By the time you reach House Beneviento in Resident Evil Village, you may think you have a pretty good idea of what kind of game you’re playing. This post contains spoilers for the story and some of the best moments in Resident Evil Village. If you haven't completed the game, you might want to do so before continuing on.

Ethan Winters, the hapless (and, occasionally, handless) protagonist of the series' two most recent entries, has already been through a lot when he stumbles onto the cliffside where the ominous manor awaits. His daughter, Rose, has been stolen, apparently killed, split into pieces, and divvied up to a quartet of local VIPs. His wife, Mia, has been killed. And Chris Redfield, the hulking hero of Resident Evils past, seems to be responsible for all of it. As Ethan begins his terrifying journey through a village filled with werewolves and a castle inhabited by vampires, he can’t count on any of the people he thought he could trust. Instead, all he has are the guns he can find and the ammo he can scavenge.

All of that goes out the window when he arrives at House Beneviento. As we approach the game’s second major area, the stage is set. Eerie dolls hang from trees. Mia appears as a ghostly apparition. Ethan slips a family photograph through a mail slot with the inscription, “Give up your memories,” unlocking access to the cliffside. We follow this path to reach the sprawling mansion. There is an abyss on our left, and a waterfall ahead. There is nowhere to go but into this foreboding house. Shortly after we enter, the lights go out and a childish voice speaks to Ethan, offering to be a better daughter than Rose. When the lights turn back on, Ethan’s weapons are gone.