Resident Evil Village Has a Hunting System

Resident Evil Village has a hunting system in place, and not the kind of hunting that involves Ethan Winters being pursued by creatures or the protagonist going on the offensive. Instead, the hunting system in Resident Evil Village allows Ethan to kill things like farm animals and fish to procure their resources and then trade them to The Duke in order to gain permanent enhancements that'll help him on his journey.

The unlikely addition to the Resident Evil series we'll see implemented in Village was detailed in the cover story for the latest issue of Game Informer (spotted by Dusk Golem). In a section of the cover story detailing the shopping system in Resident Evil, a recurring feature that allows our protagonists to procure better items and upgrades for future fights, it was revealed that Ethan could seek out some of the game's more passive creatures for his own gains. Chickens, pigs, and fish were specifically named with additional animals also included in Resident Evil Village as targets for Ethan's hunt.

After killing these animals, players can collect raw meat from the creatures Ethan's hunted. By taking that resource to The Duke, the sizable character who serves as the game's shopkeeper, you're able to have the merchant cook up different dishes that'll permanently improve stats like health and movement speed.

Permanent upgrades are another feature that has been present in past Resident Evil games, though they've often been limited to weapon enhancements and players' overall health levels. The new system in place in Resident Evil Village sounds like a lite version of RPG mechanics without going too overboard.

It sounds even more like that when you consider what else Ethan can bring to the shopkeeper and what he can get for his troubles. You can sell The Duke valuables like you could in past games, but the story also mentions "rusted scrap" that can be given to the character. Ethan can purchase upgrades for weapons directly to increase their stats, or he can buy mods for weapons to enable different effects like reduced weapon sway or faster reloads.

With Resident Evil Village not far away now, there's a good chance we'll hear more about this feature and others before the game releases in May. There's a Resident Evil Village showcase planned for Thursday, too, so perhaps we'll see this hunting and crafting system featured during that broadcast.

Resident Evil Village is scheduled to release on May 7th.