Resident Evil 7 "Banned Footage" DLC PS4 review

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Resident Evil 7 hasn’t been out for long and yet there’s already a DLC expansion available first for PlayStation 4 owners. Consisting of three content additions Bedroom, Nightmare and Ethan must die! You might be wondering of this content is worth the price of admission being £7.99, and I’m happy to say yes, yes it is.

Kicking off with the banned footage DLC, “Bedroom” is somewhat similar to the game “Grandma’s footsteps”. You play as Clancy, who finds himself handcuffed to a bed, and you’re constantly checked on by Marguerite (who’s “come up with a new recipe” and wants you to eat every morsel). You must do everything you can to escape the room by completing a series of puzzles but there’s a twist, make any noise and Marguerite will come looking for you. Furthermore, the situation will become even worse if the room (s) is not in the same state that she left them in. As she then would know that you’ve been out of your bed and punish you.

I’ve come up with a new Recipehhhh.

This leaves you frantically running around the room putting pictures back where they belong and closing doors. It really makes for some intense moments as well as presenting some back story for Clancy. The puzzles themselves are also very cunning; much of it is trial and error, especially if you leave the wrong picture in the wrong corner of the room (trust me, she will notice). It’s also worth pointing out that the “Banned Footage” DLC is playable using PlayStation VR (which, in my opinion, gives you the best gameplay experience).

The second piece of content is “Nightmare” (which is an action focused survival mode), and in this mode, you have to survive in the basement for five hours; crafting items, weapons and surviving an onslaught of enemies, including jack himself. There are two metal grinders that you can collect from which gives you a currency that lets you upgrade and create your arsenal. If you make it through the night, you’re presented with a score and a series on unlocks that will make your next run slightly easier. Score really high and you’ll unlock some serious firepower. The basement itself is also packed with traps than can be utilized to keep you alive for longer. This mode certainly reminded me of the classic Mercenary mode, sadly it’s not quite as fleshed out and there is only one map to play in.

resident evil 7 banned footage basement horrors

Will you survive the basement horrors?

Finally, we have “Ethan must die”, a super insane hard as nails boss run where you need to find weapons and supplies to ultimately defeat Marguerite. The mode isn’t for the faint hearted as you will have to dodge bombs, turrets and moulded. Yes, you guessed it. You will suffer increased damage, and if you die, you lose all your items. However, they can be found where you died next play-through, Dark Souls style. Furthermore, the items spawn randomly, and you will have very limited ammo.

So here are a few tips on how to survive, some crates might explode to know which crates are safe crouch near them and listen for a ticking sound, also use your environment against the enemy, lure enemies into trip wires, shoot bombs for explosive damage. Well, that sure sounds pretty though huh? Well, it´s just about to become even worse. You see, turrets will not only shoot at you, but they’ll fore at the Moulded and Marguerite. Ethan Must Die will test your might, so good luck beating it! Keep in mind, his piece of DLC cannot be played with PS VR.

resident-evil-7-banned-footage ethan must die

Good luck beating this one, may the force be with you!

In overall, the first DLC pack is pretty good. Especially in terms of value for money. So you’re getting quite a bit of content to keep you coming back for more once you beat the campaign, but at the same time it does feel like a quick cash grab considering the game has only been out for two weeks and like me, you probably parted with £45 already. However, the next batch of DLC Banned Footage Volume 2 isn’t far either. This will arrive first on PS4 on February 14th (Happy Valentine’s Day) and then a month later on everything else.

Have you played the Banned Footage DLC? If so, what’s your best time on Ethan Must Die? Comment below!

Pros:
+ Clever use of puzzles in the Bedroom episode
+ Survival mode is a blast
+ The low price

Cons:
– Get ready to be frustrated
– Ethan Must Die not playable in PSVR
– seems like a cash grab after two weeks of game release

Gameplay: 4.5/5
Graphics: 4.5/5
Sound/music: 5/5
Controls: 5/5
Replay value: 4/5

tgg grade 4.5 out of 5

Verdict: 4.5/5
“Banned Footage” is a really well made DLC pack straight out of the gate, so don’t go running to your local trade in store just yet!

Title: Resident Evil 7 Biohazard DLC Banned Footage Volume 1
Developer: Capcom
Format: PS4, Xbox One, Steam
Genre: Survival Horror
Resolution: 1080p
Release date: 31/01/17
Difficulty: Easy, Medium, Ethan gonna DIE
Spent time: 3 hours
Average grade internationally: 86.38% Gamerankings.com
PEGI age rating: 18
Price: £7.99