Modern Resident Evil — Beginner's Guide (RE7, Village, Remakes)

Resident Evil: Recent Installments — A Beginner's Guide

Since 2017, Capcom has rebooted the gaming industry’s flagship horror series: Resident Evil 7: Biohazard shifted the series to a first-person perspective, the remakes of Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4 reimagined the classics using the RE Engine, and Resident Evil Village elevated the formula to a gothic fairy tale. If you want to jump into the series now, this is the best time to do so in the last twenty years. Let’s break down where to start and how to survive.

The Castle, the Village, and Lady Dimitrescu

The face of the series’ modern era is Lady Alcyna Dimitrescu from Resident Evil Village: the nearly three-meter-tall mistress of the castle, dressed in a white gown and a wide-brimmed hat, who instantly became a cult icon even before the game’s release. Together with her “daughters”—White, Cassandra, and Daniela—she pursues Ethan Winters through the halls of Dimitr레스cu Castle in the finest traditions of Mr. X and Nemesis. And this is just the first of the village’s four rulers: next up are Donna Beneviento’s dollhouse (the scariest episode of the generation), the Moro Reservoir, and the Heisenberg Factory.

Village is the perfect entry point for newcomers: it’s packed with more action than RE7, logically ties the story to “Seven,” and showcases the full spectrum of the series’ genres—from survival in the dark to a shooter featuring the Duke merchant and his famous “Whatcha buyin’?” line.

Where to Start: Recommended Order

1. Resident Evil 7 biohazard. The Baker family’s claustrophobic house in Louisiana, first-person perspective, with an emphasis on horror and conserving ammo. The scariest entry in the series.
2. Resident Evil 2 (remake). The Raccoon City police station, two campaigns (Leon and Claire), over-the-shoulder view, and the unforgettable Mr. X stomping after you through the hallways.
3. Resident Evil 4 (remake). A Spanish village, the Los Illuminados cult, and benchmark action gameplay: shootouts, knife parries, and tight inventory management.
4. Resident Evil Village. A direct sequel to RE7—after playing “seven” and the remakes, you’ll catch all the references.
5. Resident Evil 3 (remake)—a short but fast-paced interlude between the second and fourth installments.

Survival: General Rules of the Series

• Conserve ammo. Resident Evil rewards you for letting enemies go: you don’t have to kill every zombie—sometimes it’s enough to shoot a knee and run away.
• Study the map. Red rooms contain uncollected items; blue rooms have been cleared—use this to your advantage when planning your return.
• Combine resources. Gunpowder, herbs, and chemicals can be combined into ammo and healing items—don’t carry everything in your inventory; store them in a chest.
• Listen. In RE7 and Village, sound is your main radar: footsteps, creaks, and whispers will warn you before an enemy appears on screen.

Quick Tips Before You Start

1. Start on the standard difficulty—"Hardcore" in modern RE games truly lives up to its name.
2. In Village, buy weapon upgrades from the Duke before selling the weapon—the selling price takes your investments into account.
3. In the RE2 remake, don’t use up all your window boards right away—save a couple for the hallways on your second run.
4. Play with headphones: the sound in these games is half the atmosphere.
5. After the credits, check out the bonus shop: the infinite ammo unlocks a fun second playthrough.

The modern Resident Evil games are a rare example of a series that only got better after its reboot: each installment offers its own flavor of horror, and together they make for the perfect marathon spanning a couple of dozen evenings.