Lady Dimitrescu will definitely get her claws into you, and she's just one of Resident Evil Village's many excellent characters.

Resident Evil Village captures that feeling magnificently in its early hours, clutching you in its menacing vice grip.

That's quickly shattered by the arrival of longtime series protagonist and anti-bioterrorism agent Chris Redfield, an event that sends Ethan to a creepy European village as he tries to rescue his daughter Rose.

Fans will notice that it feels whole lot like the iconic opening of 2005's Resident Evil 4, in the first of many tributes to the Capcom series' 25-year history.

Wandering its halls, figuring out safe routes and solving fun puzzles elicits the same sense of satisfaction as getting to know the original game's Spencer Mansion or the police station of Resident Evil 2 -- it captures so many of the series' finest elements.

The plot is delivered sparsely, with the mystery around the village unfolding slowly and satisfyingly tying into Resident Evil 7 -- the narrative won't be quite as engaging if you skipped the seventh game.

Despite his presence, Resident Evil Village's links to the overall series plot feel pretty tenuous, so longtime fans might be disappointed in that regard. .

However, one late-game fight apparently takes its cues from the infinite ammo blasting scenes in Resident Evil 5 and 6 -- it's pretty mindless and forgettable, and an element the series should just leave behind.

Despite these challenges, I didn't die for the first seven hours of my 12-hour playthrough on the standard difficulty, leaving me with the sense that Resident Evil Village's bark was worse than its bite.

Resident Evil Village is a slick, atmospheric addition to the franchise, and it bookends the story started in Resident Evil 7 beautifully.