One of the biggest mysteries surrounding Resident Evil Village, besides the titular setting itself, is the apparent shift from heroism to outright villainy exhibited by Chris Redfield who, up until now, of course, has been fighting the good fight against bioterrorism. With the dismantling of Umbrella and defeat of Albert Wesker just two of many awe-inspiring feats rightfully listed on his résumé, to consider Chris one of the bad guys prior to Village‘s official reveal earlier this year would have been considered borderline blasphemous among fans of the series.
Yet here we are, presented with another redesigned Chris who, within moments of appearing on screen has one of his henchmen put a bullet right between the eyes of a seemingly innocent woman. Having escaped alongside his estranged wife Mia at the conclusion of Resident Evil 7, the latter is ultimately revealed as the unfortunate recipient of Chris’ ‘gift’, with Ethan given no choice but to look on in terror.
The caveat to all the above, of course, is that the scene in question is not only shown without any context, but with key details intentionally omitted by Capcom. One of these, as confirmed by Village producers Tsuyoshi Kanda and Pete Fabiano in a recent interview with Famitsu (translations by Alex Aniel), is the revelation that Ethan didn’t find his way to the monster-infested village by chance, but was intentionally brought there by none other than Chris himself.
Other details shared in the magazine’s latest issue include:
- Ethan was brought to Village’s titular setting by Chris Redfield for unknown reasons.
- This Chris Redfield is the same version as seen in previous games.
- The village’s human inhabitants appear to be protected by creatures seen in the trailer.
- The man heard speaking in trailer #2 will play an integral part in Ethan’s survival.
- Village’s various monsters can’t use language but do have a pack mentality and can wield weapons.
- The village and its residents are as important to the plot as the protagonists themselves.
All interesting stuff, to say the least, but what do you make of these latest developments? Has Chris truly turned to the dark side, so to speak, or are his actions in the trailer, unbeknownst to Ethan, an act of kindness meant to protect him? Let us know in the usual place below!
Resident Evil Village is out next year for Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5 and PC.
