Over the years, Resident Evil has mechanically reinvented itself a fair few times now. In fact, in doing so, Resident Evil 4 outright created an all-new sub-genre of third-person shooters. There's a rich and storied history of gameplay evolution here, then, and while the Winters' DLC is plenty exciting due to its story, today we're more interested in the mechanics of its gameplay.

Indeed, for those looking to discover just what on earth is the Winters' Expansion and why it's called that, our other materials may be of more interest. Today, we aim to discuss the expansion pack's huge mechanical change: the ability to switch between first and third-person points of view! Now, it's worth pointing out that there are some caveats in place, but more on that in its own section.

READ MORE: Resident Evil 4 Remake Expectations & Wishlists

Resident Evil Village - Winters' DLC Third-Person Camera Explanation

Up until now, Capcom has had a relatively simple approach to viewpoint coverage in its games. Namely, remakes of previous Resident Evil games had the third-person perspective, while all-new entries were locked into being first-person titles. That might sound drastic, but it's worth remembering that the FPS approach of Resident Evil 7 effectively saved the franchise at one point in time.

Bringing it all down and grounding the action with a first-person perspective was absolutely the right thing to do for Capcom. Now, however, with remakes of RE2 and RE3 out-and-about, and with the upcoming release of the Resident Evil 4 Remake, things are changing.

Specifically, Capcom is fast approaching the situation where there's actual overlap between the third-person remakes and the first-person mainline releases. And since, there are efforts to finally unify the franchise under an improved, more believable timeline, this is a bit of an issue.

That is why - we believe - Capcom is using the Winters' DLC as a testbed for hybrid gameplay mechanics. The goal for the next Resident Evil may be to allow players to switch freely between FPS and TPS modes, the way we see it! One thing that throws a bit of a wrench in this train of thought, though, is the fact that Rose's own story does not have a first-person mode. Whereas the mainline campaign with Ethan will let players switch between the two freely, the new DLC campaign will not.

First-Person Shooter vs. Third-Person Shooter - Which Is Better?

While the difference between first-person and third-person games generally boils down to personal preference, there are mechanical differences to take into account. Immersion is, obviously, the big one. It's simply more difficult for a third-person game to truly draw players in and make them feel like they're the ones duking it out with BOWs. That's where the whole 'silent protagonist' schtick comes from, after all.

On the other hand, third-person games have way more freedom in quantifying the protagonists and grounding them in action. You see your character move around, struggle, and do all the things they need to do. If being aware of your character's state is important, this is the way to go. To say nothing of investing in fancy combat and movement animations. First-person is neat and all, but it can't illustrate these bits all that well.

To best illustrate the example by relying on a non-RE game, think about Dead Space. This third-person sci-fi horror title could've been even more terrifying had it been a first-person game. However, doing so would've taken Isaac Clarke out of the equation. Clarke's struggle with his PTSD is a core tenet of the game, and seeing him stumble from one terror to another is crucial for the player's experience of the game.

So, really, neither would've been better in the case of Dead Space. But! There's a huge difference in how the game presents itself and how it behaves in action.

Is first-person or third-person better for Resident Evil?

Though Resident Evil games have historically been third-person ordeals, both 7 and 8 showed that there's merit in first-person gameplay. Namely, the sheer fidelity of the levels is off the charts in these titles, allowing entire games to take place in a single locale that's no less impressive than the entirety of Resident Evil 5's Africa. Indeed, much of what we've said about Dead Space also handily applies to Resident Evil games. It's absolutely no mistake that Ethan Winters is rather drab compared to, say, Leon Kennedy. Or even the resident boulder-punching, steroid-munching badass, Chris Redfield.

There's no way to tell which of the two approaches will be better in broad, general terms. The push and pull between FPS and TPS titles has been ongoing for as long as these genres have existed. However, if you'd like to see how both of these approaches fare in an actual Resident Evil game, the Winters' DLC will be the way to go. Simply whir it up and see which of the two you prefer!

Things To Keep In Mind...

Considering the immense success of Resident Evil: Village, we're sure many of you will join Rose on her own adventure when the Winters' DLC launches, on October 28, 2022. While there's bound to be some whiplash present from exploring some of Village's most popular locales and biomes in third-person, the whole shebang is more exciting than anything else in this niche.

To summarize, you're getting the following with this expansion pack:

• New story featuring Rose Winters
• Third-person mode for RE: Village
• Mercenaries Mode upgrades and new playable characters

All of that for just under $20! It is, of course, a bit of a shame that Rose's narrative doesn't have an optional first-person mode. Still, the remainder of Village should offer plenty of opportunities to see how the two viewpoints compare. And, who knows, Capcom may be looking at ways to make its next Resident Evil completely toggleable between FPS and TPS modes! Only time will tell if this ends up being the case, but we'll be on top of it - right here at 2Game.

CHECK OUT: On Stories in Resident Evil, And Where They Might Go Next