Resident Evil Village is coming in May, and as the name implies, it will focus on a village - but where does Resident Evil Village take place in real life? This eighth main entry in the acclaimed Resident Evil franchise is the second mainline game to adopt the first-person perspective, attempting to recapture the horror of early titles. Village's predecessor, Resident Evil Biohazard, had a rather limited setting for the series' first foray into FPS territory; it took place entirely on a derelict family estate in Louisiana. Village promises a larger scope, involving a castle and its surrounding, titular village. Where exactly is the village Ethan Winters will have to brave in Resident Evil 8?
The exact location where Resident Evil Village takes place is unknown, and if it ends up having a name, it will probably be fictitious. RE7 took place in Dulvey, Louisiana, a fictional town and parish, so it's not unreasonable to expect a name to be revealed for the village in RE8. A few details can be inferred thanks to promotional material, and the recently released Maiden demo also gives some hints of the setting's history.
The castle which looms over the village in Resident Evil 8, Castle Dimitrescu, dates back to at least the 15th century, and is of European castle design. The great age of the castle is thanks to a note found in the Maiden demo discussing a winemaking technique used by the castle's mistress, Lady Dimitrescu. A diary can also be found in Maiden that clues players in on the fact that Lady Dimitrescu has been presiding over the castle for quite a long time for how youthful she still looks. The diary entries, written by a maid, date to June and July of 1958 and specifically mention Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters, who will be prominent villains in Village.
Resident Evil 8 May Be Heavily Inspired By Vampires
There has been quite a bit of speculation on whether or not Lady Dimitrescu is some sort of vampire. This theory is only bolstered by a detail gleaned from a Special Developer Message video posted to the Resident Evil YouTube channel last June. This video shows off some features of RE8's inventory screen, which tallies the player's currently accumulated wealth.
The currency used is Lei, the plural form of the Romanian Leu. Romania is famously the home of fictional vampire Count Dracula, who was partly inspired by Vlad the Impaler, a bloodthirsty Romanian ruler notorious for surrounding his castle with the impaled corpses of his enemies. He ruled the historical region of Wallachia in Romania during the 15th century. This is likely a very similar setting to where Resident Evil Village takes place.
It remains to be seen whether or not Lady Dimitrescu will be a vampire, but her castle and her wine certainly fit the bill. Her Vlad-like cruelty toward the village's population is already well-known to the service workers in her employ, who - according to the maid's diary - are sent to the dungeon after angering the Dimitrescus, never to be seen again. The titular village in Resident Evil 8 may end up having a name, but for now, all players know is that it is most likely situated in a mountainous region of Romania.