A lot of Resident Evil fans were bemoaning the loss of Mercenaries for the series’ newest incarnation.
In fact, a lot of fans were lamenting almost everything about Resident Evil 7, from its perspective change to it distancing itself from the main canon. Now it’s out in the wild, most fears have been put to bed with the game receiving near universal acclaim.
Where it lands in the ranking of Resident Evil games remains to be seen, but it’s a superb blend of terror and action that feels like a step in the right direction nonetheless. The biggest horror game of 2017 delivered, and then some.
Something most gamers agree on, however, is that its DLC is cynical. Released a mere week after the base game’s launch, an argument could be made that the DLC would have just been unlockable content in Resident Evil games of the past, yet here it is, charging you for the pleasure of a different Resident Evil 7 experience. While it isn’t an ideal situation to place fans in, the DLC fortunately provides enough to make the added price just that little bit less egregious.
While Bedroom has had content creators tapping up guides and opinion pieces, Banned Footage Vol. 1’s other add-on is where I’ve spent a lot of my time over the past couple of days. It’s Mercenaries meets Call of Duty’s zombies minus the nigh on impenetrable levelling system. As diluted as that may sound, when you mix Resi 7’s charmingly antiquated inventory system and a mess of different enemies around every turn, it becomes a twitchy, heart-pounding affair.
Nightmare sees you take control of Clancy: the mute cameraman from the game’s demo who now has a voice and is totally sick of this shit. Captured by Jack, Clancy must wade through waves of enemies until dawn with new challenges being thrown at him every hour. So far, so similar, especially at first glance when the mode starts to twist the knife.
When you start off, you’re under-equipped and outnumbered, inevitably leading to some frustration as you hastily pick up scrap (the mode’s currency) to turn into ammo at the workbench for your handgun. As you delve deeper, more scrap compactors become available so you can earn more scrap, leading to an often thrilling game of tag as you rush from compactor to compactor while avoiding the Molded.
The handgun takes at least five bullets to take a single enemy down – that just won’t work in the long run. All of the main game’s weapons eventually become available as you accumulate a scrap fortune that would make Wall-E jealous. The shotgun and machine gun will be your saviours time and time again, while the grenade launcher is best reserved for when the big dogs make an appearance; the patriarch Jack Baker is back, and he’s more annoying than ever.
In the enclosed map, Baker’s appearance fills you with dread. When ammo is tight, prior planning is key or you will find yourself backed into a corner being hacked to death as you stumble around in your inventory to swap your weapons out. As Baker is more than just a tiny bit clingy and even more resistant to getting shot in the face than in the main game, getting away from him long enough to take a breather is as exciting as it is tense.
There’s a tactical aspect to Nightmare that you will only really pick up on when you’re in your second hour of screaming in panic around its corridors. As the difficulty escalates, so too will the importance of your purchases – do you really need to buy that trap or should you save it for later and pick up some ammo instead? Use the handgun early to save up scrap more easily or have it as a last ditch back-up on the last hour before dawn? Choices that will determine whether or not you make it through the night alive.
As good as Nightmare is, there’s always the feeling that it should have been included in the main game. Outside of the story, there is little for players to do, which rankles more than any of Resident Evil 7’s most divisive changes. Add to that the fact that the DLC has been released so close to launch and you have yourself something to be concerned about.
That being said, though, Nightmare offers hours of entertainment to just about justify the added price. It’s an easy recommendation to anyone that wants to squeeze some more life out of Resi 7 and is a decent replacement for Mercenaries, though it might not please long-time fans as much.
Interested in the Season Pass? Check out Resident Evil 7 DLC review to see if it’s worth the money.
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