Later this year, Capcom will launch Resident Evil Village, aka Resident Evil 8, the latest installment in the company's long-running survival-horror franchise. Resident Evil Village most closely resembles Resident Evil 7, utilizing a first-person viewpoint and continuing the story of Ethan Winters. And while Resident Evil Village is a direct sequel to RE7, the game also has a lot in common with an older Resident Evil game.

As it turns out, Resident Evil Village has a lot in common with Resident Evil 4, which is the highest-rated Resident Evil game to date. There are numerous similarities between the two games based on pre-release information alone, and so it's possible that there will be even more for fans to discover once the full game is out.

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Here are all the similarities between Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil 4 that we've noticed so far.

One of the more bizarre but popular features in Resident Evil 4 was the mysterious traveling merchant that Leon S. Kennedy would encounter during his adventure. Players could speak with the merchant to purchase new items as well as upgrade Leon's arsenal, and his goofy catchphrases are still referenced to this day. The merchant disappeared in subsequent entries, which utilized a simple menu system for upgrades instead, but he will be returning in Resident Evil Village - kind of.

A new merchant named "The Duke" will be featured in Resident Evil Village who will serve the same purpose as the one from Resident Evil 4. However, it seems this new merchant will have a more fleshed-out personality, and will have more to say to Ethan Winters as he makes his way through the titular "village" and Castle Dimitrescu. There may be more to discover about The Duke in Resident Evil Village, but fans will have to wait for Capcom to reveal more information on that front.

Both Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil 4 share similar settings. Both games are set in secluded, rural parts of Europe, and both seem to feature hostile villagers that the players will have to deal with. Both games also feature castle structures that players have to explore, so it's clear that there should be plenty of locations that at least look familiar to fans of Resident Evil 4, even if they aren't exactly the same.

When Resident Evil 4 launched, it served as a major departure from series norms in a number of ways. One big way Resident Evil 4 shook up the Resident Evil franchise formula was by doing away with all of the series' iconic enemies and replacing them with an entirely brand new rogues gallery. Instead of mindless zombies, players were now fighting against villagers armed with farming tools and other weapons, as well as giant trolls and other kinds of barbaric monstrosities brought about by the Las Plagas parasite.

Similarly, Resident Evil Village features all-new enemy types never before seen in a Resident Evil game. The Resident Evil Village showcase event revealed some of these enemies, including mutated villagers, a large "gorilla" man, and of course, the "vampire ladies" that have become a fixture of the community since their reveal. Resident Evil Village also features werewolves of some description. So as was the case with Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil Village players should be prepared to develop new strategies to take down these new enemy types.

Generally speaking, the Resident Evil franchise has stayed away from featuring supernatural horror, instead opting for things rooted in science-fiction. The vast majority of games revolve around viral outbreaks that cause people to transform into zombies or other creatures, as opposed to having players take on creatures like witches or the vampire-like women that seemingly serve as Resident Evil Village's main antagonists.

However, there once was a time when Resident Evil 4 was going to feature supernatural elements. At one point, Resident Evil 4 was going to feature living dolls, ghosts, and a so-called Hook Man. While the final version decided to go for a natural explanation of the horrors Leon encountered in Resident Evil 4 and scrapped these paranormal encounters, it seems as though Resident Evil Village has opted to explore supernatural elements yet again, and it will be interesting to see how fans react to it.

One of Resident Evil 4's defining characteristics is its inventory system. While inventory management has always been a staple of the Resident Evil franchise, Resident Evil 4 took things a step further by having players manually organize their inventory themselves. This way, players could rearrange the items in their inventory to make room for other items. Despite being a fairly popular feature, Capcom scrapped this hands-on form of inventory management in subsequent games, though it appears to be returning in Resident Evil Village.

Resident Evil Village's inventory management looks to be very similar to what was featured in RE4, meaning Ethan Winters will have to take a more hands-on approach to the items he carries around in this new game. Unfortunately, the Resident Evil Village demo didn't feature inventory management, so fans will likely have to wait for the game to launch to see just how closely it resembles what was seen in Resident Evil 4.

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

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