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After finishing the base game of Resident Evil 8 and doing the review, next in line was the DLC, Shadows of Rose. Although it took a little longer than expected to complete it, I have and now I can do an official Shadows of Rose review. Let’s get started.
Story
Rose Winters wants to get rid of her powers. They make her a target at school and she can’t live a normal life. When someone tasked with watching over her offers to help rid her of them, she takes the offers. This requires her to jump into the consciousness of the Megamycete and confront several obstacles that actually awaken her powers further. With the help of Michael, a friendly spirit or being she meets, she hunts for the cure that will get rid of her abilities.
Along the way, she meets Eveline, which was a short lived interaction. By the end, we get a couple of surprises. I won’t spoil further but I have plenty to say.
The whole idea behind the story didn’t feel completely fleshed out. It felt like something that was going to be a decent length, 5 hours or so, and was much shorter. The driving force behind Rose’s desires was fair but we didn’t get to see enough to connect in my opinion. It was nice to see her grown up after what we sent through in Resident Evil 8 but that’s about all it was.
In the end, the story didn’t feel comple and although the ending was bittersweet and offered a moment I think a lot of fans wanted, it still wasn’t quite what we deserved. It wasn’t really what Rose deserved. What could have been a great debut for Rose’s character felt lackluster and it’s sad we don’t know very much about her as a person.
Gameplay
Shadows of Rose has similar gameplay to that of the base game with a couple added mechanics with Rose’s abilities. You’ll be going through different stages of the village from the base game, which wasn’t a bad idea but the gameplay mostly consisted of using Rose’s powers to wilt flowers and unblock your exits. Enemies were of one variety and there weren’t that many of them.
The gameplay wasn’t necessarily bad but it wasn’t fully used either. We kept hearing about her powers and they never shown off much until the end, which even that felt lacking in the overall. It had potential but it fell short.
Graphics
These were fairly decent on the Switch 2 and I was playing in handheld mode. They are the exact same as the base game, which was to be expected. One aspect that annoys me is how the hair looks but that’s a running joke at this point with Capcom games on the Switch 2 period. Diana’s hair in (paid link) Pragmata has the same issues. Otherwise, the graphics never gave me any issues nor did I see any massive fps drops that made the game unplayable or frustrating.
Soundtrack
I would say the soundtrack is similar enough to that of the base game without adding anything particularly great to it. This isn’t dissing or giving it a thumbs down at I enjoyed Resident Evil 8’s soundtrack. You can give the base game’s soundtrack here and go here for Shadows of Rose.
Controls
These were totally fine and did as they should. Using Rose’s powers was cool but it also was incredibly simplified by just holding a button and aiming at the right object. They ran the same as the base game and didn’t change much or add to.
Replayability
Unfortunately, this did not give me the same feelings the base game did. I could see wanting to play again on a harder difficulty but the story is the main draw and once you see it, that’s it. There isn’t any real progression with replaying like the base game.
Scores
Story: 6/10
Gameplay: 6/10
Graphics: 8.5/10
Soundtrack: 9/10
Controls: 9/10
Replayability: 5/10
Overall:
Conclusion
Shadows of Rose is maybe not what everyone expected but it at least deserve a playthrough to experience one time. Unfortunately, it’s held back by lack of replay value, a story that felt unfinished and gameplay that didn’t offer anything that new. If you are still curious though, you can get the base game for Resident Evil 8 on Steam, (paid links) Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X & the Nintendo Switch 2.
You can read my review for Resident Evil Requiem here, which is available on Steam, (paid links) Playstation 5, Xbox Series X & Nintendo Switch 2. I have some tips for that game as well, both generalized tips and also speedrun tips for you to check out. There is also a challenges roadmap, so if you need it, I have it.
Until next time, happy gaming!
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