The Winter’s extension DLC is less of a second serving Resident Evil Village and more like a cherry on top. Here is nothing that is actually badand if you have one Village Fanatics, it’s just the excuse you needed to revisit the game. At the same time, there’s nothing here that strikes me as crucial, especially compared to the breadth and depth of DLC Resident Evil 7 receive.
I’m aware that this is a hot shot – it seems like most netizens just need to hear “playable Lady Dimitrescu” before hitting the pre-order button – but honestly I expected more from this DLC than it prepared to offer .
It’s probably best to start this with a spoiler alert. I can’t think of many people who haven’t hit Village interested in reading about its DLC. Still, it’s difficult to discuss Winter’s extension without spoiling the finish Village.
This is primarily due to shadow of the rosea short single-player campaign that serves as an epilogue to both Village and the history of the Winters family in resident Evil.
Set 16 years after graduation Village, SoR Stars Ethan and Mia’s daughter Rose. As a teenager, she grew up an outcast due to the side effects of the powers she inherited from her parents.
To eliminate these powers, Rose takes part in an experiment with a sample of Miranda’s mutant mold. This accidentally drops her into a bizarre dream world within the form made up of the memories of people who died in contact with it.
In other words, it’s a three to four hour bonus level with recycled content. Rose’s journey through the “layers” of the form’s memory sends her through different environments from which you will recognize yourself Village, like Castle Dimitrescu. You’ll use a few of the same weapons, meet a few of the same characters, and answer a few questions Village‘s original ending.
Full disclosure: my press preview of shadow of the rose dropped during a critical moment in what I assume was the final boss encounter, so this is pretty much an ongoing check in that regard. I couldn’t finish the whole game.
Even so, it’s easily the highlight of the Winter’s extension. Combat is less emphasized shade of rose, with a limited arsenal and few resources available, making it feel more of a classic survival horror game than Village or one of the recent remakes.
It also does a lot with what it has. The reused environments in shadow of the rose are no simple cut-and-paste work, but visibly fall into ruin when consumed by Miranda’s mold. The most common enemy is also brand new and features one of the most gruesome attack animations in the history of the resident Evil Franchise. I’m not exaggerating when I say I would actually be happier if the zombies came in SoR just bit my throat.
My biggest criticism of SoR is primarily tonal. It doesn’t really show or say why Rose is so determined to ditch her powers, and it easily takes 70 minutes before even a faint justification emerges. It doesn’t match Rose’s portrayal in Villageending where she’s so scary that her handler won’t talk to her without ranged support, or with the gameplay where she relies mostly on weapons like almost everyone else resident Evil Protagonist.
It also has one of the biggest plot twists in recent video game history that will have you absolutely figuring out one of them SoR‘s main mysteries two hours before Rose. You have access to more information than Rose – you don’t she played Village – but it’s still annoying to get through a cutscene that tells you to pretend you don’t know what you know.
Another feature in the Winter’s extension you can replay the main game in either the original first person perspective or in a third person perspective in the same style as current games like 2020 Resident Evil 3 make new. Pre-animated scenes are still shown from the first-person perspective, but playable segments tuck you all right behind him.
Honestly, it doesn’t add much to the overall picture Village Experience. Playing the game in the third-person perspective reinforces the degree to which the overall experience is built on a first-person perspective. Some scares don’t land, some sections actually block your view at crucial moments, and a few moments just don’t work that well.
So much from Village is set in intentionally cramped, cluttered environments so seeing it from a different perspective feels like a handicap.
It’s a good step for accessibility. I know a few people who would have played Village now, but playing first-person games makes you nauseous. I don’t usually, but I have to admit there are a few parts to both RE7 And Village this really put me to the test, especially when Ethan is knocked to the ground or the camera shakes violently. It’s nice to have options.
Finally, the DLC adds three new playable characters Village‘s version of the evergreen mercenary Minigame: Chris Redfield, Karl Heisenberg and, applause break, Lady Dimitrescu.
Chris Redfield enters battle with all of his gear from the base game, so he’s heavily armed right from the start for free. Though Chris can’t block like Ethan, he can crush enemies instead.
Relying primarily on his hammer for powerful melee attacks, Heisenberg can magnetically shoot scrap metal at distant targets. With a few upgrades, he’s effectively an attack character where you can hold down the fire button to activate his projectiles or perform a short-range ground slam.
Dimitrescu is here mainly for the memory value. She’s taller than any other character, so she towers over most enemies, and it takes a lot to stagger her. As she deals damage with her claws, Dimitrescu builds a gauge called Thrill for more powerful attacks.
Best of all, one of her attacks is the ability to throw her makeup mirror, which deals as much damage on impact as one hand grenade. Dimitrescu is walking around mercenary Maps with a theoretically infinite amount of battle furniture on their backs, and honestly I couldn’t be happier about it.
All three characters effectively solve my biggest problem with the default setting Mercenary. Ethan has to start from scratch on every map, which means he suffers at least one level each turn with his knife and standard pistol. Until you have a good arsenal running, the map is over.
All three new characters bring enough unique mechanics to make them more fun to play than Ethan ever was, which goes a long way towards fixing the bugs VillageLet’s assume Mercenary.
Resident Evil Village: Winter’s Expansion Review – The Bottom Line
Advantages:
- One of the scariest levels ever resident Evil game to date.
- Chris makes learning mercenaries easier.
- I giggle like an idiot when I crush a zombie with Dimitrescu’s makeup mirror.
Disadvantages:
- There is not much going on here.
- The third person view doesn’t add much to this Villagemain campaign.
- If you don’t like Mercenaries, that’s about four hours of new stuff here.
Taken as a whole, the Winter’s extension is a little non-essential, with a new gameplay perspective, a short additional single-player campaign, and a few new characters to choose from. It’s a great additional add-on for Village‘s Gold Edition, but alone it’s not much.
shadow of the rose however, is a memorable short run, especially when you’re invested Villages bizarre story. It’s a must-read for horror fans, especially in the mid-range. The new characters in mercenary are interesting, varied and occasionally hilarious, but it still is Villagekeeps turning mercenary, the least entertaining version of the minigame. Finally the third person mode for Village feels like an obstacle at best.
The Winter’s extension adds some value Resident Evil Villagebut not worth picking it up on your own unless you are one mercenary (or Dimitrescu) fanatic. If you hadn’t checked out Village at all, but then the Winter’s extension is a great excuse to purchase the upcoming Gold Edition of the game.
[Note: Capcom provided the copy of Winter’s Expansion used for this review.]
