TheResident Evilfranchise saw quite the resurgence withResident Evil 7: Biohazard’srelease back in 2017. Not only did the franchise return to its survival horror roots, butResident Evil 7also introduced a brand new protagonist to the series in Ethan Winters.
InResident Evil 7, Ethan contrasted differently from other main characters in the previousResident Evilgames. He wasn’t a super cop or a soldier from the military, but more of an everyman who got caught up in the terrifying events of the game. After that, Ethan continued to be the player protagonist forResident Evil Village, where he got a bit of an upgrade in using guns.
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A TikTok user named hiddengamingdetails made a recent clip highlighting a specific difference in the reload animations for Ethan in the games. He shows that Ethan’s reload animation is very different fromResident Evil 7toResident Evil Village. He points out that in the first game Ethan simply tosses his gun magazine away even when there are still bullets left, while in the sequel he keeps the magazine when reloading. He points out that this change in animation isn’t just a surface-level change and has some roots in the game’s story.
Hiddengamingdetails refers to a scene in the beginning ofResident Evil Village, where Ethan is in his new home with his wife, Mia, and their child, Rosemary. He points to a quick line of dialogue Ethan has with Mia saying that he received military training after the events ofResident Evil 7. The line quickly explains the difference in Ethan’s reload animations between the two games.
This also falls in line with what’s been established withthe character of Ethan Wintersduring the events between both games. When Ethan first debuted inResident Evil 7, he previously lived in Los Angeles and worked as a systems engineer, and he had no formal experience using guns and military equipment as other characters did. It wasn’t until he went to Dulvey, Louisiana, the setting ofResident Evil 7, that Ethan had started to use guns and other weapons and his inexperience was reflected in the gameplay.
At the time,Chris Redfieldwas working as part of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA), which was working with Blue Umbrella, an organization that emerged from the original Umbrella Corporation. After Ethan and Mia were rescued by Chris and Blue Umbrella, they were in the BSAA’s custody for a while until they were relocated under witness protection. During that time, Ethan received formal training on how to use guns like the various handguns, shotguns, and a grenade launcher that show up inResident Evil Village.
Resident Evil Villageis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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