Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 remake landed with a bang three months ago. Though the previous three Resident Evil remakes have been top-tier gaming, many fans were wary about a reworking of the most popular and critically acclaimed entry in the series. After all, the 2005 original hadn’t aged that badly and we were worried that its distinctive high-camp horror atmosphere would be lost in translation.
We should have had faith, as Resident Evil 4 blew damn near everyone away with its incredible graphics, smart story tweaks, top-class sound design, and improved combat. Perhaps the only problem is that there’s not more of it, though this is something Capcom intends to rectify very soon.
In the closing moments of the game, Leon Kennedy and Ada Wong have an awkward chat as they say their goodbyes, with Leon signing off with “I think we both know this is where we go our separate ways”. This is a direct reference to the original Resident Evil 4‘s Separate Ways bonus campaign, which arrived with the PlayStation 2 port in late 2005. If that wasn’t proof enough, dataminers have found references to it in the game’s files, so it’s absolutely coming.
What is Separate Ways?
Since I wrapped up the Remake I’ve had an itchy trigger finger, and with Separate Ways still not here, I decided to head back to the original (via the incredible Resident Evil 4 HD Project mod) and experience it for myself. This sees you step into the somewhat impractical high heels and stylish red dress of super-spy Ada Wong for a story that takes place in the background of Leon’s mission.
Ada’s five-chapter campaign broadly follows the same path as the core game, beginning in the Ganado-infested village, progressing through the castle, and finally stopping off at the island for the final showdown. We doubt that Capcom is going to stray too far from this formula, so expect the same broad progression when this DLC lands.
One of the most interesting aspects is seeing Leon’s campaign from an outside perspective, with Ada able to witness a (computer-controlled) Leon fighting Ganado from a distance in various scenes. She’s also responsible for ringing the church bell in the opening scenes, getting revenge for his awesome jacket being pinched, and finally delivering the rocket launcher key to finishing off the horribly mutated Saddler.
I had a blast playing through this mode, though after loving the Remake, I was itching to experience it with the vastly improved control system we got this year.
What might be added for the Remake?
Though Separate Ways reuses many of the environments seen in the core campaign, there are also some fun new additions. Most prominent is an action setpiece revolving around a docked battleship that Saddler presumably plans to use for his megalomaniacal plans. Under a tight time limit, you must man some enormous mounted guns to blast away parts of the ship before destroying it entirely. The explosive action is somewhat restrained due to being designed for PlayStation 2, though we expect this sequence will be ramped up and expanded upon to take advantage of what modern hardware can do.
There are also bound to be some story expansions beyond the original. We expect to see a lot more of Luis Sera in Separate Ways, as his secret mission was to deliver the Las Plagas virus sample to Ada in exchange for his freedom. We get a taste of their awkward interactions in the Remake, but perhaps we could see the pair teaming up for some brand-new action setpieces.
Ada also gets some very fun boss fights, one of which is unique to this campaign. We won’t go into too many details here, though like most of this mode, it puts some flesh on the bones of the core story and shows just how hard Ada was fighting for Leon behind the scenes.
It’s also possible that Separate Ways might reinstate some things cut from the Remake. We’d like to see the cablecar fight near the village make a comeback, particularly as Ada’s campaign takes her directly to this location. More ambitious would be the return of the cut U-3 boss, which Leon battles in the final third of the original game and which would make sense for Ada to destroy as part of her mission.
It’s also worth mentioning that there’s a whole other bonus mode, Assignment Ada. This is a short score-attack minigame in which Ada must track down virus samples with limited inventory space, a fixed loadout, and no save games. Given that all the elements for Assignment Ada will soon be in place, we’d love to see it as a bonus unlock after clearing Separate Ways.
Also of note is that Assignment Ada obliquely teases the events of Resident Evil 5, so if Capcom were being especially sneaky, it could use it to quietly confirm that the next remake is in early development.
When will Separate Ways arrive?
There’s no official release date but we suspect an official announcement isn’t too far away, though sadly there was no sign of it at the Summer Games Festival or any of the various hardware manufacturer showcases. There will probably be one more PlayStation Direct/Xbox Games Showcase over the summer, though the September Tokyo Game Show might be the most likely place for a full trailer.
Either way, we’re anticipating Separate Ways landing sometime over the fall and are eager to slide into that slinky red dress and show Las Plagas who’s boss.