It’s been over a year since Lady Dimitrescu It came to become an absolute symbol of the industry. Resident Evil Village immediately catapulted the villain to fame, but behind her enormous figure was a more than remarkable title.
The eighth installment of the Capcom franchise took us to a cursed town in which each inhabitant’s hours were numbered. From the hand of Ethan Winters and ending his story once and for all… or not? Now, with the arrival of the Gold Edition, the work of terror lives a new chapter thanks to the Shadows of Rose DLC. Still, there’s more juicy content to sink your teeth into.
Point and end to the Winters
If I am going to break down from top to bottom everything that we take home with the definitive version, we have to start with the sirloin. And it is that all one expansion for Resident Evil Village stands before us, so you have to enter the field of spoiling and never better said.
As we well know, much of Ethan’s adventure consists of saving his daughter Rose, just a baby. An epilogue shows us, 13 years later, that she has now become a young woman who has some really special powers and who is in strict custody.
Disowned throughout her life for her condition, Rose has hated anything related to her abilities. unusual for as long as he can remember. In her desire to be able to live normally, a ray of hope appears at the end of the tunnel. The Megamyceta, a powerful fungus that causes fatal outcomes, is capable of retaining the consciousness of those who, at some point, have been connected to it.
There Rose will find the solution to all her problems thanks to a purifying crystal, so she goes deep into the Megamiceta. From here she begins a journey of introspection, painful memories and discovery by the protagonist.
As with the new third person mode, here we can only use this perspective to play. Rose, in the same way as her father, can use firearms to defend herself against the sinister and unprecedented enemies that await her in the mushroom. Nevertheless, she is much more special.
The main playable novelty in Shadows of Rose is that the young woman is able to use her powers to her advantage. She can slow down opponents, fend off fearsome grabs with a counterattack, and destroy numerous boils around every corner. This results in a small branch at the bottom right of the screen that, through various circles, reveals how many uses we have of these powers.
Not only does it serve you in combat, but its use extends to being able to advance. Those boils that he mentioned earlier will be a real headache as they generate a slimy substance that covers the stages, impedes progress and consumes items that can be very useful. In addition to the fact that they are the source of the horrible creatures that persecute us. Of course, there will be no shortage of final boss fights that will put us against the ropes.
All this in scenarios that take great advantage of the context in which we find ourselves. Because Rose finds herself in a dimension that has no respect for the laws of physics, we will see how places as recognizable as Lady Dimitrescu’s castle do not always respect the original layout.
There is a clear advantage for those who have already played Resident Evil Village previously, because moving through the corridors is much easier with the mental map built in full. However, there is always room for surprise, like some other puzzle that we will come across along the way and that always It has that classic Resident Evil flavor.
Avoiding shabby surprises, the truth is that the best parts of Shadows of Rose take place in the moments in which direct confrontation must be avoided. Crouching and dodging will always be a better solution than being brave and there will be situations in which we will have no choice but to defend ourselves with ingenuity.
In fact, the sections of pure horror are brilliant again and will give us goosebumps. However, it does not fill in any gaps in the 2021 title. This expansion explores other fields and has few links with the main plot. Its purpose is to let’s get to know rose better.
Capcom assured that the experience of this expansion would extend around 4 hours, but it is a more than generous estimate. I’ve beaten the DLC on Hardcore difficulty and the timer has stopped at 2 hours and 48 minutes. There’s no replayability, other than you wanting to try out the Street Wolf outfit for Rose, which is purely cosmetic.
One of Dimitrescu, please
If you thought this is all I had to offer Resident Evil Village: Gold Edition, you’re wrong. One of the succulent attractions is the inclusion of additional Orders for the Mercenaries mode. You know, that format where you have to kill every living thing in the shortest possible time.
On this occasion the reasons to return are called Chris Redfield, Lady Dimitrescu and Karl Heisenberg. Indeed, the legendary hero of the saga along with two of the most important villains of the eighth game. Of course, after having played with Ethan, being nothing more than a human, he now has to have fun.
And it is that controlling this trio of beasts is incredibly fun. Chris is a mass of muscles capable of bursting anyone with a punch, Dimitrescu knows how to use his powerful claws without mercy and Heisenberg leaves you stiff with a blow from his hammer. Each one of them has its own particularities, which perfectly reflect their personalities, and change the way of playing the Mercenary scenarios.
For example, Lady Dimitrescu enters a state of Ecstasy the more enemies she annihilates and that allows her to activate unusual powers. Send swarms of insects, Launch her iconic vanity for a blast or even summoning his daughter Cassandra is among the repertoire of actions. Of course, she in turn has another set of moves unique to her wingspan.
Chris can call in devastating fire support and Heisenberg creates magnetic fields that intensify his strength, to go on the list. Of course, you feel high above all the monsters and that is tremendously satisfying. To all this we must add two new scenarios, the Bloody Village and the Bloody River, which give life to a way that has always been very loved by the community.
Everything depends on the point of view
afraid of Resident Evil Village first person? Don’t worry, the Gold Edition allows you to switch to the third person and see everything from a new perspective. Now we will see Ethan’s back at practically all times, because he is the only thing we can see of the protagonist.
Capcom has decided to make the move that Ethan turns around as soon as we try to move the camera to see his face, while still maintaining the halo of mystery about how he really is. A measure that already makes little sense at this point due to the use of mods to see him completely. Also, he is heavily guessed at by his face at certain points.
Nonetheless, the adventure is perfectly enjoyable by opting for this vision and if you want to test how it feels, you can always resort to the demo that is available on all platforms. In any case, it is clear that the game was conceived in a different way, so there are changes of planes to the first person. In this sense, I have preferred a more fluid experience without unexpected modifications.
Finally, the Gold Edition offers us a variety of cosmetics, extras and surprises that are never too many in the form of the Traumatic Pack DLC. A Samurai Edge AQ Model-01, Albert Wesker’s pistol, awaits us in the Duke’s shop along with an accessory from Mr. Everywhere. We can also choose a Resident Evil 7 VHS filter on screen, change the save typewriters to the recorders in the Baker mansion, and have the music at the save points change to the iconic Go Tell Aunt Rhody song.
The connections to what happened in the seventh installment continue thanks to the reports, full of facts and sketches, about the tragedy of Ethan Winters and the Baker family. By the way, if you think you’re very good at passing on the title, maybe you’ll think better of it after trying the new Shadow Village difficulty level.
VidaExtra’s opinion
Bringing Ethan Winters’ journey home to you for the first time in Resident Evil Village: Gold Edition it is a delight. Enjoy the adventure with all the possibilities at your fingertips for the first time in what becomes the definitive version of the Capcom adventure.
The main attraction is presented in the form of Rose, the daughter of the protagonist, in an expansion that fulfills its function without much fanfare and is very continuous. Arguably we are talking about content that no one will miss, since it is a complement for the Winters family and that moves away from the main plot of the franchise. However, it does show at some point that the series has not forgotten to make us feel true terror.
It is the Mercenaries mode that has been the most satisfying for me. The triad of new characters is fabulous for its charisma, possibilities and the brutal sensations of power that they transmit. If you are one of those who intend to get the most out of internal achievements, here are some good reasons to do several passes again.
Resident Evil Village Gold Edition
Resident Evil Village: Gold Edition
platforms | Xbox, PC and PlayStation (reviewed version) |
---|---|
multiplayer | Nope |
developer | Capcom |
Company | Capcom |
Launch | October 28, 2022 |
The best
- Mercenaries mode gets a dose of vitality
- The variety of options and secondary extras
- The Definitive Version of Ethan Winters Nightmare
Worst
- Shadows of Rose is far from being a memorable DLC