Parents' Guide to Resident Evil Village

Following in the bloody footsteps of the previous game, this survival horror game is freaky, frightening, and oh, so exciting. Set after the events of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Resident Evil Village has you searching a weird village, only to find that the residents include mutants, werewolves, and a rather freaky family. Playing from a first-person perspective, you spend much of your time in firefights against a variety of monsters, including slow-moving zombies, strange bird people, and some gigantic monsters that don't go down easily. It's a good thing that to react and have a chance to face off against these threats, the game has rock-solid controls that are highly responsive. You also have to search high and low for more ammo and other resources, while also finding ways to open up new areas of the town -- which often requires that you solve some rather clever puzzles.

But what makes this more than just another gun game is how downright scary it can be. Not only is the town always overcast, but the spare use of music and often deafening silence really puts you on edge, which is all the better when something leaps out at you. Unlike the previous game, Village has a lot more action, and variety in combat scenarios, which feels similar to an even earlier installment in the franchise, 2005's Resident Evil 4. There are moments when you're unarmed, and others where you have to piece together clues to make progress. You'll have the option to go hunting and fishing, which turns out to be very helpful for Ethan in his fight to survive. You'll also have to escape Indiana Jones-like death traps, and run away from some rather imposing enemies until you've got the items and the weapons to face off with them. All of which makes Resident Evil Village a terrible day for our hero, but a very scary and very exciting European vacation for you.