Resident Evil VII: Biohazard Gold Edition PlayStation 4 Review

It is a generally accepted practice that most AAA games, especially the most critically acclaimed ones, will receive a GOTY Edition, an Ultimate Edition or some other sort of repackaging in order to lure collectors or completionists and, also, to provide late adopters with an all-in-one product. However, this trend seems a little bit rushed in the case of Resident Evil VII: Biohazard Gold Edition, a game that came out almost a year ago, to the date, and, although critically acclaimed as one of the best entries in the franchise, maybe it was not time yet to repackage. That is, unless you want to have the full Resident Evil VII experience. The Gold Edition, as one might expect, contains every single DLC released to date, including the two newest pieces: Not a Hero, a free DLC available to every owner of the game, and End of Zoe, which also can be purchased separately.

Not a Hero marks the return of one of the most beloved characters in the whole Resident Evil series, Chris Redfield. This is not a spoiler of any sort, as Capcom has been heavily marketing this DLC package with the image of good old Chris. Although not significantly important to the main story, this DLC provides a new angle to the Resident Evil VII plot. It follows Chris and his attempt to look for Lucas, who apparently has a secret base down in the mines. By now, we know fans have been speculating a lot about Chris’s fate since last time we saw him; however, Capcom makes no use of any of these fan theories and instead resolves the mystery in a brief, yet disappointing, written introduction.

Not a Hero feels a little bit different from the main story; albeit Chris’s expertise and background, he still feels a bit too overpowered in comparison to Ethan. There is however a sense of expansion to the universe in this rather short episode (about an hour and half long), because the mines are better developed than in the main course, and even some new creatures are added to the roster. It is not a must-play, by any means, and one could easily skip over this DLC. This piece does not really add much to the narrative, the enemy roster does not increase in a significant manner, or at least in a way that could be expected from a DLC, and the overpowered Chris really contrasts with the way one plays the main game. Despite this, it is nice to have Chris back one way or the other.

End of Zoe is a bit different. This episode is, chronologically, the latest entry in the Resident Evil canon, as it occurs after the events of the main story and Not a Hero. In it, we command Joe, Zoe’s uncle, not Zoe herself as the title may imply. Joe is an all-out southern man with a clear preference to use his fist in conflict. It is weird to face biologically enhanced enemies using your fists as it is weird to have a trigger assigned to each fist in this simply yet delightful combat system, but somehow Capcom makes it work. The episode even contains some stealth sections and the possibility to fight against some wildlife using rudimentary weaponry. End of Zoe, as Not a Hero, is not a must-have, but is entertaining enough to consider giving it a chance.

The Gold Edition also includes Banned Footage Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, the previously released DLC which feature three new game modes each. These DLC packages do provide a sense of expansion to the main game and offer some refreshing gameplay and are worth revisiting. You can refer to our review of the main game.

The game is still one of the best videogames released in2017 and the Gold Edition is the perfect opportunity or pretext to take a look at it if you have not done so yet. It is especially exceptional when played on the PlayStation VR, due to the entry’s move from third-person survival horror (eventually shooter) to first-person survival horror. As a matter of fact, the VR experience on the PlayStation VR is reason enough to invest in somewhat expensive gear. The ambiance of the game is truly terrifying and keeps you immersed so well that the VR port was only a logical step. First person horror is a no-brainer when it comes down to VR tech. Motion sickness does not come in play and the world is so well constructed and detailed the horror does feel real for the user.

In the end, the two DLCs may not be reason enough to acquire this new edition of the game; for starters, Not a Hero is free to download and, on the other hand, the base game can now be acquired at around 20 USD. However, it is always nice to have everything you need packed neatly in a single box and, for those who value this, Resident Evil: Biohazard Gold Edition is what you were waiting for. 

The Gold Edition is now available on the PlayStation 4, PC and Xbox One. But, if you don’t want to buy the whole package, you can grab End of Zoe and Not a Hero individually too.

Also check NoobFeed Senior Editor Adam's Resident Evil 7: Biohazard Xbox One Review.

Sarwar Ron, NoobFeed
Twitter | Google+