Separate Ways was all the time only a tacked-on bonus for the PS2 model of Resident Evil 4, a mode that gave that port one thing to name its personal. It made its technique to virtually each rerelease after, however by no means stood out and, not like the bottom sport, was merely a one-off distraction. A disposable and forgettable additional marketing campaign like this wouldn’t make a worthy growth. This remake of Separate Ways is by no means a haphazard assortment of recycled eventualities, however is as an alternative a whole reimagining that addresses its previous failures and now stands proper alongside the bottom marketing campaign.
Separate Ways is ready to escape the notion of being an pointless additional by having its personal story with cutscenes and new areas. Ada’s journey overlaps with Leon’s in some methods — which is pure for a parallel plotline — however with the ability to run by means of barely totally different phases provides Separate Ways its personal identification. These new locations additionally construct out the world and present how Ada might regulate Leon with out him seeing.
Capcom, extra importantly, makes use of these authentic locations to arrange authentic encounters. Like the bottom sport, there are only a few easy battles; there’s virtually all the time some form of hook. One part might have gamers blasting bugs hiding below the water, whereas one other has them taking pictures contaminated armor units in a cramped room as errant crossbow photographs pour in.
Some are scary, a couple of are filled with motion, and others discover a blissful medium, all of which exhibit Resident Evil 4’s unbelievable selection. A couple of of them are even remixed sections from the 2005 sport that didn’t make their method into the remake, as soon as once more exhibiting Capcom’s capability to cleverly subvert expectations. Many of those callbacks match extra naturally right here, too, and provides Ada among the climactic fights she lacked within the authentic Separate Ways.
Ada strikes and shoots simply as fluidly as Leon, however has one benefit over him: her grapple gun. This software provides gamers the means to zoom over to a faraway enemy and fan kick them and their close by buddies or zip to designated grappling factors. The added utility makes Ada somewhat extra agile, however doesn’t ratchet up the depth an excessive amount of or make Separate Ways too straightforward. Not each encounter is suffering from grappling factors, both, so it’s a novel mechanic that doesn’t get overused or skew the sport’s delicate stability.
Separate Ways can also be capable of have a extra clear problem curve as a result of it’s now doable to improve Ada’s arsenal. It’s seemingly a small contact, however it provides gamers causes to discover and search treasure and lets them develop in energy alongside their foes. Resident Evil 4’s improve economic system has all the time been one in every of its strengths, so its absence within the first Separate Ways contributed to its shallow nature. Combined with its personal set of unlockables, Separate Ways is now a extra full expertise that completely understands that merely placing Ada in the identical ranges as Leon isn’t sufficient. Emulating Resident Evil 4’s success is way more advanced, and the improve loop and suite of unlockables are very important items of that puzzle.
A extra full narrative presentation is yet one more method this remade growth excels over its supply materials. Whereas boring voiceover narration and jarring cuts tried to sew collectively a separate story out of present content material within the authentic, Separate Ways now has its personal set of cutscenes that organically lead from one place to a different. It’s a extra cohesive story that makes use of these extra scenes to additional discover Ada’s relationship with Wesker and Luis. And though Ada’s monotone voice appearing nonetheless drags it down, her added private stakes to the story give it extra nuance and likewise effectively arrange its most tense boss combat that has a number of thrilling phases.
Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways DLC Review: Final Verdict
Separate Ways is not a superfluous additional due to all of those astute adjustments. With its give attention to replayability, upgrades, and distinctive encounters, this growth extra deeply understands what makes Resident Evil 4 Resident Evil 4 and has all of the unpredictability of the remake. But not like the remake, Capcom couldn’t simply preserve the essence of what was already there as a result of the unique Separate Ways was so underwhelming. Instead, it deftly rebuilt Ada’s facet story and turned it into an integral a part of the Resident Evil 4 remake.
Disclaimer: This Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways DLC evaluation relies on a PS5 copy offered by the writer. Played on model 1.100.000.
