Do I need to play RE7 before Village?

No. Village is a sequel, but it is playable on its own. We found no official requirement.

Is RE4 remake good for beginners?

Many players think so. It has parrying, a merchant and varied pacing, though it is still an adult-rated horror game.

What does the merchant do?

He sells, upgrades and repairs gear. In Village the Duke also cooks hunted meals.

Village uses typewriters for manual saves. Check RE4 in-game, since we only verified Village.

Resident Evil Village and RE4 Remake Tips for Newcomers

Resident Evil Village (2021) and the Resident Evil 4 remake (2023) are popular first games for the series. They lean more on action than older entries, yet ammo and space still run short. These tips avoid story spoilers. Mechanics come from Wikipedia's game descriptions.

Key takeaways

Both games have a merchant: the Merchant in RE4 and the Duke in Village.
Your case has limited room, so rotate and arrange items.
Crafting turns spare parts into ammo and healing.
Both games are adult-rated. Check the note for parents below.

Which one first?

Village is a direct sequel to RE7, but you can play it without that game. RE4 is a remake of a 2005 game and stands alone. Many newcomers pick RE4 for its tight pacing, but this is opinion, not a rule. RE4 scores higher on review sites (see our scores and sales overview).

Resident Evil Village – Launch Trailer · YouTube

Shared habits that help

Fit your case. Move and turn items to squeeze in more. Do this early.
Visit the merchant often. Sell treasures, buy upgrades and take on side requests.
Craft, do not hoard. Turn resources into ammo when you are low.
Use barricades and fire. Boarding doors or igniting objects can hold enemies back.
Save often. Village uses typewriters, and both games let you retry.

These screenshots may contain violence.

Images are provided by Steam and belong to their publishers.

RE4 remake tips

Leon can parry with his knife. Learn it early, since it saves ammo. The knife wears down, so repair it at the Merchant. You can move while aiming and reloading, and melee hits push enemies away. Ashley, the person you protect, can be told to stay close or keep distance. If she is badly hurt she goes down and must be revived.

Village tips

You can hunt animals and have the Duke cook them into meals, some of which give perks like less damage while blocking. The pause menu has a map, a diary that recaps your progress, photo mode and a skip-cutscene button. After you finish the game, an arcade-style Mercenaries mode unlocks.