Resident Evil Village He won me over with his self-awareness. It seems to me to be a video game that is very clear about its nature, which allows it to embrace a certain ridicule in its story to, from it, play with the different tropes of terror that the saga has been visiting throughout its long history. That patina of festive terror that flees from the serious is one of the facets that I liked the most about his proposal. Now, a year and a half later, it’s time to deal with the Winters family again through a commercial formula that, like his proposal, is reminiscent of past times.
The Resident Evil Village Winters Expansion embrace the DLC of yesteryear, the one that was criticized so much two generations ago and from which Capcom has never gotten rid of. Something that, now, seeing the paths that monetization has taken in the middle, can even be received with affection; At least that’s how I received it. Of course, this time we find something more than an extra chapter; a Shadow of Rose is joined by the possibility of play the original third person adventure and the Additional Mercenary Mode Orderswith three new characters, among which we can find Lady Dimitrescu.
Playing Resident Evil Village in the third person has been quite a surprise. As we anticipated just a few days ago, the mode goes one step further than a mere update. The control is fine, the animations are worked, and the transitions to the scenes in the first person have been elegantly resolved. The change of perspective constitutes a new way of entering Dimitrescu’s palace without the experience being diluted. The shoulder camera is part of the work done in Resident Evil 2 Remake and its sequel, and it shows. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it’s the best way to play Village, but I do. it is an interesting way to return to it.
The Mercenary Mode, for its part, entertains us with the presence of Lady Dimitrescu, Chris Redfield y Karl Heisenberg. Chris stands out for his arsenal, being the most appropriate character for most challenges, while Dimitrescu and Heisenberg sport unique attacks that add variety. A variety that also comes in the form of new maps. Two, to be more specific: Bloody Village and Bloody River — blood that is not lacking. These new locations lead us to a modified village by including new enemies and a swamp in which I ended up facing Moreau. If you enjoyed the return of Mercenary Mode, here you have content for a few more hours.
Although we are not going to fool ourselves, the most appetizing thing on the cake is, without a doubt, Rose’s adventure, especially for anyone who has in mind the final scene of the Village. It may not answer all the questions that were raised in that scene, but it works with success to build the start of a new path sure to be explored by Capcom—either in the main series or in some sort of spin-off—.
Shadow of Rose offers us a little trip, just over 3 hours long, which serves to introduce the new character in the saga to society: Rose Winters. Ethan’s offspring represents a paradigm shift linked to the powers he inherited from his parents, which serves as a diegetic justification for stringing together new mechanics linked to a different approach to puzzles. It is crystal clear that these powers are not all that they are, nor are they all that they are, but what is seen here works as a small appetizer of what can be built around Rose. Meanwhile, her powers become a perfect excuse to return to some of the most iconic settings in the Village, guiding the player in a more concise way.
At the end of the day, we are talking about an experience that lasts between 3-4 hours, so it is convenient to save time on all fronts. That is one of the things Shadow of Rose does best; economize. The narrative aspect poses the objectives in a clear, concise and I would even say somewhat clumsy way. The trope, the topic and a certain aroma of absurdity go hand in hand to raise the engine of the action; None of this has particularly bothered me because sooner rather than later I’ve found myself exploring rooms and fleeing malicious monsters in a kind of miniaturized version of Village, testing different approaches while playing on a plane that goes beyond the physical. , which is used for build around the oneiric. A maneuver that goes quite well, and that delivers unusual moments in the franchise.
Of course, in the last bars, Shadow of Rose insists on wanting to excite to the staff, and becomes moderately serious. That doesn’t work out so well for him anymore, basically, because Resident Evil never wanted to delve into his characters, and it shows. The game is not comfortable in the drama, so it resorts to worn dialogues to deepen the relationships it works on, delivering lines that we could put on almost any character that we include in the situations experienced by the protagonist. Tragedy is something that Resident Evil should always tiptoe over, because as soon as the saga becomes tragic, the invention drops.
Luckily, the final shot seems to close that emotional side, returning the narrative to a place that seems more interesting to me. By the way, Shadow of Rose offers a videoludic horror bite reminiscent of some of the best moments of Village, some other renowned indies and the most classic side of the saga. Again, an exercise self-awareness embracing festive terror and that, on this occasion, it arrives just in time to liven up Halloween night.
I can’t think of a better way volver a Resident Evil Village.
