Fans of Resident Evil were given plenty of things to be excited about following Capcom's Showcase this past Sunday. While the first half of the event was geared toward titles such as its new IP, Exoprimal, and the new Monster Hunter Rise DLC, Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, the last third of the show was absolutely catered to the Resident Evil crowd. This was an event that would leave any die-hard Resident Evil fan salivating, with announcements for new next-gen upgrades coming to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Resident Evil 2, and Resident Evil 3 as well as a new look at Resident Evil 4 Remake's gameplay.
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the show was Capcom's way of pulling gamers back into the last entry in the series, as Resident Evil: Village Gold Edition will release on October 28. Packed with even more content to indulge in, this new bundled version of Village includes the base game and will be introducing the all-new DLC titled The Winters' Expansion, which can also be purchased as a standalone for fans who already own the base game. This expansion will give players a new campaign, a new camera perspective for Village, and additional Mercenaries content.
Where Resident Evil: Village's Shadow Of Rose Will Go
Starting with the first piece shown off from The Winter's Expansion, viewers will finally get to see more of Rose Winters 16 years after the events of Village's storyline. This new campaign titled Shadows of Rose puts players in her shoes from a third-person perspective as she navigates an entirely new environment filled with brand-new enemies and familiar faces, with a mysterious story to uncover as she tries to escape an evil pursuing her.
This new campaign is really fascinating because this is the first time players will be able to play as Rose and delve deeper into the powers she has coursing through her, and it'll be intriguing to see how Capcom ties that into the gameplay. Another interesting aspect of this story is the Megamycete, which Rose taps into, as it drags her into this new world where the story takes place. It played a large role in Village's story as well.
Two characters that will surely play a big role in this mystery are a girl who looks just like her and Michael, a mysterious invisible person who leaves written clues. Judging from the trailer alone, these characters will likely be the ones who propel the story and keep it going throughout its duration. But if Resident Evil fans have learned anything from past titles, it's that mysterious persons are never really meant to be trusted.
Resident Evil Returns To A Third-Person Perspective
Something that created quite a positive response from viewers was the fact that Shadows of Rose will be played from a third-person perspective. There hasn't been any confirmation if players will be able to swap back and forth between third or first-person, so it's safe to assume that so far, this will solely be an "out-of-body experience". It does make one's mind wander over to the possibility that future RE titles could switch back to a third-person perspective going forward. Capcom seems to have doubled down on this theory by including a new third-person mode for the main Village campaign as well in this Gold Edition.
Fans will finally be able to play RE: Village from a fresh third-person perspective, with brand-new animations to further the immersion of its gameplay. This is sure to be very tempting for fans who may have liked Village but missed that true Resident Evil feel with the over-the-shoulder style of the camera. The fact that Capcom included a third-person perspective in Village alongside a new story really raises eyebrows about what Capcom has going on behind the curtain.
Many would say that the Resident Evil series was hurting following Resident Evil 6 and that it wasn't until Resident Evil 7 came out with its new first-person approach that the series finally returned to its glory. Since then, however, Capcom's remakes have found success among legacy fans and new ones alike, with quality of life improvements brought to the iconic Resident Evil titles. The publisher could see an opportunity to move back into the old way of doing things visually while still maintaining the momentum of the newer titles. The Resident Evil 4Remake further illustrates that point and could also be an indicator of things to come.
Resident Evil: Village Finally Lets Players Be Lady D
The last bit of content on The Winter's Expansion's docket is The Mercenaries: Additional Orders, which adds even more content to the arcade-style mode that allows players to take on mobs of enemies as some of their favorite characters from the game. This new list of content includes additional stages as well as characters like Chris Redfield, Heisenberg, and of course, Lady Dimitrescu. They each have their own signature attacks, but what's really impressive is that playing as Lady D puts gamers at her 9-foot tall advantage, as she makes short work of enemies with the flick of a wrist.
This new mode will be sure to keep players engaged far past the completion of the main campaign and even the Shadows of Rose. Capcom says that it has "amped-up" the Mercenaries game mode, so only time will tell if players can confirm if that's the case. There's a lot of great content packed into the Resident Evil: Village Gold Edition, and while there is yet to be a price added to this bundle, it seems to be a monumental step forward for the franchise going forward. This doesn't even include the long-awaited Resident Evil Re:Verse, which will release alongside this content on October 28.
Resident Evil Village Gold Edition will release on October 28th, 2022, for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
