Ways To Shake Up A Second Resident Evil Village Playthrough

It’s been a few years now since Ethan embarked on his courageous journey to save his daughter from a corrupt band of malicious Lords in Resident Evil Village. Though many of the Resident Evil games are designed to be replayable, Village is a lot slower and more methodical than its predecessors, which means having a specific challenge or idea in mind when diving into the game can help make a second playthrough feel far more enjoyable and exciting.

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The good news is, there are plenty of ways to shake up a brand-new Village save. Whether it be by toying around with a quirky in-game mechanic, trying to score a difficult trophy or achievement, or simply following a set of self-made rules to spice up the challenge, these are some intriguing ways to ensure Ethan’s second venture into the dark and mysterious village feels entirely different from the first.

8

Third-Person View

An Entirely New Perspective Makes For A Much Different Gameplay Experience

The Winters’ Expansion, which released not long after the game’s launch, was mostly centered around the brand-new story expansion featuring Ethan’s daughter, Rose. However, Capcom also packed a few extra features and mechanics into this offering, including a third-person view which kicks it back to the days of Resident Evil 4, 5 and 6. Though it might seem like a small change on paper, having an over-the-shoulder perspective makes the game feel a little more action-heavy, since there isn’t as much of a reliance on being immersive.

Instead, players will have a much better view of their surroundings, which allows them to set out their plan of attack much easier than when they are restricted to an isolated FPS view which only shows what is exactly in front of Ethan. Additionally, a third-person view can also be ideal for anyone who felt a little motion sick from the wobbly FPS view, which was a big problem when the game first released.

7

No Crafting Bullets

Enhance The Feeling Of Anxiety And Dread By Removing Ethan’s Handy Crafting System

The crafting system acts as somewhat of a last resort for Ethan whenever he’s getting low on ammunition. By crafting up a few extra bullets, Ethan can always be ready for whatever monstrosities lurk around the next corner, but by avoiding this feature altogether, the game begins to feel much more like the classics in terms of its gameplay loop.

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Players will be encouraged to thoroughly search each and every inch of their surroundings to get their hands on even a handful of bullets, just like in the old days. Sure, Ethan will have a ton of scrap and gunpowder that will stack up in his inventory, but resisting the urge to use these tools can allow a new playthrough to feel entirely different, and a lot more challenging.

6

No-Hunting Challenge

A core mechanic of Village is the hunting system, and more specifically, the ability to cook up tasty meals from the Duke, which will grant Ethan permanent buffs to his movement speed, defense, and maximum health. Skipping over this entirely will leave Ethan on the backfoot, which makes every encounter with a Lycan or Lord that much more intense.

So long as Ethan is still able to upgrade his weapons, this challenge is more than doable, though it’s far from a walk in the park. On the other hand, not having to butcher every animal that pops up in the village can save quite a bit of time, allowing the second palythrough to go by a lot quicker than the first.

5

Lemi And M1897 Shotgun Only

Can Ethan Make It Through The Horrifying Nightmare With Just Two Basic Weapons?

Most players will attempt these sorts of challenges without upgrading the base weapon a single time throughout the entire playthrough. Needless to say, this is an extremely demanding task which requires a tremendous amount of skill and resource management. Since Ethan is already pretty weak, with no combat abilities to speak of, being able to have the shotgun alongside the handgun can make this challenge just a tad easier.

The base M1897 shotgun is still capable of knocking over swarms of Lycans, so while its damage will remain pretty low, the crowd-control potential still makes it a valuable weapon to keep around. Of course, players are still free to try a no-upgrade run with only the base pistol, but be warned, this is one of the hardest challenges in the entire series; something many people come to realize when facing off against the absurdly powerful Mother Miranda at the end.

4

Jedi Run

Show The Four Lords What A True Jedi Really Looks Like

Don’t worry, this isn’t a Star Wars challenge that has accidentally made it onto a Resident Evil list. What the Jedi Run refers to is a playthrough which only consists of using the LZ Answerer, which, outside of the name, is a Lightsaber. A quick disclaimer though, this deadly weapon can only be unlocked after scoring an SS on every Mercenaries stage and then buying it from the Content Shop, but once it’s unlocked, players will be able to slice and dice their enemies to pieces when jumping back into the main story.

Considering the immense strength of this weapon, it’s advised to pick one of the harder difficulties when attempting this run, just to ensure the playthrough doesn’t become too easy or boring. It’s also worth mentioning that the LZ Answerer can change color, allowing players to role-play any of their favorite Jedi from the Straw Wars franchise in a Resident Evil game.

3

Ruin The Lords’ Residence

Cause A Little Chaos And Wreak Havoc Across the Lords Humble Abodes To Earn Some Trophies And Achievements

This is a fun little challenge for those who simply want to dive back into Village without raising the difficulty too much. Though on the surface, desecrating the Lords’ bases might sound a bit silly, it can actually score some achievements and trophies. For example, the Hooligan Trophy can be earned by breaking every window in Dimitrescu’s castle, which can actually be fairly difficult considering how big it is, especially when Dimitrescu herself is patrolling the corridors.

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Quit Hanging Around, on the other hand, is earned by shooting down the Soldats who are being shifted on the assembly line in Heisenberg’s Factory near the end of the game. This is a fun but rewarding challenge that players can either mix in with another, or simply keep in mind when doing a regular playthrough to earn some extra points to spend in the Content Shop after the credits toll.

2

Take On The Village Of Shadows Mode

Village’s Most Grueling Difficulty Provides A True Test Of Players’ Survival Skills

Many of the Resident Evil games feature a bonus difficulty that can be unlocked after completing the main game once, but Village of Shadows might just be the most difficult of them all. This mode makes it so enemies deal tons more damage, meanwhile Ethan will have far fewer resources to get his hands on. Since Ethan is already pretty weak and immobile, in stark contrast to the likes of Leon or Chris, who can always punch their way out of a fight, it makes it all so easy to be ravaged by a pack of bloodthirsty Lycans, especially during that first horde section.

Because of how grueling it is, completing this difficulty is a feat only reserved for the best of the best, though this shouldn’t dissuade anyone from still giving it a go. Once Ethan reaches the castle and can acquire some extra gear from the Duke, the mode does start becoming more manageable, but there’s also no shame in jumping into this with New Game +, just to be on the safe side.

1

Permadeath

Making It Through The Village Without Being Able To Save Adds To The Immersion

Resident Evil Village is pretty generous with its save points and checkpoints, but what if dying simply wasn’t an option? The idea of permadeath, that is, restarting the entire game upon dying, is nothing new in video games, but it’s always been regarded as one of the trickiest challenges out there, considering even a single slip-up can cost hours of a playthrough. However, Village’s slower pace and plethora of weapon parts, resources, and upgrades does mean players can always be fully prepared to defend themselves, at least after the first few hours.

Knowing that a single death can cost everything makes the game feel a lot more immersive, as players must always be vigilant to ensure they don’t get surrounded or stalked by the game’s plethora of spooky enemies. If anything, getting through the game without going down a single time also makes Ethan’s final sacrifice in the closing moments all the more emotional.

Game

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Survival Horror

Survival

Horror

Released

May 7, 2021

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty