An atmospheric gothic/folk horror adventure

If you're looking for a gothic horror or folk horror first-person shooter, I strongly recommend Resident Evil Village. It nails that vibe, which is hard to do when you've got as many weapons as a shooter provides you with. (For example, the Castlevania games I've played don't really feel like gothic horror to me; they've got lots of set dressing, but you've got lots of power. They're more "gothic action.") Despite your arsenal, you genuinely feel weak and outgunned throughout most of the game, never quite sure what new horror is going to pop out from around the next corner. It's a visually beautiful game, too, and plays very intentionally with light and visibility, which contributes strongly to that vibe. The titualar village is carefully and thoughtfully rendered, feeling real enough while also effectively channeling you toward the game's next stage. The soundtrack is also excellent.

The plot is absolutely ridiculous, mind you. I haven't played enough of the RE games to know if that's on brand. I can't give you specific examples without spoiling the story. I could charitably say that it leans heavily on fairy tale logic (which may well be intentional; the game starts with an animated fairy tale that is symbolic of your character's coming journey). It works well enough to lead you from one environment to the next, each one a specific subgenre of horror. Just don't play this if you're looking for a straightforward, sensible narrative.

I have a few other gripes. There are some genuinely hard puzzles in this game. I don't mind hard optional puzzles, but there are a few that are essential to progressing, that I couldn't figure out on my own. So be prepared to ask the internet for help once or twice. Also, certain areas unexpectly lock after you leave them; so if you're a completionist, make sure that you complete everything you want in an area before you go face the boss, as there's no guarantee you can go back there.

For the record: I played this game on a PS5. Performance was great, as far as I'm concerned. I've played this game twice, once on regular difficult and once on easy mode, with my son. I'd say, each playthrough took me about 15 hours, so 30 hours total. It was as much fun on easy mode as regular, we were just never at risk of running out of ammo. For a really dark survivial experience, you may want to try it on the harder modes. I've never tried the New Game + mode or the various online co-op modes.