This review contains spoilers
I almost never review DLC but actually have a few things to say about this game.
The Shadows of Rose campaign essentially consists of two retreads of locations from RE8 - Castle Dimetrescu and House Beneviento. On the surface this sounds like it’d be a big problem, but for me at least it really wasn’t. The reasons for this differ between the two locations.
For Castle Dimetrescu, gameplay is changed significantly from the base game and is in many ways very close to the gameplay from RE2R. You’re given very little ammo, an open layout, slow movement, enemies that kill you in two hits, and they even throw in a version of the defensive items from that game. This makes combat encounters deeply tense and strategic. Do I run from these enemies? Is there enough space that I won’t get grabbed? Do I use ammo or save it for when I’m cornered? Do I use Rose’s stun power or do I save it to use as a defensive weapon in case I get grabbed, etc. Shadows of Rose does this gameplay really well, and I had a blast during my hour or so playing through this segment. Granted, the level design isn’t entirely suited for the RE2R style of gameplay but it works well enough to still be a genuinely fun time. We saw with RE3R that the gameplay mechanics of RE2R are strong enough to withstand being paired with somewhat incompatible level design and the same is true here.
House Beneviento is basically the same as it was in the base game, which is a really scary haunted house (I mean that specifically in the theme park haunted house way) where gameplay consists of puzzles and largely on rails chase segments. House Beneviento and it’s gameplay format was so scary and so compelling in the base game that I essentially didn’t mind seeing more of the same here. Shadows or Rose does add a unique stealth segment to this part of the game, which worked well enough. Best descriptor of it that I can give is it feels like all the other one-off stealth segments you sometimes see in non stealth games.
Nothing particularly interesting was done with Rose’s character in this DLC. This is mostly a sweet story about her coming to terms with her mutation and the death of her father. It’s all decently well done and there were a couple genuinely touching moments but nothing too special. I was curious to see how Capcom would go about their policy of never showing Ethan’s face in this game, and I’m happy to report they did it pretty well. The attempts to obscure his face were done in a way that felt mostly natural - especially if you’re not looking out for it. I’m glad they didn’t go the route of making self conscious jokes about hiding Ethan’s face in contrived or unrealistic ways. That would have been lame. That’s the only word I would have for something like that: lame.
Writing this review mostly just to praise the excellent Castle Dimetrescu section. I really wish RE7 had gone more with this style of gameplay and balancing. I think it would have still worked in 1st person and in combination with that games amazing atmosphere and writing it could have been a home run.
The Shadows of Rose campaign essentially consists of two retreads of locations from RE8 - Castle Dimetrescu and House Beneviento. On the surface this sounds like it’d be a big problem, but for me at least it really wasn’t. The reasons for this differ between the two locations.
For Castle Dimetrescu, gameplay is changed significantly from the base game and is in many ways very close to the gameplay from RE2R. You’re given very little ammo, an open layout, slow movement, enemies that kill you in two hits, and they even throw in a version of the defensive items from that game. This makes combat encounters deeply tense and strategic. Do I run from these enemies? Is there enough space that I won’t get grabbed? Do I use ammo or save it for when I’m cornered? Do I use Rose’s stun power or do I save it to use as a defensive weapon in case I get grabbed, etc. Shadows of Rose does this gameplay really well, and I had a blast during my hour or so playing through this segment. Granted, the level design isn’t entirely suited for the RE2R style of gameplay but it works well enough to still be a genuinely fun time. We saw with RE3R that the gameplay mechanics of RE2R are strong enough to withstand being paired with somewhat incompatible level design and the same is true here.
House Beneviento is basically the same as it was in the base game, which is a really scary haunted house (I mean that specifically in the theme park haunted house way) where gameplay consists of puzzles and largely on rails chase segments. House Beneviento and it’s gameplay format was so scary and so compelling in the base game that I essentially didn’t mind seeing more of the same here. Shadows or Rose does add a unique stealth segment to this part of the game, which worked well enough. Best descriptor of it that I can give is it feels like all the other one-off stealth segments you sometimes see in non stealth games.
Nothing particularly interesting was done with Rose’s character in this DLC. This is mostly a sweet story about her coming to terms with her mutation and the death of her father. It’s all decently well done and there were a couple genuinely touching moments but nothing too special. I was curious to see how Capcom would go about their policy of never showing Ethan’s face in this game, and I’m happy to report they did it pretty well. The attempts to obscure his face were done in a way that felt mostly natural - especially if you’re not looking out for it. I’m glad they didn’t go the route of making self conscious jokes about hiding Ethan’s face in contrived or unrealistic ways. That would have been lame. That’s the only word I would have for something like that: lame.
Writing this review mostly just to praise the excellent Castle Dimetrescu section. I really wish RE7 had gone more with this style of gameplay and balancing. I think it would have still worked in 1st person and in combination with that games amazing atmosphere and writing it could have been a home run.