Resident Evil 4 – Separate Ways Review – The Perfect DLC

Resident Evil 4 Remake was an almost perfect reimagination of the original title, but it was still criticized for partly cutting off some content from the original game even though the cut content was replaced with newer areas and enemies.

However, with the release of the Separate Ways DLC, Capcom has now been redeemed since they have addressed most of the small misgivings fans had with the remake. 

Story And Setting

Separate Ways put us into the shoes of Ada Wong at the very same time that our protagonist Leon was busy saving the president’s daughter from Los Illuminados in the base game.

Players will probably remember the short encounters Leon had with Ada when you were playing the main campaign. Well, the DLC explains how and why those encounters take place whilst further establishing her role in the story.

Ada’s mission is to get her hands on the Amber, which she has been tasked with retrieving by none other than Albert Wesker himself. And just like we saw with Leon’s POV, her initial attitude towards the whole ordeal is self-serving. But as the story progresses her character develops a lot, leading to her eventual change of heart.

In her quest to obtain the Amber, she runs into many already-established characters from the base game, including Leon, Luis, Saddler, and Ashley.

In her quest to obtain the Amber, she runs into many already-established characters from the base game, including Leon, Luis, Saddler, and Ashley. Her interactions with these characters really help you understand her motives, and show you the other side of each encounter.

Everything will make much more sense from a narrative standpoint once you’re done playing Separate Ways and then connect the dots with the main campaign. The story isn’t the only thing complemented by this DLC, because there are also many cut gameplay features that make a return as well.

Gameplay

If you thought controlling RE4 Remake’s Leon felt great, with his improved gunplay and new parrying mechanic, then get ready to be blown away by Ada as the developers have taken a step further in optimizing the gameplay by introducing the grapple gun.

But let’s first get the basics out of the way since these are more or less similar to the already-known mechanics of the base game. To start with, players can choose from a small but sweet arsenal and shoot their way through the Plaga-infested villagers.

You can still parry enemy attacks, and certain timed dodges are possible in some boss fights. Almost all enemy types return in the DLC, and a boss fight that was cut from the main campaign is also present here.

Existing weapons can be upgraded, and new ones can be bought from the Merchant, including shotguns, handguns, sniper rifles, and even a bazooka.

Inventory management is still present as you’ll be adjusting all the items in your suitcase efficiently to make more space. The inventory can also be upgraded, and the suitcase can be both changed and buffed with various charms.

Primary healing items still include herbs and the utilization of first aid sprays. Ammo, healing items, and various throwables if you have the necessary items. As for the Grapple Gun, which differentiates Ada’s gameplay from Leon’s, and it is utilized for traversal and to perform melee attacks from range.

If you stun an enemy and leave them open for a melee attack, then Ada can simply grapple them and deal damage. This is applied in boss fights, too. Shielded enemies were always troublesome to deal with in Leon’s campaign, but they can now be easily handled using this new tool.

After you unlock a certain suitcase charm, you can use the grapple gun to pull the shields away from these enemies and leave them open for your bullets. There is a special crossbow for Ada, too, which deals explosive damage using blasting arrows.

Short side-quests also make a return in the Separate Ways DLC. You’ll be running small errands for the Merchant, and completing them will reward you with Spinels, a special currency that can be used to buy bonus items.

Ada’s campaign also has three different boss fights, and without spoiling too much, they are all exhilarating encounters with much more depth when compared to the original game. There is more emphasis on combat, and you’ll be using all of your tools to dispose of these bosses.

The Grapple Gun differentiates Ada’s gameplay from Leons. It is not only utilized for traversal but also to perform melee attacks from range.

For 10$, this DLC offers 7 total chapters and 4-6 hours of back-to-back action combat with a bit of survival horror. There’s just too much content here, and even after you’re done with the campaign, there is a lot of room for replayability.

From trying to get higher ranks to unlocking and using bonus weapons and outfits in your re-runs of the game.

Speaking of the bonus content, there are new outfits for almost all of the main characters, including Ada, Leon, Luis, and Wesker that you unlock after completing certain challenges. There are some returning outfits that will surprise fans of Resident Evil 2 Remake as well.

There is something else that I would like to mention, and that is the sound design and OSTs of Separate Ways. Capcom has done a great job remixing Leon’s campaign’s themes and soundtracks to fit Ada’s character and personality. 

My only gripe with the DLC is that it does not provide Ada a big arsenal of weapons. It’s a nitpick on my part since the original Separate Ways also offered a short variety of weapons, and the remake does manage to improve on it with the grapple gun.

But regardless of the small weapon variety, the DLC is still extremely fun from a gameplay perspective.

Visuals And Performance

Like the Resident Evil 4 Remake, Separate Ways delivers some of the best visuals paired with exceptional art direction by utilizing Capcom’s RE Engine. This DLC delivers not only great visual fidelity but also amazing performance, with framerates staying stable most of the time so that fast-paced action does not feel irritating.

Just like the Resident Evil 4 Remake, Separate Ways delivers some of the best visuals paired with exceptional art direction by utilizing Capcom’s RE Engine.

You can also play the game in Quality or Performance modes on next-gen consoles. During my playtime, I also didn’t encounter a single bug, and I managed to end the entire campaign with 0 crashes. This game feels like it has been polished to perfection.

Verdict

Separate Ways is the gold standard for a DLC release at such a competitive price point that it leaves me with no choice but to recommend it as a must-play title.

It is not only perfect in re-telling the story of one of the franchise’s key characters, but also manages to improve the gameplay with new mechanical additions and even brings back the sections that were cut from Leon’s campaign.

This has been my Resident Evil 4 – Separate Ways Review. While you’re here, consider checking out some of our other articles. 

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