Resident Evil has always been a game about survival, but it’s never really been a survival game until Resident Evil Village. In Village, upgrading Ethan’s physical stamina will require you to hunt down and butcher local wildlife, including pigs, sheep, chicken, and fish.
Well, “butcher” is probably a generous term. There’s no Red Dead-style animation of Ethan tearing off a sheep’s skin. According to the preview video from GameInformer, you’re really just shooting these creatures until they die and then scavenging meat from their corpses.
You’re not just eating these collected morsels raw, however. You’ll need to take your ingredients to The Duke’s shop to make use of his on-the-go kitchen to make delectable meals. These meals then provide Ethan with permanent upgrades, such as taking less damage while guarding.
Some animals won't go down without a fight, though, so be careful how you approach them.
GameInformer also gave us a good look at how the crafting and upgrade system will work for Ethan's arsenal. The Duke again plays a central role here, serving as a crafting bench for Ethan to make supplies such as medicine and ammo. Upgrades for weapons can also be purchased in a very similar fashion to how it was done in Resident Evil 4. Each weapon has three tiers for power, magazine capacity, reload speed, and rate of fire, as well as separate mods that can be applied to change a gun's behavior (like a chin rest to slow sniper rifle sway).
Although it wasn't shown in the video, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a hidden fourth-tier for weapons that have been fully upgraded just like in Resident Evil 4.
Resident Evil Village’s map was recently revealed as well as a painting for who might be the game’s final boss. We’ll be sure to get even more info later today when Capcom hosts its Resident Evil Showcase at 6 PM EST.