Separate Methods was at all times 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, in contrast to the bottom recreation, was merely a one-off distraction. A disposable and forgettable further marketing campaign like this wouldn’t make a worthy growth. This remake of Separate Methods is in no way a haphazard assortment of recycled situations, however is as an alternative an entire reimagining that addresses its previous failures and now stands proper alongside the bottom marketing campaign.
Separate Methods is ready to escape the notion of being an pointless further 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 having the ability to run via barely completely different phases provides Separate Methods its personal identification. These new locations additionally construct out the world and present how Ada might control Leon with out him seeing.
Capcom, extra importantly, makes use of these authentic locations to arrange authentic encounters. Like the bottom recreation, there are only a few simple battles; there’s virtually at all times some type of hook. One part might have gamers blasting bugs hiding below the water, whereas one other has them capturing contaminated armor units in a cramped room as errant crossbow pictures pour in.
Some are scary, just a few are filled with motion, and others discover a completely happy medium, all of which exhibit Resident Evil 4’s unbelievable selection. A number of of them are even remixed sections from the 2005 recreation that didn’t make their method into the remake, as soon as once more displaying Capcom’s skill to cleverly subvert expectations. Many of those callbacks match extra naturally right here, too, and provides Ada a number of the climactic fights she lacked within the authentic Separate Methods.
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 slightly extra agile, however doesn’t ratchet up the depth an excessive amount of or make Separate Methods too simple. Not each encounter is plagued by grappling factors, both, so it’s a novel mechanic that doesn’t get overused or skew the sport’s delicate stability.
Separate Methods can also be capable of have a extra clear issue curve as a result of it’s now doable to improve Ada’s arsenal. It’s seemingly a small contact, but it surely 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 at all times been one among its strengths, so its absence within the first Separate Methods contributed to its shallow nature. Mixed with its personal set of unlockables, Separate Methods is now a extra full expertise that completely understands that merely placing Ada in the identical ranges as Leon shouldn’t be sufficient. Emulating Resident Evil 4’s success is rather more complicated, 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 current content material within the authentic, Separate Methods 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 regardless that 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 battle that has a number of thrilling phases.
Resident Evil 4: Separate Methods DLC Evaluation: Remaining Verdict
Separate Methods is not a superfluous further due to all of those astute adjustments. With its concentrate on 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. However in contrast to the remake, Capcom couldn’t simply keep the essence of what was already there as a result of the unique Separate Methods was so underwhelming. As a substitute, 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 Methods DLC evaluate is predicated on a PS5 copy offered by the writer. Performed on model 1.100.000.