Dead by Daylight: Resident Evil - PROJECT W Review
Release Date: August 30th, 2022
Developers: Behaviour Interactive
Platforms: PC (Steam, EGS, Stadia, Windows Store), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S (Reviewed), Nintendo Switch
Price: $11.99
What started off as a simple 4 v 1 multiplayer horror game where players would choose between a survivor and a killer and do their best to survive in procedurally generated maps has grown into a globally-known property that has somewhat paved the way for what a successful multiplayer horror game can be. Dead by Daylight since 2016 has grown to a point where it's become home to countless crossovers that span from slasher icons Freddy Kreuger and Michael Myers to more out-there collaborations in the form of Silent Hill and Attack on Titan. Just last year, however, Dead by Daylight released a Chapter that coaligned with the Resident Evil 3 Remake release, bringing Nemesis, Jill Valentine, and Leon Kennedy into the game in an epic crossover event that saw them fit surprisingly well. Now, Dead by Daylight has once again revisited the popular series for a follow-up chapter, PROJECT W, and brings with it more fan favorites in the form of Albert Wesker as the killer as well as Rebecca Chambers and Ada Wong in survivor roles. These chapters are appropriately packed with skins and new maps as well, so fans of Resident Evil can continue to get the chills and thrills in Dead by Daylight in its faithful new chapter, where the content has been as immersive as it is fun, even if the formula inherently stays the same.
Dead by Daylight at this point has had a total of 25 chapters with the inclusion of PROJECT W, and each has brought a new way to play with fan favorites and original characters as survivors and killers to take sides with. In PROJECT W, Resident Evil returns once more with Albert Wesker, Rebecca Chambers, and Ada Wong along for the ride. While there's no new map this time around, it does include quite a few alternative skins that can be unlocked, as well as a Green Vial charm that shows a strain of the virus. Both the killer and survivors are authentic in their models, and more than most collaborations in the past, PROJECT W feels undoubtedly like its most genuine so far, though the price remaining at $11.99 USD may deter some players with a lack of a new map, unlike the first Resident Evil collaboration. Even so, for Resident Evil fans, Albert Wesker is one of the most recognizable figures and villains in the series, and anyone and everyone who has played at least one Resident Evil has likely heard the name in passing. Albert Wesker is a menacing force to be reckoned with, and PROJECT W ensures that you feel that sense of power from map to map in his shoes. Wesker’s perks are described below:
SUPERIOR ANATOMY:
After a Survivor performs a fast vault in your immediate vicinity, your next vault gains a significant speed boost.
AWAKENED AWARENESS:
When carrying Survivors, the Auras of all Survivors in your Terror Radius will be revealed.
TERMINUS:
When the Exit Gates are powered, any Survivor injured, downed, or Hooked will become Broken until at least one of the Exit Gates are opened. Once the Endgame Collapse begins, the Broken Status Effect will linger for a duration.
Likewise, Ada Wong and Rebecca Chambers join the roster in a beneficial way as well. While the core gameplay of needing to fix generators to escape before the killer eventually pins them up and slays them all is still in place and has yet to change since 2016, getting to play the characters we all know in love in this setting is not only fantastic to see, but fun to participate in. Ada Wong in particular comes with three exclusive perks: Wiretap, Reactive Healing, and Low Profile. All of these are detailed below:
WIRETAP:
You know that the best way to stay one step ahead is to keep tabs on the competition.
After repairing Generators for a total of 33 %, Wiretap activates.
After repairing a Generator for 3 seconds, press the Active Ability button to install a Wiretap, which stays active for 60/70/80 seconds.
The Auras of trapped Generators are revealed to all Survivors.
When the Killer comes within 14 meters of a trapped Generator, their Aura is revealed to all Survivors.
Damaging the Generator destroys the Wiretap.
REACTIVE HEALING:
The more the situation becomes compromised, the more determined you become to complete the operation.
When another Survivor loses a Health State within 32 meters of your location while you are in the Injured State, you benefit from the following effect: Grants 40/45/50 % of your missing Healing Progression.
LOW PROFILE:
When it is just you and your pursuer, you know how to disappear.
Whenever you are the only Survivor in the Trial currently not in the Dying State, hooked, or already dead, Low Profile activates:
Suppresses your Pools of Blood, Scratch Marks, and Grunts of Pain for 70/80/90 seconds.
