Resident Evil Village played on the iPhone: This is what a port must look like for release

Around five hours I have on the iPhone watch with Resident Evil Village. Here is my first impression.

My expectations towards triple-A blockbuster games on the smartphone were about the same as those towards pineapple on pizza. At the beginning there was a fair amount of skepticism, but secretly you always hope for a surprise.

That’s what happened to me with Resident Evil Village on the iPhone 15 Pro. I was able to try out the game before the official release and am cautiously excited about the future of such top titles on smartphones.

Why is that? I’ll tell you in my spoiler-free first impression of the iOS version.

Download and installation

Important note: I currently have a preview version that – emphasis! – is not a release version. This is a first impression of the game on the Apple smartphone.

So Capcom can still make improvements, changes and optimizations until the release on October 30.

The download of this version covers a total of around 10 GBytes of storage space The iPhone 15 Pro at hand is a test device from Apple, which is mandatory to play Resident Evil Village (iOS version)

The standard iPhone 15 series models and older models are not supported.

Resident Evil Village: gameplay and graphics on the smartphone

Download complete, new game, let’s go!

I enter the intro of Resident Evil Village and am immediately pleasantly surprised. The controls with the controller are smooth (more on that later).

The frame rate is over 30 FPS at times, which (so far) doesn’t change as the game continues.

The graphics look surprisingly good for a mobile version Sure, it’s Resident Evil Village, a blockbuster title for PC and console from the year 2021.

Despite this, I was expecting much muddier textures and less beautiful lighting beforehand. Also, I would have expected the game to have less than 30 FPS on a cell phone(!) – chapeau Capcom! This is what optimization looks like.

Testing, I connected the iPhone to my work monitor via USB-C, as seen at the end of the video. It doesn’t play any worse, and depending on the screen, the game might even look very good on it.

The following resolutions are available in the game’s settings for the iPhone 15 Pro:

1569 x 720

1952 x 900

2342 x 1080

2556 x 1179

In addition to this option, there are many other controllers!

Yes, the iPhone gets warm while playing How much warm depends a lot on the graphics settings you set in the menu

I took the options that were already preset when I started the game. This preset can also be seen in the video above and in the screenshots.

With these settings, the iPhone actually did not get uncomfortably warm at any point To that end, I took the phone off the controller after a long session and held it in my hands – even while charging.

Test-wise, I increased the graphics settings and this is exactly where the rabbit in the hay lies at the moment, or rather the zombie in the spiked fence. If you turn the individual sliders all the way up, the iPhone gets very hot. So hot, in fact, that Resident Evil Village once refused to work and the app closed down.

In my opinion, however, the default settings are completely sufficient to play the triple-A title on the iPhone in an appealing and entertaining way – without any problems. If you want even more, you’ll just have to switch to the console or PC.

Not all settings have an equal impact on the game’s performance. Fine-tuning can also be done on the iPhone for this title. However, I think it’s conceivable that some of these options will disappear at release time.

iPhone 15 Pro: Battery life with Resident Evil Village

Beautiful graphics and long gaming sessions drain the battery. That’s what happens to the SteamDeck, the Nintendo Switch and also the iPhone 15 Pro when you start Resident Evil Village

The smallest member of the Pro series lasts just under two hours with a lot of effort, then the iPhone has to be connected to the charging cable again. The big brother in the form of the iPhone 15 Pro Max should last a bit longer here

The good news: Of course, you can also connect the device to the charger during gaming. Of course, the phone gets warmer, but not uncomfortably hot like with high graphics settings.

The controls on the smartphone

If you want to play Resident Evil Village on the iPhone at release, I recommend a controller.

I’ll even go so far as to say that the additional controller is an absolute “must” – if you don’t want to break your fingers, demolish your sinfully expensive phone out of frustration, and see more of the screen.

On the one hand, the touch control is quite clumsy and imprecise, on the other hand, the display of the virtual buttons is much too big. There is no setting for various changes to this particular control, at least I couldn’t find one.

But there is for the Xbox controller.

I tested two controllers (mounts) that fit two different budgets and have their pros and cons.

Backbone One (USB-C): The choice for those who primarily game on their smartphone and price is a secondary consideration. The iPhone is connected super fast and it feels handily outstanding. In combination with Resident Evil Village, it plays very well.

Disadvantage: For the high price, the shoulder buttons could be finished in a higher quality – and yes, just the price.

8Bitdo Gaming Clip: For all those who own an Xbox controller and do not want to spend more than 15 euros for a holder. Attaching the holder to the controller is child’s play and due to small grooves on the clever cell phone attachment, no buttons on the phone are pressed unintentionally, which is a big plus for me.

Cons: The weight of the phone is clearly noticeable when holding it and takes some getting used to. This could be more of a factor in the larger iPhone 15 Pro Max. However, it is only worth mentioning in view of the price.

I’m interested in your opinion. How does Resident Evil Village look to you on the iPhone? Can you begin to imagine playing future triple-A games on the smartphone? Or will PC and console remain the holy grail? Which titles do you think are promising for the smartphone? Feel free to write it down in the comments below!

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