Developer: indie_games_studio
Publisher: indie_games_studio
Platform: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, Switch 2
Tested on: PS5
EBOLA VILLAGE – Review
Even though Resident Evil has already turned 30 this year, the franchise is still going strong. The latest game in the series, Requiem, was received amazingly well by critics and gamers alike, offering a great survival horror experience. It’s only natural that such a popular franchise also spawns many tributes and homages, and the EBOLA series is one of them. The fourth installment has recently been released, subtly hinting at a Resident Evil Village homage with its title: EBOLA VILLAGE. We put the game to the test, and while there are some rough edges, we did enjoy ourselves with this one for an evening or two.
Story
In EBOLA VILLAGE, you’ll be playing as Maria, who returns to her mother’s remote village after an outbreak of the Ebola virus. The virus, however, is not a regular version, and it makes people act really weird and highly aggressive. The game doesn’t waste too much time telling its story, as you’ll have to work with a minimum of information, and key information is often relayed via found notes or journals. If the story had been fleshed out a bit more, especially via likable characters, we would have probably scored the game slightly higher. Nonetheless, the narrative wasn’t too bad; it was just a bit basic.
Graphics
Graphically, EBOLA VILLAGE is a mixed bag. There are some assets that look decent and appropriate for the setting and time, while other assets feel extremely out of place because they either look too clean or too modern. The same can be said about the character and enemy models, as some look very realistic and really polished, while others look very rough around the edges. Nonetheless, even with bought assets, the game looks better than most other one-man productions. We did notice some frame drops here and there, as well as very awkward transitions between regular gameplay and short cutscenes. The door ‘loading’ screens were a nice touch and a subtle nod to old Resident Evil games.
Sound
All in all, the sound design of EBOLA VILLAGE wasn’t too bad. The Russian voice acting was decent, even though there wasn’t much of it. The supporting soundtrack wasn’t bad either, but it did fade into the background for most of the experience. The sound effects were also good enough for the experience, but they were nothing to write home about. The only glaring issue the game suffered from was that all audio cut out every time we examined an item. We don’t really understand the design choice of muting all audio when doing this.
Gameplay
EBOLA VILLAGE is the fourth installment in the EBOLA series and is pretty much a Resident Evil Village clone, albeit a lot smaller in scale. The game is pretty straightforward, as you explore the small village where your mother still resides while gunning down enemies and solving environmental puzzles. There aren’t really any big hurdles to overcome here, even though some puzzles may take you a few moments to figure out. Nonetheless, the game can easily be beaten in the course of a single evening, making sure it doesn’t overstay its welcome.
The game’s enemies were spread out evenly throughout the different environments, but there wasn’t that much variety. You’ll mainly battle basic grunts over and over again, which sometimes feel like absolute bullet sponges. Headshots matter very little in the game, which is an absolute shame. There are a few other enemies thrown in the mix at times, but for the most part, the game didn’t blow us away in the same way many Resident Evil games did. Luckily, even on higher difficulties, you will still find more than enough ammo to keep going. Other weapons than your pistol unlock quite late in the game, which is a shame.
Conclusion
For the most part, EBOLA VILLAGE is a fairly competent Resident Evil clone; it’s just very rough around the edges. We did enjoy ourselves, as the game felt like a blast from the past, albeit in a good way. If you’re looking for a modernized and polished Resident Evil clone, you won’t find it here, but if you’re looking for a rough homage with a few cool elements, you could do far worse than EBOLA VILLAGE.
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