Resident Evil 4 “Separate Ways” DLC Walks a Bolder Path than the Core Game
Capcom has been on a killer streak with Resident Evil in recent years, releasing one banger after another, but if there’s one weakness in their game, it’s DLC. Granted, games like Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village got some fun story add-ons, but they were pretty lightweight. Meanwhile, some games, like the Resident Evil 3 remake, haven’t received any DLC at all. That said, Capcom may have changed their ways with the just-released Resident Evil 4 “Separate Ways” DLC.
When it wasn’t included in the initial release of the Resident Evil 4 remake, most expected Separate Ways, the Ada-Wong-focused side story included in later versions of the original RE4, would end up as DLC. As such, there’s been a lot of anticipation for this add-on – more than typical for RE DLC. So, has Capcom lived up to expectations? Or should Ada have stayed in the shadows? Time to head back to the village…
Note: This is an opinion piece and, thus, not as detailed as a full, scored review would be.
Resident Evil 4 Separate Ways takes place concurrently with the events of the main campaign, as Ada teams with Luis to retrieve the Amber containing the Plagas parasite while subtly helping out her flirting partner Leon from afar. Some specific details of the Separate Ways story have changed quite significantly this time around – Ada now has her own Nemesis-style stalker, Wesker is more directly involved in events, ect. – but the overall gist is the same. Don’t expect a particularly deep dive into Ada’s personality or motivations, but it’s fun to see what hijinks she was getting into during the events or RE4.
Gameplay-wise, Separate Ways is obviously built on the same engine as the Resident Evil 4 remake and thus shares many of it’s strengths and weaknesses. Once again, controls feel just a bit clunky, although you’ll get used to them soon enough, particularly if you’ve already tackled the base game. Ada herself largely plays like Leon, with the big addition being her grappling gun. Ada can not only boost up to various contextual grapple points, but she can now use the gun in battle to zip in from afar with melee attacks, steal enemies’ shields, and more. The grapple gun is a relatively simple addition, but Capcom has done just enough with it to make Ada feel unique.
On the presentation front, like the Resident Evil 4 remake, Separate Ways is technically impressive, but a mixed bag artistically. While later areas can be quite striking, the early parts of the game set in the village are a bit grubby. And yes, we do have to address the elephant in the room – Ada’s voice acting just isn’t very good. I wasn’t that bothered by it during the main campaign, as Ada doesn’t actually show up to speak that often, but obviously, she talks and quips throughout this DLC. There are some meme-worthy bad lining readings here, with any attempts at snappy repartee being particular rough. But hey, it’s Resident Evil not Shakespeare, so I can’t say Ada’s stilted dialogue put me off the overall game any serious way.
In terms of level design, while there are some brief original sequences, Separate Ways largely repurposes maps from base game as you’d expect. Sometimes this works very well, other times, not as much. While playing through Separate Ways, you’ll get very used to encountering blocked off doors and side paths as Capcom creates more linear paths through stages that originally allowed for more exploration and open-ended gameplay. That said, there are also plenty of fun twists, like a fight against El Gigante in the village’s farm area, which sees the player zipping from rooftop to rooftop and entire barns being reduced to rubble.
Ultimately, perhaps the most striking thing about Separate Ways is how much I diverges from the original. One of my criticisms of the new Resident Evil 4 was that, while it captured the feel of the original game, it didn’t reinvent or elevate its big moments often enough. That isn’t the case with Separate Ways as it seems like Capcom felt more free to experiment here, serving up plenty of completely new sequences and challenges. Also, if you’re still wondering about the small number of moments missing from the RE4 remake, don’t worry – they’re pretty much all here. The gondola ride, the laser beam hall, and yes, that stalker enemy I mentioned earlier culminates in a new version of RE4 remake’s only major cut boss fight. Capcom has packed a lot into this DLC, which at 5 to 6 hours, runs longer than some full RE games. Maybe that’s explains Ada’s line delivery – she has to be out of breath with everything on her plate.
Capcom’s Best Resident Evil DLC to Date
Is Resident Evil 4 Separate Ways on the same level as the game’s core campaign? Not quite, but I laud Capcom’s decision to chart a ballsy new path with this DLC. There are moments in Separate Ways that hit just as hard as anything in the main Resident Evil remake, largely due to the element of surprise. I didn’t always know what Capcom was going to throw at me and that’s a great thing for this kind of action-horror rollercoaster. At only $10, Separate Ways is a fantastic value, and an Ada-on not to be missed.
Resident Evil 4 Separate Ways is available now on PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and PS5. You can check out Wccftech’s review of the base game here.
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