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Resident Evil Village (RE 8) is getting its first major update with the Gold edition. In it, fans of the long-running horror franchise are getting some significant changes and content updates. The likes include a third-person mode, an important story addition, and much more. I was able to check out Resident Evil Village Gold Edition early on PC. Here are three reasons if you liked playing the base game or haven’t picked it up yet, now is the time to return to the king of horror.
A Whole New Perspective
Well, not a new perspective for Resident Evil, but new for the latest entries. Resident Evil Village Gold Edition adds a third-person perspective to the DLC, “Shadows of Rose,” and the whole game. This is a fresh take that we have seen before. However, I think it works pretty well with the type of horror they’ve made for the first-person perspective. I think it’s a pretty fair statement to say that horror developers need to approach third-person and first-person perspectives differently to pull the scares off. Surprisingly, the first-person horror made for Village, which wasn’t the scariest game, still worked well in this new perspective. Even House Beneviento is still horrifying! So if you’ve played RE 8 and are looking for a new excuse to return, I highly suggest returning for a new playthrough with this update.
Winters is Here
There is also an expansion of the story! “Shadows of Rose” is a story DLC that supposedly ends the Winters family story that started in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (RE 7). Whether you love or hate Ethan Winters, I found that I liked Rose much more. It may be short, but this addition even scarier than the base game. Plus, the combat, puzzles, and pacing felt much more refined compared to past DLCs we’ve received for RE 7. If you want to read more about our thoughts on the latest story update to RE 8, check out our review here!
Mercenaries, I Hardly Knew Ye
Finally, the action-focused Mercenaries mode is getting a reasonably substantive update in the Gold Edition. I, for one, liked Mercenaries when it first launched. It was a fun change of pace and a way to take my anger out on the enemies that kicked me around during my 6 to 8-hour playthrough of the original story. With the addition of Lady Dimitrescu and Heisenberg as playable characters, Mercenaries gets a lot more fun. While the original Mercenaries mode was fun, it was just an action-focused version of the original game, like a shooting gallery. Dimitrescu and Heisenberg, though, add new abilities and a new mayhem that I wish was originally there. Unfortunately, they have to be unlocked, but I highly suggest doing it if you were initially on the fence about Mercenaries mode.
Resident Evil Village Gold Edition is a massively substantive update to an already fun entry in the long-running horror series. It adds more of everything—story, modes, and a new way to play. So if you were a fan of Resident Evil Village when it first launched in 2021, this is the perfect time to get back into it, especially as you are preparing for the Resident Evil 4 remake’s release.
Resident Evil Village Gold Edition is available now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC.
Mick is a scientist and avid gamer. When not gaming, he’s either fawning over the newest Disney thing, or playing with his Corgis.