The director of Resident Evil 2 as one of the inspirations for the design of the game. The remake of Resident Evil 2 was released in 2019 to almost universal acclaim, with many critics and fans believing that it improved upon the original game, so it's understandable that developers might have wanted to take inspiration from it when making Village.
The Resident Evil series as a whole has had trouble balancing action gameplay and inspiring horror. The original Resident Evil is credited with creating the survival horror genre. Unlike other action games at the time, like Tomb Raider, the player had access to limited supplies in Resident Evil, leading to players needing to preserve their ammo/healing items. Over time, the series embraced the action genre, with the beloved Resident Evil 4 allowing the player to blast their way through hordes of monsters.
The Resident Evil series has gone in different directions with its approach over the past couple of games. Resident Evil 6 was more of an action game, while Resident Evil 7 went back to the series' horror roots. The remakes of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 took the original survival horror gameplay and improved upon it, which is what fans are seeing in Resident Evil Village as well.
Resident Evil Village's RE2 Inspirations Explained
Resident Evil Village director Morimasa Sato was interview by gameplay elements from Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 7. However, the game also takes inspiration from the Resident Evil 2 remake. The reason for this is due to resource management, which Sato believes is key to the experience. If the player has too much ammo and healing items, then they won't feel threatened by the enemies. Sato claimed that the remake of Resident Evil 2 was "the perfect example of a well-balanced survival horror game" and used it as a reference point for Resident Evil Village.
It was the return to the classic survival horror gameplay style that inspired so much love for Resident Evil 2. The second run-through of the game is especially punishing and forces the player to plan their next move and quickly react to new threats, especially after wasting a lot of bullets trying to take down a single enemy that leaped out at them. Finding that perfect balance of resource management is key to the survival horror experience, and there are few games that are better to emulate in this regard than Resident Evil 2.
Source: IGN