For Rebecca Chambers, her expertise as a medic and source of positivity grants her the ability to do character-appropriate perks while avoiding any threat in Dead by Daylight. She, as well as Ada Wong, feels great to play, and feeling that sense of support for both yourself and your team makes Rebecca Chambers a valuable asset to any team. Her perks come in the form of Better Than New, Reassurance, and Hyperfocus. As expected, each of these helps with a big benefit to healing, focus, and efficiency respectively. All of these are further detailed below:
BETTER THAN NEW:
You are an expert in combat medicine. Patients leave your care reinvigorated.
Upon completing a Healing action on another Survivor, they benefit from the following effects until the next time they take damage.
Increases their Action speeds in Healing, Unlocking, Cleansing, and Blessing by 12/14/16 %.
REASSURANCE:
Your presence helps allies focus, assuaging the panic associated with extreme conditions.
When within 6 meters of a hooked Survivor, press the Active Ability button to halt their Sacrifice Process for the next 20/25/30 seconds.
If the hooked Survivor has already entered the Struggle Phase, its Skill Checks are paused for that duration. Reassurance can only be used once per Hook instance.
HYPERFOCUS:
You throw yourself entirely into your tasks and find ways to be more efficient than anyone else.
After hitting a great skill check, while repairing or healing, Hyperfocus gains 1 Token, up to a maximum of 6 Tokens
For each Token, the following stack-able effects are applied:
Increases the Skill Check Trigger odds by +4 % per Token.
Increases the Skill Check Rotation speed by +4 % per Token.
Increases the Skill Check Bonus progression by 10/20/30 % of its base value per Token.
Hyperfocus loses all Tokens when succeeding in a Good Skill Check, failing a Skill Check, or if the action is interrupted by any means.
After playing hours among hours with both characters, it can't be stressed enough that Behaviour Interactive did a really great job - just like with the previous Resident Evil chapter - in making all the content in PROJECT W feel genuine and respectful of the source material while adapting them into the Dead by Daylight universe. I do think and wish that after six years that the game should begin to adopt new modes - even exclusive ones tied to chapters if need be - instead of having the usual gameplay method over and over again with new survivors and a new killer that slightly changes up how to hurt someone, but PROJECT W is still a great package that fans shouldn't hesitate to pickup. It makes things feel fresh enough, even if it is mostly visual this time around, that the game can be enjoyed for the foreseeable future without it becoming stale, but there is still a ways to go for Dead by Daylight to truly reach a point of unlocked potential, as casual players likely won't care what the perks and stuff have to offer when everything is randomized to begin with anyways after you've chosen your survivor or killer. Influence can be put upon the match with sacrifices, sure, but at the very least the average Resident Evil enthusiast will still relatively enjoy what's being offered here, even if the pricing seems a bit much when so many more unlockables are needed through premium currencies, so it doesn't just end at $11.99 USD.
Dead by Daylight: Resident Evil - PROJECT W is a solid chapter that brings in some more fan favorites of one of horror's most prestigious and celebrated titles. Albert Wesker makes a great killer with unique moves that make him stand out from the others but also give gives Wesker that signature look and feel with that sense of power while playing him. His dash and grab leading into a tentacle whip followed by the slash of his knife feel powerful and vicious, and hunting those that oppose you has never felt better. Dead by Daylight's popularity and increase in resources have become more and more apparent with each new chapter, and even seeing small details that accompany the slew of alternate skins each character has with the detail of the RCPD from the original Resident Evil chapter shows a bright future that will only entertain players more and more with each new collaboration.
PROS:
Great representations and models for the cast of characters involved in Resident Evil
Both the killer and survivors are fun to play with accompanying perks that feel faithful and appropriate to their characters
Without a doubt one Dead by Daylight’s most fun chapters and certainly one of its best collaborations since the game has been released.
CONS:
Nothing is substantially different from the formula of Dead by Daylight, so while new characters and skins show up with brand new perks, it's still effectively Dead by Daylight, and a lack of map selection can once again cause many matches to cycle through before you actually experience the new content.
Casual players likely won’t care about the perks, making it a fairly expensive chapter to invest in for three characters, and truthfully with how the core gameplay is designed it’s hard to notice a substantial difference from most characters unless a fan is a diehard of the chapter or game.
A huge thank you to Behaviour Interactive for providing us a copy of Dead by Daylight: Resident Evil - PROJECT W for the purposes of this review!