This article contains Resident Evil 7, Village, and Requiem spoilers
Resident Evil Requiem is a fantastic entry in the series, so naturally, the announcement that DLC is coming to the game is a welcome one – especially if the upcoming free minigame is Mercenaries, because that mode with Requiem‘s combat is a recipe for greatness.
Given the game takes place between two perspectives with Leon and Grace, naturally many wouldn’t have gotten their fill with either character, but when it comes to an upcoming DLC expansion, I don’t want to see either of them in a starring role. In fact, I hope Capcom takes cues from what is arguably the best game in the series when it comes to DLC – Resident Evil 7: Biohazard.
Resident Evil 7‘s DLC arrived in different batches. You had Banned Footage, which features four vignettes that flesh out the storyline (as well as two jokey side modes), with the final entry, Daughters, showing exactly how the Baker family turned into the monsters seen in the main game.
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Then there was the free epilogue, Not a Hero, which had Chris Redfield tracking down Lucas Baker – who was a bit of a loose thread at the end of the main campaign. It offered a bit more of an action take on the game that felt welcome after 7, which was perhaps the scariest entry to date.
But the best of them – and I’d even go as far as to say the best part of Resident Evil 7 overall – is End of Zoe. Another case of tying up a loose end, with Zoe Baker’s fate at the end of the base game (provided you chose to save Mia) uncertain.
Except this time, you aren’t Ethan, you aren’t Chris Redfield, you aren’t any Resident Evil action hero. You’re Joe Baker, Zoe’s uncle and brother to one of the scariest antagonists in the series, Jack Baker. And the thing about Joe is that he doesn’t have guns, military equipment or any special powers; he’s just a jacked old fella from the bayou. The moulded enemies that caused you grief throughout the main game – Joe’s approach is to literally just punch them.
Brawl for all
What follows is a brief two-hour campaign that has you exploring the derelict Dulvey, Louisiana, estate in order to find a cure for Zoe’s affliction, and it’s the closest thing 7 ever had to a beat ’em up mode. The powerful pursuer-type enemies that have harassed countless Resi protagonists over the years?
Joe has the Swamp Man. But where Leon and Jill were somewhat powerless against the likes of Mr. X and Nemesis, Joe has wrestling matches with Swamp Man – quite literally powerbombing the foe at one point. He still has the same family-first motivations that Ethan has, albeit a bit more unhinged.
Which is to say two things: one, you really gotta play End of Zoe if you haven’t, and two, I really want Capcom to treat us to something completely different when it comes to expanding Requiem.
As to what exactly that is, there are so many possibilities. One area where Requiem feels a bit lacking compared to its predecessors is in proper puzzles for the most part – which are typically a staple of survival horror games – so perhaps a House Beneviento-esque puzzle-focused escape room experience could suit.
Or as much as I would much prefer either of them to get their own game for the first time in a while, Leon wasn’t the only person affected by the events of Raccoon City. Giving Claire Redfield or Jill Valentine a chance to return to where it all began would be an appropriate choice, too.
Resident Evil Village’s Shadows of Rose is by no means a bad DLC, but playing it directly after replaying the offering in 7 makes for a stark contrast, given it’s a bit of a rehash of areas from the base game. What I don’t want is just another set of rooms for Leon to blast his way through, or Grace being subjected to even more horrors. Even if I would inevitably end up enjoying those, Capcom has proven it can create unique and memorable bite-sized Resident Evil experiences before.
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