REVIEW: Resident Evil Village Winters Expansion Thrills (PS5)

The most recent Capcom Resident Evil game—you know, the one with the tall, buxom, and divine Lady Dimistrescu—has some DLC arriving in time for the ghoulish season. Resident Evil Village continued the story of Ethan Winters from Resident Evil 7 as he moved heaven and Earth to rescue his baby daughter, Rose. With the  Resident Evil Village Winters Expansion comes Third-Person Mode, The Mercenaries Additional Orders, and “Shadows of Rose” DLC. It’s time to revisit old haunts and new terrors. 

The third-person mode is self-explanatory. But if what you loved about the older games in the Resident Evil franchise was the third-person experience, it’s back. You can play through the story as Ethan in this mode, so you’ll get to see him more.

While not as big as the other two, it does include new animations to complement the third-person view. So if having zombies in your face is as scary for you as it is for me, the third person allows more breathing room. But not much because it’s still frightening. Adding the third-person POV in Resident Evil Village is seamless and, oddly, feels like it was always there. 

The Mercenaries Additional Orders adds two new levels in the Mercenaries section under “Bonus.” The first stage is The Bloody Village; the Village where Ethan starts his journey once the game begins. And the second is The Bloody River, the area where Ethan traverses to Beneviento’s House in the campaign.

Both have a few areas at least to clear with an array of baddies ranging from Lycans to some epic bosses from the story’s gameplay. So be sure to strategize and preserve your more powerful weapons with this in mind. These two new levels feel like a swarm, but given the additional characters, it is expected. 

On that point, Chris Redfield, Lady Dimitrescu, and Karl Heisenberg are unlockable, though Chris is the only one unlocked with the Winters Expansion purchase. I played as Chris, and he became my number one, thanks to his close combat skills. Once I unlocked Lady Dimitrescu, it became a toss-up between the two. Their abilities are unique and, for Lady Dimitrescu, memorable since you tower over most of the enemies you dispatch.

I go with her to experience the world from a different level. Heisenberg’s abilities are challenging, but that could be my issue. Heisenberg’s abilities are a lot to navigate, especially compared to Chris’ punch and Lady Dimitrescu’s claws. My only gripe is it is only two extra levels, and I really miss the bow and arrow Sheva had from Resident Evil 5. Every game I get my hopes up to see it again. 

As for the “Shadows of Rose” DLC, that takes place 16 years after the main game’s events. in it, players embark on a journey as teenage Rose. Rose’s gameplay is almost a highlights reel of some storyline locations and moments. Fed up with being ostracized and bullied at school, Rose is on a mission to find a way to get rid of her abilities. To do this, she has to explore nightmare after nightmare, traversing areas from the original Resident Evil Village story with different enemies. 

“Shadows of Rose” fits with Ethan’s story in the game and is far more terrifying. Certain moments make you jump because the enemies are not all the same ones Ethan faces in Resident Evil Village. Because of Rose’s special abilities, she has a battle style that differs from players like Ethan and Chris, though guns still come into play.

Rose can temporarily freeze enemies, allowing those of us with shoddy marksmanship to hit a still target. To put it simply, “Shadows of Rose” is a short new game, rather than the same game with a new player. Though short, it is a lot of fun and the end will leave you going “aha!”

With the Resident Evil Village Winters Expansion come additional achievements. So players who maxed out the trophy list will also have something to gain by giving the new DLC a go. The Resident Evil Village Winters Expansion keeps the momentum, terror, and gameplay of the Ethan Winters story but adds distinct abilities and foes with the addition of “Shadows of Rose.”

Overall, Resident Evil Village’s Winters Expansion comes with more than enough to make getting it worthwhile.  The Mercenaries’ new unlockable characters mean you can get to know Lady Dimistrescu or Karl Heisenberg on a new stage, like The Bloody Village, or revisit a previous stage. Who knows, you may have an easier time clearing the areas with one of the new players.

The amount you play Mercenaries will depend on whether you want to grind the stages for double or triple ‘S’ ranks, like me, on all the characters. Third-Person Mode gifts you the nostalgic joy of playing the new game the old way, so it is worth running through the game again—perhaps in Village of Shadow difficulty.

Resident Evil Village’s Winters Expansion which includes the “Shadows of Rose” DLC is available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam for Windows PC on October 28, 2022.