The Resident Evil series has been a staple in the horror genre for decades, with each game being an innovative inclusion to the genre that bends the modern hardware to the extremes. There were many games in the series that stood out, with the two more modern ones making some additional impact. We are, of course, talking about the famous Resident Evil: Village, which brought us the infamous Lady Dimitrescu, and the recent Resident Evil 4 remake. The latter is one of the best games in the genre, with Leon S. Kennedy taking the lead role in stuttering the expansionists' plans of the evil horde!

Both games have an inquisitive scenery, each showing the epitome of terror. If you are wondering which one to play and beat first – we have a treat for you! Let’s find the best Resident Evil game in recent years!

RE: Village and Resident Evil 4 are games where the story is essentially everything. It’s the same tier regarding quality, so deciding which one is a better game will be challenging. Of course, we can always say that this one is more fun than the previous game, or this is a great game, but it can’t do X right. Nevertheless, we all know that, in their own way – those are good games with super fun mechanics. So, let’s see which one can attract us better with its story.

Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil 4 follows the footsteps of Leon S. Kennedy on his mission to save the president’s daughter – Ashley Graham. She got mixed up with some pretty unwise folks from a cult in rural Europe. As it turns out, there is also a zombie-like creature out there, a parasite controlling the minds of the people living there.

The organism is called Las Plagas, and everyone there seems to be under its spell. Why didn’t they send their military to burn the place to the ground? Why would they decide to go for a Chris-Redfield-kind-of-action where one person is supposed to do an undoable task? It’s unclear. It seems they didn’t want to make a fuss about it, whatever the dispute may be when we talk about the president’s daughter. We are not so sure if Donald Trump would be as chill as President Graham if they would take Ivanka hostage.

Nevertheless, although the plot may feel silly at times, the creatures are well-designed, and uncovering this whole mess step-by-step is something to look forward to. Osmund Saddler is the extremely fun-to-hate antagonist, and the creativity with which they created those mutated people is just astonishing. 

Resident Evil: Village

Village, on the other hand, follows the story from Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, with Ethan Winters also finding himself in some remote European village where incredible things happen. Someone needs to talk to those people at Capcom and show them some pictures of Europe, as they seem to think that all Europeans are either vampires or zombies. Or something in between.

Nevertheless, as Ethan, we are trying to rescue his daughter this time (a much more reasonable choice than the President’s daughter as a plot point), who was kidnapped by some creatures from Mother Miranda. As you get more and more involved in this world, it’s getting creepier and creepier, up to the point where you don’t even know what reality and your imagination are. 

The village is terrifying, with the creatures you interact with, with Lady Dimitrescu leading the charge. It is a view to look forward to. Additionally, the story is just a cohesive narrative, where it may not make sense as some beings are supernatural, but your actions are usually on point as the protagonist.

Verdict

While both games create a fascinating narrative, it seems like Resident Evil: Village has a much more convincing and lore-fulfilling story. Don’t get us wrong, walking around with Ashley was super fun, and the creatures were masterfully designed, but it seems like they did not make enough effort to stop and think – well, it does not make any sense whatsoever. So, in our book, Village did it better!

We are especially interested in the next round, as every Resident Evil game brings out new mechanics that change the series in the long run. What were those two games famous for? How did they change the series? And what was the overall impact and quality of those changes? Let’s find out!

Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil 4 was a groundbreaking game for the series when it came out. It implemented the over-the-shoulder camera while losing the fixed camera angles that were just terrible. And we mean it – it was terrible. The worst thing that ever happened. Well, with some exemptions. Nevertheless, the action got faster, allowing you to be more precise, keeping the tensions high and the characters' vulnerability even higher. 

Even more, with that came some of the most advanced upgrade systems for weapons, giving the players more freedom when playing against the bad guys and the ability to prepare better for the terrible stuff that is about to happen. And finally, the game introduced the Qucik-Time-Events, giving it a more cinematic feel. Although the last addition quickly disappeared, the game still changed the outlook of the whole series, making it one of the best titles.

Resident Evil: Village

Resident Evil: Village, on the other hand, is focused on refining the mechanics from the previous game. Adding a first-person perspective gives you an even more intimate and scary view that immerses you in the experience. Walking around the village and all that surrounds it is incredibly terrifying as you don’t get to see the world around you, just the things right in front of you. Prepare to be jump-scared. A lot! Unlike most games in the series, it feels more like a survival game than anything else, as all the resources at your disposal are limited. You also get a merchant system that can remind some players of Resident Evil 4 (oh, the irony!).

