When Resident Evil Village launched last year, it was met with enthusiasm from fans and critics alike, with many hailing it as a worthy follow-up to Resident Evil 7. While Capcom is working on new Resident Evil projects, it's not quite yet ready to leave Resident Evil Village behind, releasing the Winters' Expansion that adds new gameplay features alongside a story DLC called Shadows of Rose.
Shadows of Rose is the main draw of the Winters' Expansion, putting players in the role of Ethan's super-powered daughter Rose as she revisits familiar locations from the base game. Rose, now a teenager, resents her powers and is trying to get rid of them. By connecting with a sample of Megamycete leftover from the events of Resident Evil Village, Rose is able to explore "memories" of the titular village in search of a purifying crystal that will get rid of her powers and allow her to live a normal life.
The story in Shadows of Rose is predictable and unsatisfying, so anyone going in hoping for big revelations or hints at what Resident Evil 9 has in store will be disappointed. However, Rose is at least an interesting character with a lot more personality than her dad. The Duke, who played the role of the merchant in the base game, is presented as one of the primary antagonists in Shadows of Rose, and he's a highlight of the story as well, but otherwise the plot leaves a lot to be desired.
For the most part, Resident Evil stories have stayed away from supernatural horror, instead offering scientific explanations for their monsters and super-powered humans. Shadows of Rose leverages its bizarre premise to dive head-first into supernatural horror elements, which creates the opportunity for scares and psychological tricks that Resident Evil has rarely had the chance to explore in the past.
Shadows of Rose doesn't let this opportunity pass it by, and it is in fact one of the scarier Resident Evil experiences available. There are a couple of specific moments in the DLC that could stand among the scariest moments in Resident Evil history, but to go into details would be to spoil the surprises.
The monsters in Shadows of Rose, combined with Resident Evil Village's next-level audio design, come together to make the game consistently unnerving from start to finish. The monsters this time around are ghoulish, shrieking humanoid creatures that suck the life force from Rose in a manner not unlike the Dementors from the Harry Potter books. In typical Resident Evil fashion, trying to actually fight these enemies head-on is oftentimes a waste of resources, so players have to cleverly avoid them if they hope to survive.
Rose has access to traditional weaponry to help fight back against the creatures she encounters in the DLC, but she also has special powers to give herself an advantage. Rose's powers allow her to freeze monsters in place, which provides a great opportunity to escape or shoot them without fear of retaliation. Players have to navigate cramped hallways in the Shadows of Rose DLC, especially in the sections set inside Lady Dimitrescu's castle, and so they have to be strategic when using Rose's powers, however. If players aren't careful, they may freeze an enemy in a spot where it's blocking Rose's path forward, leaving her open to an attack from behind.
With limited ammunition and enemies that can kill in a few hits, combat is not a big focus in Shadows of Rose. The expansion plays like an old-school Resident Evil game, where the best bet is usually avoiding enemy confrontations, even with Rose's special powers. It also takes its cues from classic Resident Evil games when it comes to the general layout of the experience, with players encouraged to explore, solve puzzles, and find keys that open the path to new areas.
It's true that Shadows of Rose largely consists of locations recycled from Resident Evil Village, like the aforementioned Lady Dimitrescu castle, but the DLC still makes these places feel new. Rose has to find her way around a deadly gunk that has invaded the areas, using her powers to get rid of it and gain access to previously inaccessible areas. The new enemies are cleverly placed to startle even those that played Resident Evil Village extensively, and Rose's powers add an interesting wrinkle to the core gameplay. Beyond all that, Shadows of Rose is played from a third-person perspective, which makes a huge difference.
Resident Evil Village looked incredible, and so does Shadows of Rose, though the pulled-back, third-person camera makes it so the finer details in the environment don't pop like they do in the base game. Still, the switch to a third-person perspective goes a long way in making these areas feel fresh. Players can now play the entire base game in third-person as well if they so desire, though Resident Evil Village is at its best when played in first-person as was Capcom's original intention.
The third-person mode in Resident Evil Village is interesting and Shadows of Rose is great, but they aren't the only things added to the game as part of the Winters' Expansion. Players can also check out new content for the Mercenaries mode, which includes new stages and characters like Chris Redfield, Heisenberg, and the infamous Lady Dimitrescu. Those that enjoy Resident Evil Village's combat will have fun with the new Mercenaries mode, but it's unlikely to hold most players' attentions for long. And the decision to make players have to unlock Heisenberg and Lady Dimitrescu is disappointing as they are definitely the most interesting characters out of the bunch.
Regardless, the Winters' Expansion for Resident Evil Village is a fine addition to the game and a solid expansion that fans of the franchise shouldn't miss. Shadows of Rose's story is underwhelming, but the gameplay is classic Resident Evil through and through, and the Mercenaries additions should at least appeal to fans of that action-heavy game mode.
Resident Evil Village: Winters' Expansion is available October 28 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Game Rant was provided a PS5 code for this review.