Winner: Tie
While the end result is a tie, both games are strong in different areas and will appeal to different people. Resident Evil 7 is more akin to old-school RE, where you’re there for the atmospheric tension and overall eerie vibes. Like any other game in the series, it gets a lot less scary towards the end, but the journey there is exhilarating.
On the other hand, if you prefer the gunplay and goofy extra content in these games, Resident Evil Village has a way better offering. Village feels a lot like RE4, which also wasn’t a very scary game, but it excelled in the action department and fans of that game will love the weapon upgrading system here. Mercenaries is also a huge highlight, and will likely keep you invested for hours after the credits have rolled.
