Resident Evil 8's debut trailer has werewolves, witches, and an evil Chris Redfield

After months of rumors and speculation, Resident Evil 8: Village was finally revealed at Sony's PlayStation 5 event—and it looks like the rumors were on point. Watch the head-spinning debut trailer above. 

We're back in first-person, but everything else feels like a total departure. We see swarms of spooky insects, witches, snowy castles and a decrepit isolated village. I'm all for this wild new direction. Resident Evil is best when it's at its weirdest, in full anime mode, and RE8 looks like it's going all-in on this brand new tone. 

A plot synopsis just hit the PlayStation Blog, too, confirming the return of Ethan, the protagonist of RE7, as our eyes and arms in RE8. 

Taking place a few years after the events of Resident Evil 7 biohazard, in which protagonist Ethan Winters traveled to Louisiana to search for his missing wife, Mia, Resident Evil Village sees the reunited Mia and Ethan living happily together and putting their shared nightmares of the Baker’s plantation house behind them.

Finally able to move on from those horrifying events, Ethan’s world suddenly comes crashing down once again when Chris Redfield, an unexpected yet familiar face makes an appearance, setting off a chain of events that sees a distraught Ethan seeking answers to Chris’s shocking actions… and ultimately finding him in a mysterious village.

The PlayStation Blog also says there will be a greater emphasis on combat and exploration here, which makes sense. Ethan will have an entire village to explore, and if you study every quick cut in the trailer, we'll be going up against some much bigger, faster foes than the molded this time around. 

Check out the trailer up top, or a bunch of stills from it below. 

(Image credit: Capcom)

(Image credit: Capcom)

(Image credit: Capcom)

(Image credit: Capcom)

(Image credit: Capcom)

(Image credit: Capcom)

(Image credit: Capcom)

(Image credit: Capcom)

(Image credit: Capcom)

(Image credit: Capcom)

(Image credit: Capcom)

(Image credit: Capcom)

(Image credit: Capcom)

(Image credit: Capcom)

(Image credit: Capcom)
James Davenport

James is stuck in an endless loop, playing the Dark Souls games on repeat until Elden Ring and Silksong set him free. He's a truffle pig for indie horror and weird FPS games too, seeking out games that actively hurt to play. Otherwise he's wandering Austin, identifying mushrooms and doodling grackles.