It turns out that, even with the upcoming third-person mode, it still won't be possible to see Ethan's face in Resident Evil Village, according to the developer itself. Capcom is due to launch the Shadows of Rose DLC, which will be part of the new Gold Edition, and will be dropping on October 28. Aside from the new story and additional characters for the Mercenaries mode, there will also be the aforementioned third-person perspective, in a similar vain to the ones in the remakes of RE 2 an RE 3.
Some argue that Resident Evil should continue in third-person with subsequent entries. On the whole, the flagship horror series has morphed over the years, going from a focus on survival to switching the entries up to be more action-orientated, and then back to horror. As well as this, there have been changes to the way the games look, starting with a third-person fixed camera mode for the original classic installments, then moving to an over-the-shoulder look for games 4, 5, and 6, before moving to first-person perspective for the 7th installment and last year's Village.
However, even though third person will be coming to Resident Evil Village, it's been confirmed that Ethan's face will not be shown, no matter how hard players try. In an interview with Inside, producer Masao Kawada said some effort was put into making "Ethan's face invisible," adding that he is supposed to represent the player's ego. Director Kento Kinoshita chipped in by saying that, even if the player turns around to face the camera itself, it will change angle or just turn back away. Kawada then went on to jokingly say that maybe someone will verify it, but it sounds as if Capcom does not want fans to see the protagonist's looks, even from this perspective.
In a previous interview with IGN, producer Masachika Kawata stated that implementing third-person in Resident Evil village was a lot of effort, almost on par with creating a brand-new game. The studio wanted to make this mode as good as, if not better than, RE 2 and RE 3. Much of the work seems to have gone into emphasizing Ethan's movements, such as moving while crouching.
Given its status as one of the best horror games of 2021, from one of the most influential survival franchises in history, Resident Evil Village is proving there's still life left in Capcom's series. With the Gold Edition round the corner, the life of the eighth installment will be ensured for a little while longer. At least until people start getting hopeful about a Resident Evil 9.
Resident Evil Village is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. The Gold Edition is due out on October 28.
Source: Inside (translated by Google)
