In its 25-year history, Resident Evil has undertaken many transformations, but nobody had ever considered turning the survival-horror game into a side-scrolling Metroidvania title -- until now.
Residentvania, available from user OcO on Itch.io, mashes up the opening levels of both Castlevania and Resident Evil Village into something immediately recognizable. Castle Dimitrescu can be seen in the background and, after a few minutes during which key gameplay notes are reproduced, it's against one of Lady D's daughters that players eventually test their mettle.
Gameplay revolves around a simple set of keyboard controls, cleanly signposted early on in the game's opening moments. Winters has access to a knife and ranged weaponry, but movement skill is essential for survival. The overall effect is much like the early Castlevania games, only instead of controlling an ill-fated Belmont, players are navigating Resident Evil Village protagonist Ethan Winters around a dark and atmospheric 2D world where danger lurks in every corner.
OcO explained the motivation behind the game saying, "The first thing I thought while playing 'Resident Evil: Village' was how much it reminded me of 'Castlevania,' so I thought I'd make a mash up of the two. I chose the first level of the original 'Castlevania' for NES, mixed in with the Castle Dimitrescu section of 'RE: Village.'"
The backing audio came via a free music library, but all of the pixel art belongs to the developer. The assets used in the game are custom-made for this project, a process that took a time investment of two months to complete.
The short, compact tribute game is available now on Itch.io, where prospective users can download the 33MB archive after they've paid whatever price they think is fair. Payment is wholly optional and, for legal reasons, would be considered a donation rather than an exchange of money for goods.
For gamers who feel that downloading and installing it all sounds like a chore, the above trailer for Residentvania is long enough to show the entire game from start to finish. Those who have always wanted to control Ethan Winters through the hazards concocted by Lady Dimitrescu and her servants, however, can finally make it a reality.
Source: Itch.io