When I reviewed Resident Evil Village back in 2021 (read that here), I called it a “greatest hits of the franchise while pushing it forward into new directions.” With the release of the long awaited Winters’ Expansion DLC, I’m confident in saying that Capcom has delivered the goods once again with three brand new experiences that help elevate Resident Evil Village into not only one of the best Resident Evil games of all time, but one of the best survival horror experiences ever.
Split into three main components, the Winters’ Expansion consists of the hefty story expansion Shadows of Rose, an expansion to the vastly underrated Mercenaries mode, and an all new third-person mode for the main story mode.
Capcom has decided to bundle these new additions together rather than piecemeal them out, allowing players to pay a single entry fee to get all three.
Shadows of Rose
Arguably the main attraction of the Winters’ Expansion, Shadows of Rose is a hefty story expansion focusing on Rosemary Winters, the daughter of Resident Evil 7 and Village protagonist Ethan. Set 16 years after the end of Village, the story finds Rose struggling to find her place in the world and dealing with the fallout of having supernatural abilities. When opportunity arises that could potentially “cure” her of her abilities, she’s drawn to Castle Dimitrescu and the horrors that lie within.
Played from a third-person perspective, players are tasked with exploring the gothic landmark from the base game. This section of the expansion borrows heavy inspiration from the PS1 era of Resident Evil in its gameplay design. Gone is the heavy action of Village and in its place is the puzzle solving and exploration that made Resident Evil a household name in the first place.
That’s not to say that Rose is entirely defenseless as a new enemy type is quickly introduced and she’ll have to use her abilities to navigate combat situations and the environment. For example, Rose can stun enemies in place to pop off clean headshots while using the same ability to clear blocked paths in the castle. These supernatural abilities reminded me of Square Enix’s classic horror series Parasite Eve and while admittedly a tad under-utilized in this expansion, could open the door to many new gameplay possibilities in future installments.
Perhaps most interesting is the shift to a more “survival” focus in Shadows of Rose. While she does have her abilities in her arsenal, Rose is limited to only two weapons and limited ammo. Borrowing a page from early installments, sometimes the best method of fighting is to run and avoid enemies. If Village’s action-heavy focus didn’t satisfy your survival horror needs, Shadows of Rose may provide a more satisfying experience.
Shadows of Rose also features a puzzle heavy second half that I won’t spoil in this review that also cranks the terror levels to new heights. If Village featured one of the scariest moments in the franchise, Shadows of Rose manages to match or exceed those expectations while delivering an emotional story and true ending to the Winters saga that began in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. Featuring a likable protagonist, some solid gameplay design, and an emotional payoff, Shadows of Rose is a vital addition to the Resident Evil Village experience.
The Mercenaries: Additional Orders
The Winters’ Expansion also features a sizable upgrade to the game’s fast-paced score attack mode known as The Mercenaries. With the addition of new unique characters and new brutal maps, fans of this underrated mode are in for a treat as the mode now has an even greater deal of replayability. From the wicked fast gameplay of Chris Redfield, whose gameplay is so fast it almost felt like I was playing a Doom clone at one point, to the lipstick-wielding dresser-throwing power house that is Lady Dimitrescu. If fans of this mode can work through some of the severe difficulty spikes, they’ll be treated to some of the most unique and memorable gameplay in the series.
I will say though if you’re not already a fan of the base Mercenaries mode, these additional orders won’t change your mind. Mercenaries is oddly only playable in first person mode. A missed opportunity to bring back that chaos of the famous third-person mode from Resident Evil 4 and 5.
Third-Person Mode
The final piece of content in Winter’s Expansion is the addition of a long-requested third-person for the base game. Since Resident Evil 7: Biohazard’s reveal all the way back in 2016, the viewpoint has been a point of contention and debate amongst the fanbase about which was the better Resident Evil experience. While I’m willing to argue that first-person play is far more immersive, there’s something comforting about getting a Resident Evil you know and love.
Oddly locked behind this expansion’s paywall rather than an update, it’s clear that a lot of care and attention to detail went into this mode to make it stand up to the likes of the remake of Resident Evil 2. While playing I noticed that Ethan had more animations than previous Resident Evil protagonists in the way he navigated the environment; from throwing up his arms in a self-defense block, to even crouching in a stealth-like manner. I wanted to only try the beginning of this mode but sat and finished the entire game in one sitting because of how good it felt to play. It feels like a whole new game and returning/new players are in for an absolute treat.
Final Thoughts
Resident Evil Village remains one of the best AAA survival horror experiences that one could play. The Winters’ Expansion elevates it to new heights by delivering 3 new experiences and sanding off some of the rough edges of the base game. Fans and new players owe it to themselves to pick up this expansion to round out their Resident Evil Village experience.
The remake of Resident Evil 2 has been my favorite game in the series (and one of my favorite games of all time) but this expansion may just bump Village up to that position. Winter’s Expansion is not only one of the best things the long running Resident Evil series has ever given us, it’s the best AAA survival horror experience on the market. Required playing.
Review Code provided by Capcom.
The post ‘Resident Evil Village: The Winters’ Expansion’ Review – How the Update Elevates the Game to New Heights appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.