Resident Evil 4 Remake Separate Ways DLC Review

thesixthaxis.com:

As fantastic as Resident Evil 4’s remake is, one of the most conspicuous absences from its original release was Ada Wong’s side story – it was such a key part of the HD version of the original game, after all. Thankfully, in this age of delays and over-hype, we haven’t had to wait too long for Capcom to complete the story, and the quality and replayability of this version of Separate Ways has been well worth the wait.

Originally designed as a way of differentiating the PS2 port of RE4 from the GameCube original, Separate Ways was an interesting, if somewhat inessential addition to the game. Billed as filling in the gaps between Ada and Leon’s interactions, the result was entertaining, but I never really felt that it hung together in its own right. To a degree this is still the case – I certainly wouldn’t recommend anyone playing this DLC standalone or without experience of the main story – but the changes made here do result in a more coherent adventure, albeit one that is by definition parasitic.

Mechanically and graphically, Separate Ways benefits from all the same enhancements that the remake brought to the main game, and by and large Ada feels not that dissimilar to Leon as a player character. She is perhaps a little more nimble and has different melee attacks, but the general controls and combat style are much the same. The main point of departure here is in her signature grapple gun, which is used both as a traversal mechanic and a way of covering the distance between her and stunned enemies. The verticality this adds to familiar areas of the main game is particularly refreshing and does make me wish for a more fleshed out adventure starring the enigmatic spy.

What really stands out in Separate Ways, aside from how