Resident Evil Village Repeats RE4’s Combinable Item Mistake

Resident Evil Village is an excellent game and can be played on multiple platforms, but fans should know that Village contains the same gameplay mistake as Resident Evil 4. The series is known for having a plethora of collectibles that can be sold for a profit to buy helpful items. These trinkets can be hidden in a room, found after completing a puzzle, or obtained when defeating a monster. Sometimes these items can be combined with other valuables to be sold at a higher price. Resident Evil 4 had a few collectibles mixed in that couldn’t be combined, confusing players on what items to keep. Resident Evil Village repeated this mistake from RE4 by having some valuables be combinable, while others were just meant to be sold.

The video game franchise is a powerhouse in the Survival Horror genre, spawning multiple movies, books, and a new Netflix anime series, Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness. Capcom announced back in October 2021 that Resident Evil Village alone had sold five million copies. The game also recently won the Steam Award for Game Of The Year in 2021. However, even the critically acclaimed Resident Evil Village is not infallible.

In the game, players control Ethan Winters, the main character from RE7. Throughout Resident Evil Village, players pick up many collectibles, some of the hardest to find being crystal fragments. They are hidden in different locations and can be identified by a small, sparkling light. They can only be sold, but look like they can be combined with other items, such as with the crystals dropped from bosses in Resident Evil Village. Players can find Vivianite, a mineral of the region, which is also meant to be sold and serves no other purpose. The game does have a description for every item in Ethan’s inventory that will say whether something is combinable, but players can sell valuables prematurely or hold onto the loot for too long, in addition to being denied the freedom to slot “regular” gems into items to sell them early at a somewhat reduced price. These same issues are shared with Resident Evil 4.

Resident Evil 4 Combinable Items Could Easily Be Missed

In RE4, players assume the role of Leon Kennedy on a mission to rescue the U.S. Presidents’ daughter, who was mysteriously abducted. The game is filled with collectibles, both combinable and uncombinable items. As an example, the Crown can be fitted with the Crown Jewel and the Royal Insignia, to make the high valued Family Crown of the Salazar Family, who have a deep backstory with the main villain of the RE4 Osmund Saddler. The items that are found throughout the game that can not be combined include: Gems, artifacts, and two fragile valuables. Unlike in Resident Evil Village, the description in the player’s inventory only gives hints as to which collectibles can be fitted together. This has led some fans to be unaware that they could combine the items during their playthrough and, as a result, miss out on an increase in value.

Worse, both games refuse to allow players to slot the “wrong” gems into these items, which would add a valuable nuance to each experience, allowing for interesting mistakes and for player freedom to choose whether to sell a combined item for less than its ultimate value if money is needed more immediately, perhaps using lesser gems to fill it out and make a quick buck instead of waiting for the best gems to get the ultimate reward. Creating a new item out of valuables the player has worked hard to collect is a rewarding part of the Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil 4 inventory experiences. It’s a shame that this hasn’t yet been used to its full potential, allowing for more variety and nuance in an RE game.

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