The holidays are in full swing, and we here at Couch Bandits love this time of year. This is a time for joy and merriment—a time when peace reigns, and the spirit of giving is alive and well. We’re always looking for new, festive gaming experiences that help us observe and celebrate this time of year. While we’ve previously discussed the best holiday games before, we’d love to argue the case for a new addition to that list: Resident Evil Village. Now, we know what you’re thinking—isn’t that a game better suited for Halloween? While the game undeniably has its… dark side, there’s plenty of Christmas cheer to be found in the cozy Eastern European hamlet in which it’s set. So join us on this jolly journey, as we unpack why Resident Evil Village is a modern Christmas classic.
The Setting
Talk about winter wonderland! This gorgeous, Eastern European village is loaded with Christmas spirit. Nestled within a snowy, mountainous region, the village screams warm and cozy. Sure it has some severed goat heads in place of ornaments, but if you just don’t look at that part, you’ll really start to see its charm. There really is an undeniable magic and warmth to the small buildings and houses. And to top it all off, you have the stunning Castle Dimitrescu nearby, which adds an extra dimension of Christmas holly jolliness. The castle stands tall within the surrounding mountains—it’s towers and spires lightly dusted with fresh snow. While the interior of the castle is a bit more treacherous than the exterior would suggest, there’s still brightly-lit hearths and glowing candles to provide a warming shelter from the cold—and from the blood-sucking vampires.
Santa’s In the Game
That’s right, you probably missed it on your first playthrough but Santa Claus himself makes an appearance in this game. You may mistake him for a troll-like Lycan monster, but we promise you it’s actually Santa. He’s trying to give you that massive hammer thing as a Christmas present, and not at all trying to murder you and rip you apart. We were so shocked to see Resident Evil fully commit to the holiday spirit, but it was such a pleasant surprise. Saint Nick is jolly as he could be in this game, and you even fight, I mean encounter him outside in the snow! What could be more yuletide than that? You can’t have Christmas without Santa, and so this alone confirms our theory of Resident Evil Village being a Christmas game.
So there you have it! We’ve argued the case for Resident Evil Village being a Christmas game, and we refuse to hear any other argument. We hope you can add this one to your holiday roster, and the experience can only be enhanced by playing your favorite Christmas music while playing the game. Prepare yourself a nice hot cup of hot chocolate and dive in Village, it’ll only improve your holiday season. Say hi to Santa for us too!
The Couch Bandits 