As one of the most well-received recent titles in the series, Capcom looked to provide a bit more content for Resident Evil Village players. Whether you want to enjoy a few more levels in the Mercenaries mode - especially with some special characters - or are looking to see the new chapters featuring Ethan’s daughter, Rose Winters, the Winters’ Expansion DLC pack has quite a bit packed in together.

After playing through it myself, it definitely felt like a bit of a trial experience to see how the audience feels using a character with powers and guns at their disposal. To that extent alone, I look forward to seeing Rose as the featured character in the next Resident Evil game and the enemies that will be just as strong as her, if not even more powerful!

Story

In the Shadows of Rose story, she meets up with a colleague that goes by the name “K” who claims to have found a way to get rid of her megamycine powers. Wanting nothing more than to be able to be normal, Rose goes along to find out if it is possible. After reaching a lab, he directs her attention to a strange plant that he claims absorbs the memories of those that pass away near it and that the study to absolve her powers was lost with the scientist, but she may be able to find the solution by diving into the memories the plant holds.

Knowing that alone requires her power, she was initially reluctant, but once she dived into the world of the subconscious, the journey to find her cure begins. This journey however wouldn’t be alone as a mysterious, unknown character helps her in odd ways and with information. It’s a good thing to because it turns out, she will need all the help she can get just to survive this place, let alone find what she came here for!

Gameplay

Starting with the two updated aspects of the game, they added the third-person view mode for the main game and more options within the Mercenaries add-on. In order to use the third-person view in the main game, you will need to select this option in the settings on the main menu. Once you do this, you can load up any save file or start a new game and the game will then feature the new viewpoint. For Mercenaries, you still need to unlock more levels with skill, but by unlocking more levels you unlock more characters. No longer restricted to main characters, you can now also play as some of the villains as well, which does add a unique side to the experience.

Shadows of Rose is a full experience and definitely the bulk focus point for the DLC overall. While the majority of this game plays like the base game, it is locked in a third-person view only option. Without spoiling anything, this is due to the second main area that you go through as it would change up drastically if your field of view was limited as it would be in first-person.

You have the inventory system that you will need to keep organized yourself, but you likely won’t ever actually fill it up. Then you have your key item inventory which is separate and opens up when you reach a point to pull a key item out of it. There are going to be puzzles to solve, enemies to avoid, enemies to kill, mini-bosses, the main boss, and a chapter where you will need to focus mostly on being stealthy. Plus, you will be able to find notes and bits of lore throughout the journey as well.

What’s truly new here is the fact that Rose has a special power. At first, you can’t use it, but you will find items that amplify your abilities and make it strong enough to use on both your environment and the enemies. This power is used to wither away a plant core in a lot of areas which will get rid of a dangerous pathway, but if you have any charges for it then you can use a charge on an enemy to slow them down or even defeat them. Many enemies are simply slowed, so be ready to shoot them afterward. You will also find items to replenish your energy, but they are a bit scarce so use them wisely.

Verdict

All-in-all, the Winters’ Expansion is a great DLC addition to Resident Evil Village and I hope for it to be a prelude to what is to come from the series! While the added third-person view for the main game and expansion on the Mercenaries content is interesting, my focus was mostly on the Shadows of Rose expansion, and in that aspect, I was very happy with the experience I was given. With a price tag of only $19.99 USD, I would say that the DLC is worth getting if you are interested in more than just the Shadows of Rose added content, but if you catch it on sale then it is a must-have expansion to snatch up.

Resident Evil Village and the Winters’ Expansion are available now on PC via Steam, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. A cloud-supported version is coming on December 2nd for Nintendo Switch. You can get them both bundled together with the Resident Evil Village Gold Edition.