The Resident Evil 4 remake is my Game of the Year so far; no question about it. Even then, I was worried that the Separate Ways DLC wouldn’t quite deliver.
Well, it did! And then some.
Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways DLC (PC, PS4, PS5 [reviewed], Xbox Series X/S)
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Released: September 21, 2023
MSRP: $9.99
If you’ve never played Separate Ways before (it was a side/unlockable mode in the original release and not a paid DLC), it’s a gaiden of sorts that deals with what Ada Wong was up to behind the scenes while Leon was out hamming it up and kicking ass. You’ll occasionally meet-cute with Leon during the narrative, and deal with old/new enemy types, as well as run through old/new locations.
I was extremely skeptical of how Capcom would approach this concept with the remake, especially in the form of a DLC. What we ended up getting not only serves as a fantastic compliment to Resident Evil 4‘s reimagined world: but it’s also a reminder of just how incredible the action-shooter foundation of the remake really is.
The first thing that I noticed was how quickly I acclimated to getting back in the saddle. Ada mostly controls the same as Leon (and will utilize a lot of the same weaponry/accessories), with one notable exception: Ada has a handy grappling hook. While the environmental grappling points are rather sparing and fixed, the way Ada uses her grappling hook both in combat and during cutscenes really helps differentiate the DLC from the core game.
With her added maneuverability, it’s a blast to discern whether or not a fight is “worth it,” especially when a grappling icon is pinging you nearby. It also adds some really tense moments where you’re like “I’m bailing on this sh*tshow completely,” and frantically search for a grapple point. Plus, it’s a rush to be like “Oh yeah, I can melee from far away now since Ada’s grappling hook will propel you toward the target like Batman.” It introduces a whole new layer to the way you approach combat in the remake, which was already the game’s strongest aspect.
That’s really its chief secret weapon: it’s more Resident Evil 4 remake. Capcom adds in content from the OG that’s missing from the 2023 version and does it in a pretty sleek way that doesn’t allow those portions to overstay their welcome. Keep in mind this is a compact-ish DLC (you can finish it in 3-5 hours), but it barely has any fat on its bones. It’s also just as polished mechanically as the base RE4 remake. The only real technical issue I had with the DLC included an audio bug (where I couldn’t hear certain characters speaking). That’s pretty much it.
Separate Ways smartly integrates a lot of the extras from Leon’s journey: including four difficulty levels (as well as the unlockable “Professional difficulty,” which I started right after finishing the DLC), cosmetic extras exclusive to the DLC, and of course, graded rankings to strive to clear one day. I plan on replaying the Resident Evil 4 remake on Professional mode every other year or so, and now I’ll happily add a Separate Ways playthrough to that marathon.
I’m just as shocked as you are that Separate Ways ended up being great, but when you really think about it, there was no other realistic outcome. The Resident Evil 4 remake is so good that Capcom really could have rested on its laurels and developed a cheap DLC that would have been fine at worst, but they put the work in.
[This review is based on a retail build of the DLC provided by the publisher.]
