Initially a fantastic showing, with effectively crafted scares even with the shift to 3rd person. The DLC expansion unfortunately falls apart in the second half, ending abruptly, and with much of the potentially interesting ideas complacently explained away on collectible documents towards the very end of the DLC. Asset re-use is incredibly prevalent here, and it's a twin-edged sword. The repurposing of RE8's content to play with expectations and craft new experiences is great, but it comes at the cost of not feeling particularly invigoratingly new.

The claustrophobic corridors of many of RE8's repurposed environments are both a help and hinderance in the enjoyment of this new content. Proximity based button prompts were already an issue in the base game's original first person mode, and this problem is exacerbated in third person. Third person camera made some sections tense in ways that are completely unique to this content, but I can also see the case where someone would argue this would undercut tension by being able to check around corners. For the most part, the transition between perspectives has worked well (even if the environments were not originally designed for this greater field of view and freer camera control.

Clocking in at roughly 3 hours of play time on my end (and I took what felt like a slower jaunt through this DLC than others) this expansion feels overpriced currently. This is particularly true if you have no interest in playing the base game in 3rd Person or in new Mercenaries content. If the Shadows of Rose DLC had been purchasable separately at somewhere closer to $8 instead of $16, it'd be an easier recommend.

I've only briefly messed around with the new Mercenaries content. Punching things as Chris is entertaining enough. What strikes me as somewhat bizarre is how buying this expansion pack only offers you the chance to play as the Lords from the base game - dependent on your skill ceiling and ability to score highly - rather than simply letting you use the characters you have just shelled out over $15 for.

All in all, fine enough content - but lower expectations and maybe wait for a sale or to simply purchase the Gold Edition of RE8 if you have yet to buy the game at all.

Resident Evil Village Winter Expansion adiciona ao game mais conteúdo, mas nada que realmente revigore por completo a experiência. A história de Rose deixa a desejar pela repetição de cenários e inimigos. O modo em terceira pessoa é divertido, mas perde grande parte da essência e atmosfera do game. E por fim, algumas partidas no modo mercenários com os vilões principais do jogo é algo interessante por algumas partidas.

Assim sendo, eu recomendo está expansão para os jogadores que realmente gostaram muito de Village e querem retornar para o jogo em busca de algumas novidades.

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is often remembered for revitalizing the series, but it also has one of the most interesting and diverse arrays of DLC in the medium. Its contents range from a brutally tough roguelike mode to a surprisingly good Saw-like card game to a goofy story-based expansion based around a redneck that punches mold monsters, just to name a few. Resident Evil Village’s Winters’ Expansion DLC has also prioritized variety, albeit with much fewer offerings, and while its three parts have different goals, they all have different levels of quality, too.

Read the full review here:
https://www.comingsoon.net/games/reviews/1245668-resident-evil-village-winters-expansion-dlc-review-worth-buying

Peak RE content like the base game.

May or may not have almost shat myself during the dolls and statues section lmfao

Extremely interested in whats next for the franchise

So, when I talked about RE8, I had 2 major complaints. They should've focused more on action then amusement park spook house moments and I wasn't too keen on how much the game seemed to lean more into magic powers over science fiction.
Shadows of Rose taking place in what's essentially a teenager's dream really hampered the tension. You get to actually fight for only around half the game with a very neutered weapon set. Then you get a somewhat neat but less scary equivalent to the dollhouse section from the main game, followed by an extremely boring stealth section that really over stays its welcome. I know there's a lot of people butt hurt about RE6 saying, "Resident Evil isn't an action series" but I just plain think they're wrong. When RE works it's a mixture of action and problem solving with a hauntingly beautiful horror setting. At least that's my take.
I was also very confused by them taking away the heal button and I now had to go to the menu for it. Turns out that was literally just because you get a new skill that uses that button right a the very end for one short section. This would almost make sense... except I'm playing on mouse and keyboard and there's a million keys it could've been set to while keeping the heal button. I even had to change it since the button set up the expected me to use (and by that I mean didn't put any consideration into at all) was completely rancid. I also feel like they had to hold back given the teenage protagonist. Seeing "you are lost" instead of "you are dead" just felt like I was watching a tv edit of a rated R film.
I can totally understand someone enjoying this but if most of this ends up being indicative of RE9s direction, then you can probably count me out.

For the price it's a very decent experience.

Shadows of Rose is short and offers a bite-sized RE experience. It feels a bit standard but it tries to experiment with stealth mechanics.

The extra Mercenaries are very fun but you need to be already loving the merc mode to get value out of this.

Again, you get what you pay for.

Pros:
- More time spent in the gloriously immersive world of Resident Evil Village.
- Wraps up the Ethan Winters story nicely.
- Creative implementation of Rose's power set and a smattering of standout new enemy types (the mannequins that only move when you are facing away from them)...

Cons:
- ...the mould creatures are still just fodder.
- The two main set piece sequences are essentially remixed versions of sequences seen in the main game.
- Final boss fight can be a little clunky.

Shadows of Rose was nice. A bit mysterious (not talking about who Michael turns out to be...) in its set-up, and doesn't really deliver all that much. Mixed feelings: Would've loved the ending stinger to be a little different, but it was a nice "now you know" kinda rewatch.

The struggle of Rose is a familiar trope, so not much to say about her as a character. She's nice. Noorderburen actress slaying it.

Was nice to revisit the castle and to see The Duke in a different light as a Phantom Thief of Hearts. Mould creatures were a little clustered at first, but after you unlock the Rose powers it becomes a cakewalk. Overall it goes relatively quick. House Beneviento had a great atmosphere. Takes a little longer to learn the routes of -THAT- segment. Nice to see they can still add new things. The final leg of the house is really well done. A lot of Little Nightmares vibes.

Village section was short, but the whole buildup to the end was pretty sweet. The way you traverse in these worlds was also fun to watch. Idk if we're finally wrapping up the storylines from RE7 now, but it feels a little hamfisted in. Final boss is a bit clunky and takes too long if you, like me, forget to read the prompts. Once you figure out all your options it is so incredibly easy.

Overall: It was a fun return after me not playing it for the last 3 months. Saw some old favorites and had new mechanics that really fit the world of Village. Plot was a little lacking and we didn't really get any answers to the questions people were wondering. But it's a cool set-up for Rose as a character. Can't wait to see what is (and if there is anything) in store for her next.

Gameplay for the first hour was basically just a retread of normal RE8, but as it went on it actually threw out at least one pretty interesting gameplay idea that made it stand out. Story was bad (of course) but the dialogue was mostly not campy enough to make it work like most other RE stories. Also, it had a habit of spawning in death floor that kills you after a certain time and slows you down when you aren't looking during tense moments which surprised then killed me enough to become annoying. Thankfully the mostly fun gameplay carried it and made it feel worth playing.