Verdict

While both games are doing a lot to perfect the already quality series of Resident Evil, we cannot understate the impact that Resident Evil 4 has brought. The new camera angles, the QTE, the merchant – every single thing introduced significantly impacted the whole series. It changed the game from a stiff horror game to an action-packed, third-person shooting bonanza. And the games that came after it only developed the concept. That’s why – it deserves to win this round for sure.

he enemies are one of the most essential elements of every Resident Evil game. The series is known for creating some of the most exciting zombies in the history of the concept, so it’s only fair that we should compare the enemies in both games. Of course, Resident Evil 4 Remake and Village have entirely different palettes of adversaries. Still, we will compare them based on how creatively they were created and the scary levels they bring out in us.

Resident Evil 4

Starting with – Resident Evil 4. Here, we face some variations on the usual zombie-like creatures. This time, it’s all about parasites! Las Plagas was a great idea to unfold. It allowed the creators to modify the human body to even crazier degrees, as the powerful mutants are getting better and better with each moment. 

There are Ganados (mutated people) to choose from, like Dr. Salvador with his chainsaw, many different mobs to fight against, or powerful Novistradors who must be taken down with some thought. Additionally, you get to fight against bosses like El Gigante and Verdugo, who should be introduced to the RE Boss Hall of Fame.

Resident Evil: Village

Resident Evil: Village shows us a completely different approach to the enemies, which has never been seen before in the series. Here, you have the enigmatic village with all the creatures living in it. The only difference is that they are not zombies. Nope. Not zombies. They are drum roll, vampires! 

As it turns out, when one thing goes wrong, let’s do something even worse instead! Village introduced an entirely new kind of horror: intelligent, cunning, and suave – those are the enemies in the game. Especially the Four Lords, the main antagonists of the series – Lady Dimitrescu, Salvatore Moreau, Donna Beneviento, and Karl Heisenberg, each with an area of their own and different creatures on their behalf. 

We have vampires from Dimitrescu, amphibious monsters from Moreau’s reservoir, dolls controlled by Donna Beneviento, and mechs created by Heisenberg. I mean – it’s a lot. And, because Lady Dimitrescu was introduced to the popular culture as a villain, it’s definitely something to look forward to.

Verdict

In our opinion, the sheer amount of characters that came from RE Village is enough to be victorious. But, considering that all of them are some of the most creative additions to the series EVER – there can be only one verdict in that regard. The Village is a clear winner with a fantastical round of characters that are potentially some of the best in the series.

And lastly, let's talk about graphics. While some might think it's not the most crucial aspect, lots of folks see it as a big deal in gaming. Consider this: you might skip playing a game like The Suffering because, although it's awesome, the visuals are a bit too blocky to really get into. So, let's explore how games have improved their graphics to draw us in!

Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil 4 was released initially in 2005, so it’s only fair that we would look at the game from that perspective. So, the latest version from 2023 looks extremely well. Everything got upgraded and looks quite interesting now, especially compared to the original. Nevertheless, people have been complaining about some graphical glitches here and there. Don’t get us wrong, it looks great; it just does not blow off from our seats, that’s all.

Resident Evil: Village

On the other hand, Resident Evil Village still looks pretty good, even after some time has passed. The visuals are extremely detailed, and the whole thing is just very well-designed. Compared to the RE 4 remake, where they had to work on the graphics that were originally designed with the intention to make them look passable on the older computers, here everything was created from scratch. Especially the environment and characters – they are astonishing when compared to the games that are from around that time.

Verdict

Resident Evil 4 Remake and Resident Evil: Village are both great games that deserve recognition when it comes to graphics. Although RE4 Remake is still pretty great, we are opting for the originally designed in HQ Village, as it just provides us with some more interesting designs than those remade in RE4 Remake.

As it seems, both games we have presented you today are some of the best in the series. There are plenty of iconic moments coming from both of them that fans worldwide have cherished for years now. Our winner today is Resident Evil: Village, although – it does not mean that the Resident Evil 4 Remake is bad. On the contrary, both games are extremely good. Just – Village was a bit more innovative in our regard.

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