.

Throughout the DLC, Chris appeared to have been in a conflicted state. It was revealed that Chris is struggling with having to work with Blue Umbrella. For the uninitiated, Blue Umbrella is the reformed version of the original Umbrella Corporation, which now conducts research on weapons against bioterrorism. Despite its reformed state, Chris distrusts Blue Umbrella, noting that he does not see himself as a hero, but as a man who is capable of doing bad things to achieve good.

While the Not a Hero DLC was brief, it was enough to show just how much Chris Redfield has changed throughout the series. In early trailers for Resident Evil Village, Chris has been portrayed as a villain, especially after shooting Mia Winters in front of Ethan before abducting their baby daughter, Rose. While Chris's true intentions are still unclear, Resident Evil 7's Not a Hero DLC was able to foreshadow the events that could ultimately lead to him doing bad things, whether his questionable actions are for the sake of achieving good remains to be seen.

As far as Ethan Winters is concerned, Resident Evil Village will revolve around him trying to save his daughter from danger. It remains unclear why Chris Redfield abducted his daughter. But it is possible that the baby had remnants of The Mold in her body, which she could have gotten from Mia's previous infection in Resident Evil 7.

While players wouldn't necessarily need to have played Resident Evil 7 before heading into Resident Evil Village, knowing the important plot points could be beneficial in understanding and appreciating the overall narrative of the upcoming game. In the end, Resident Evil Village's debut trailer did hint that "His story comes to a close." It remains unclear who exactly the trailer was referring to, but many believe that it could be either Chris or Ethan and the only way to know is to play Resident Evil Village.

Resident Evil Village is set to release on May 7, 2021, for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

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