Resident Evil VII: ‘Not a Hero’? More like ‘Not My Redfield’!

The Resident Evil VII: Biohazard DLC, “Not A Hero” was finally released for free download, but was it worth the long wait and multiple push-backs?

When Resident Evil VII: Biohazard came out at end of 2016, I about lost my mind with excitement. The second game I ever owned on the PS1 was Resident Evil (the first was Battle Arena Toshinden but it came with the system and that’s neither here nor there). It was terrifying and I couldn’t play it for more than a couple minutes without screaming and throwing the controller.

Here I am in my thirties and not much has changed. While the games have suffered the ups and downs of progression and trying to stay hip with the times, many have remained classics that can’t be duplicated. Resident Evil was re-mastered and came out beautiful with added content that didn’t effect the quality of the game. But the change from survival horror to horror-themed first person shooter took away the fear and made it like every other linear game.

The release of RE7 changed everything but there was something they changed that sticks in my craw like nothing else…Chris Redfield. Mind you, Chris has gone through many changes but the changes were plausible. He’s always been moderately tall, dark haired and, as he got older and joined BSAA, got buff AF. While his ripped bod was over the top, it was still plausible.

Image courtesy of GamesLife

But RE7 Redfield looks NOTHING and I repeat NOTHING like Chris should be. His facial structure is different, his hair. He doesn’t look like a BSAA agent, he looks like someone who wondered in from IT and accidentally got promoted to spec ops. And it’s not just the games that were consistent but the animated movies as well. It’s like recasting your favorite character halfway through the season of a show and expecting no one to notice. Why am I ranting about a fictional character? Because the Not A Hero DLC finally came out and I’m a little peeved.

Yes, I know it took me a full page to get to the subject of the review, but I think it needs to be said. That is not my Redfield. His looks, mannerisms, nothing says the Redfield I grew up playing. Now, that being said, let’s talk about the long awaited DLC.

via Capcom

Not A Hero takes place immediately after the final boss battle of RE7. Evie lies in a pile by the house and Chris is after Lucas Baker, who has escaped into the mines near the estate. Through the game, Lucas has a contact he is siphoning information to and Chris needs to stop him. While it seems in the game like he is a member of Neo Umbrella, that is not the case. Redfield is still a BSAA agent cooperating with the reformed Umbrella after a common enemy. It would seem Evie is a creation of Umbrella and the BSAA is in there to clean up the mess. While it seems Umbrella isn’t the same organization of its past, it is still playing the dangerous game of bio-weapon creation that keeps getting into the wrong hands.

Due to some information stated in the files in game, some information in regards to the source of the E-Series “Eveline” fungal based regeneration bio-weapon came to light. Since Umbrella became a PMC company, they have changed from the creation of bio-weapons to the protection from and clean up of companies that have created them. Due to lack of intelligence on Eveline, they have brought in Chris Redfield, much to his chagrin with a heavy mistrust of the company. The company Lucas has been sending information to is called The Connections, an organization creating illegal bio-weapons to sell on the black market. They are unsure if The Connections created Eveline but they are the most likely suspect. It is thought that Lucas has important information regarding the organization since knowledge on it is limited.

via Capcom

The graphics are the same as the main game and the basic game mechanics are the same. You see a familiar setting and the same monsters but the DLC reminds me more of Resident Evil 5 than of RE7. It’s just shooting and slashing your way through 1.5 hours of the same enemies. None can be truly avoided and stealth means nothing. While it’s a nice addition to the story, it still leaves a large loose end of who Lucas was in contact with.

When you finish the DLC on normal, you receive a scope for your shotgun and professional mode. They included some fun nostalgia because when you begin in professional mode, you start with only your knife, instead of your knife, pistol and shotgun.

via Capcom

Not A Hero is the only free DLC in the set, with Banned Footage Volumes 1&2 being $9.99 each and The End of Zoe being a whopping $14.99 for the same amount of content as Not a Hero. The End of Zoe is a neat DLC and gives you insight on what happens to the last remaining member of the Baker family, but that’s a different review for a different day (because the lead in that DLC is a bigger badass then Ethan and Chris combined). All DLC’s are included in the Gold Edition of the game released in December.

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In summation, Not A Hero is worth the download. It’s free and will offer a few hours of fungal fun. While it doesn’t calm the tempest that is my rage on the changes of Chris Redfield, it answers some questions and creates some new ones.

More info and screenshots are available on the RE7 website.