Resident Evil Village Winters’ Expansion DLC Overview

It might sound weird, but I really didn’t expect an extra chapter for Resident Evil Village to be able to create such an eerie atmosphere. Maybe I’m a little numb after decades of playing this series, but I’ve rarely been truly afraid to play, no matter how great the atmosphere and action was. By combining a few tricks, the developers managed to create a truly terrifying experience that all horror fans will enjoy – even if many of the genre techniques and specific content are slightly reworked.

• Platform: PS5 (Review), PS4, X1, XSX|S, PC
• Publication date: 28.10.2022
• Producer: Capcom (Japan)
• Genre: survival horror
• Czech localization: Not
• Multiplayer: Not
• Data to download: 27 GB
• Game time: 3+ hours
• Price: DLC 529 kr (PS Store), Gold Edition 1319 kr (PS Store)

prickly rose

While the DLC also includes other content, the main attraction for the vast majority of players will be the new story campaign called Shadows of the Rose. In it, you take on the role of teenage Rose Winters, the daughter of Ethan from the original game, whose kidnapping as an infant set off the events of Resident Evil Village. Rose is troubled by her inherited “special abilities” that have caused her peers to avoid her all her life. So when she’s offered a way to get rid of that “bizarre genetic mutation” at the beginning of the data disk, Rose doesn’t hesitate and nods. The “treatment” process involves linking her own mind to a laboratory sample of dangerous mold from the previous game, causing Rose to be mentally transported to a “distorted echo” of the castle from Resident Evil Village.

Looking back, I tried to analyze why exactly the first dozen minutes of the DLC had such a terrifying effect on me. Of course, the simple fact that you initially have no weapons and you feel extremely vulnerable plays a role. But the acting of the main character contributes very well to this – in this case, not only her frightened voice, but also obvious little things like rapid breathing or screaming when startled. But the best part is the general context of the situation when you find out that you are not the only young girl imprisoned in the infamous Dimitrescu Castle Hungry Cell. Which builds well when you see the horrible method in which these other girls are brutally executed.

The main character’s acting contributes a lot to the creepy atmosphere.

However, I have some comments about this three hour campaign. While the creators managed to create a series of truly terrifying episodes, personally, I often felt more like a Silent Hill game than Resident Evil. It’s because of the nature of this whole “materialized subconscious location” where the laws of physics don’t quite apply, reality is warped in all sorts of ways, and the enemies aren’t just zombies or mutants. Personally, I prefer Resident Evil to be more down to earth. In addition, I was also somewhat annoyed by the already mentioned rework – whether it was the environment from the main game or the cinematic sequence that ended the original game. I might also complain about the “recycling” of ideas from other games, as the inspiration for Little Nightmares II, for example, is too obvious. Overall, though, the Rose chapter is definitely interesting and offers some really great moments. By the way, this campaign cannot be completed with your own eyes – you are limited only by the new third-person camera mode.

Extra portion

However, in addition to the main campaign, the DLC also offers additional content, including a new option to play through the entire original Resident Evil Village game in third person. If you’ve only recently gotten into the series through remakes, you’ll probably feel more comfortable with the camera behind you. Of course, this gives you a better view of what’s going on in your environment (if something is coming at you from the side, etc.). However, keep in mind that all of the film clips are left from the perspective of one’s own eye, as reworking them would probably be too expensive for such a project. While a third person point of view works well, I personally prefer the original point of view with my own eyes because it makes me feel more absorbed/drawn into the story/world around me.

The latest bonus of this DLC is the new maps and playable characters for the Mercenaries arcade mode. But you might be a bit surprised that you won’t have access to all of them right from the start – you’ll have to unlock them gradually by earning a certain amount of points in the available content. While Chris Redfield is played relatively traditionally (you rely on weapons most of the time), Heisenberg and Lady Dimitrescu act more like controlled monsters with superpowers, which of course changes the dynamic on the battlefield. Among other things, it seemed to me that even enemies attack you more aggressively so that you can better use your set of melee attacks. Although the Mercenaries mode in the eighth part of the series did not capture me as much as in the previous ones, I can imagine that avid fans of the game will also spend a few hours here.