Resident Evil 7: Biohazard - Banned Footage Vol. 1 (PC) Review

Like most DLC, Banned Footage Vol. 1 is not like the expansions of old. Instead of adding something to the core game, it just introduces a few separate modes, in this case three of them. The first, Bedroom, is a dream come true for those who experienced the "Birthday" sequence of the original, and thought to themselves, "I want more!" What this means is that this is an escape room-like mini-game, where Sewer Gators crewmember and lucky-man Clansy Davis stars.

Strapped to a bed by dear old Marge, he must try to find the exit, and, as usual, that will be accomplished by exploring around, solving puzzles, and so on. The tricky part? Be noisy and Marge will come to check on Clansy. Even better? Forget or fail to leave the objects as they were before, and she will get a tad… pissed. It's a great "chapter," but also one that won't last for more than 30 to 45 minutes.

Nightmare is basically a survival mode, where Clansy must survive wave after wave of the Molded. It's possible to craft items (weapons and so on) via a workbench, and even activate traps all around the small area this battle will ensue, but, first, these need the slowly provided 'Scrap' recourse, and, second, the more one crafts a certain item, the more expensive it will become; therefore, players must balance things out by creating a whole arsenal instead of just sticking to favourites.

This is by far the best section in the DLC, as it's not only fun, not only extremely based on skill, but it's also the one with the highest replay value, as it can be quite addictive to keep on playing, either to unlock more items to craft, or to simply reach the highest score possible. If there's one flaw here, however, that would be how there's only one "level," so once someone reaches the end, all that's left is just repetition.

The third mode is a pretty mixed bag. It will surely gain its hardcore fans, but most of the people who will like it will probably be exactly that - hardcore! Ethan Must Die is an insanely difficult mode, where the main character from Resident Evil 7 must, well, survive (duh!) instead of dying, but, to tell the truth, the death rate will be higher than the one in all Soulsbourne games combined!

Expect randomised placement of objects, crates that are either useful items or harmful bombs, lots of enemies that one-hit-kill, and a variety of traps to keep you on your toes. Now, while this can provide some enjoyment, unlike Nightmare, it relies way too much on luck, so better pray to RNGesus for some more bullets or healing bottles… Although this won't really help in the long run.

In conclusion: a very good escape room, a great survival mode, and a difficulty setting that can be fun, but it's mostly borderline annoying. As a whole? It's actually a DLC worth your money! It's basically an assortment of mini-games rather a continuation of the actual storyline, but, hey, at least it's a - mostly - well-crafted assortment.

If there's a flaw here, that's definitely the length, however. Apart from Ethan Must Die, which will need lots of trial and error, both Nightmare and Bedroom have just one level to offer, which is a shame, as they are generally very enjoyable. Super rushed product? Not really, but certainly gives an incomplete aftertaste…