Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways is a great little side adventure that gives Ada Wong additional narrative relevance while also allowing fans to revisit the world of survival horror that Capcom impeccably crafted earlier this year. For $10, it’s hard to say no to this DLC scenario.
Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways
Developer: Capcom
Price: $10
Platforms:PS5 (reviewed), PS4, Xbox Series X/S, and PC
MonsterVine was provided with a PS5 code for review
Even with all of the excellent games that have been released this year (and the ones that are still to come), Resident Evil 4’s remake has stood out as one of the best games of 2023. Now, months later, an additional scenario for the remake has been released, allowing fans to remember how fun the mechanics of Resident Evil 4 are before the year is out.
Serving as a rather enhanced remake of the Separate Ways campaign that came with the PS2 version of Resident Evil 4, this DLC scenario is entirely focused on the mysterious Ada Wong’s activities during the main game’s story. As Leon and Ashley blow through the island and battle all sorts of creatures, Ada is doing her own thing while only occasionally crossing paths with everybody’s favorite Kennedy.
Ada’s story is intriguing enough to keep you interested for the five or so hours that Separate Ways will run you, though the voice performance still feels a bit too expressionless and leaves Ada feeling a tad stiff. Regardless, it’s always fun to play as someone on the darker side of the Resident Evil world, as Ada’s discussions with Wesker make for a unique dynamic.
Being able to upgrade your arsenal as you do in the main game adds additional depth to Separate Ways, as all of your weapons can be bought, sold, and upgraded as they could be in the main game. Thanks to this and the expanded narrative, unlike the original Separate Ways, this new version feels a lot more substantial and a lot less like a quick pack-in.
The boss battles are exciting, with the Black Robe boss giving Ada her own antagonist for a good chunk of the package and her battle with Saddler being a highlight due to how tight and tense it can get. While going through the same areas as in Resident Evil 4 can feel a bit repetitive, the boss fights help to mix it up and provide some new personality.
There are even a few new gameplay mechanics to make Ada stand out when compared to Leon. You can grapple onto high points and between buildings to leverage height to your advantage, making your traversal through already familiar settings a bit different than they were in Resident Evil 4.
There’s some light puzzle solving as well, as Ada is able to see fingerprints and footprints using a device in her eye. This is mainly just used to track people and discover passcodes on keypads, but these little diversions spice things up a bit. There’s even a sequence where you have to quickly ascertain a passcode while being chased by an enormous monstrosity, which was a highlight of the latter portion of Separate Ways. I’d have loved to get a few more frightening moments like that, as I thoroughly enjoyed the ones that were present.
The Final Word
Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways is an all-around excellent piece of DLC that gives the main story of this year’s remake additional context while also just being a blast to play through. A lot of the areas are certainly familiar, but the length and gameplay make Separate Ways a strong companion piece to Resident Evil 4.
MonsterVine Rating: 4.5 out of 5 – Great
