Resident Evil Village (iOS) Review – Horror on the Go

Resident Evil Village continued the first-person horror trend for the series. While it wasn’t a dedicated VR experience, it managed to win over the fan base with its clever campaign that transcends horror genres. Oh, and let’s not forget everyone’s sudden obsession with getting stepped on by the antagonist, Lady Dimitrescu. So why are we talking about this game again? Well, Capcom thought it’d be fun to release Resident Evil Village on iOS 17, which requires users to own the newer iPhone equipped with the A17 Pro chip or an iPad with an M1 chip.

My Experience with Resident Evil Village on iPhone

I played Resident Evil Village on an iPhone 15 Pro Max, and the quality of the presentation immediately blew me away. Still, my experience had its highs and lows, but that really depends on the extra peripherals you have lying around and your patience with playing games on a small screen. From the options menu alone, there are plenty of options to customize your experience. The developer went a step further to provide a small preview of the changes you made, but there are also presets that worked for me.

So, just to answer any lingering questions that you may have about playing such a graphically intensive game on the phone, I was surprised that my phone wasn’t burning up in my hand. Now, this seems to result from playing on recommended graphics and not charging the phone while playing. Regardless, it was interesting to see just how well the game’s performance held up. While I noticed some dropped frames during cinematics, the gameplay was consistent.

Touch Controls and Peripherals

The lowest moment of my playtime was trying to play the game using touch controls. While it works, and there’s even an aim assist option, it wasn’t fun. Your fingers completely take you out on the experience, and you’ll likely never find a comfortable position for your phone in your hands. This means you’ll need to connect a console controller or use a peripheral like a Backbone. Once you get a controller hooked up, you’ll move through the game at a steady pace.

One interesting aspect of the overall package is how accessible the game is being made. You can download a free version that features the opening of the campaign, and you also have access to the Winters DLC. I’m not sure if someone has held out on this game who only has new Apple hardware, but they have a chance with release. And that may be the biggest issue with this release. Is it cool? Hell ya, it’s cool, but did we need it? I don’t know.

Gameplay and Narrative

Resident Evil Village occurs three years after Resident Evil 7 as Ethan Winters attempts to move on with his wife Mia and daughter Rosemary. However, Chris Redfield has other plans for the happy couple, and Ethan is dragged back into the nightmare. From these events spawn a series of horrific encounters as Ethan fights some genuinely terrifying enemies.

I feel like another point of Resident Evil Village’s greatness is how it almost acts as a retelling of the entire series. Each area within the game is practically a different entry of the series. It’s the best of all words for fans and plays as a love letter to them with the inclusion of some significant story moments. Still, I will say that if you thought the Resident Evil story was complicated and robust before, this one takes the cake.

Gameplay involves solving puzzles, shooting enemies, exploring, and surviving. There’s decent pacing, but a few low moments of the narrative creep up due to backtracking and some strange fantasy twists I never felt connected to. Regardless, it’s a narrative you won’t easily forget, and I’m glad it’s resurgent for this release.

Resident Evil Village on iPhone 15 Pro Max is an incredible experience, and that’s coming from a gamer who doesn’t play any mobile games. Although using the touch-screen controller ruins the experience, the graphical options and presentation showcase the technological leaps in recent years. If you’ve managed to avoid playing Resident Evil Village due to limited access to hardware, I’d say this is an easy recommendation.