The Resident Evil 4 remake launched to near-universal acclaim earlier this year. Although the game brought some new elements, improved some already existing ones, and unfortunately removed some old ones, as well as some parts of the game, the re-release of the fourth sequel was generally accepted as a complete success.
But something was missing. It wasn’t just about The Mercenaries mini-game and the content we got in the original right away, it was about a significant part of the story. But Capcom wanted to patch those holes by re-releasing the Separate Ways DLC. Overall, the new Separate Ways should generally give you a great experience and wrap up the overall story very well. For the most part. And it costs $10. Is it worth spending this money on a new DLC that you can play on PC, PS4 & PS5 and Xbox Series S/X? Find out below in the review.
Note: The re-release of Separate Ways DLC, thanks to the addition of new content, such as locations, parts of the story, and mechanics will manage to satisfy the hunger of the average fan of the RE4 Remake game. While the price of the DLC may put off some potential players, especially since the original Separate Ways was free, thanks to the content and the fact that it complements the story of Resident Evil 4 Remake very well, the Separate Ways DLC is worth playing.
“Only” $10?
Separate Ways is, as the name suggests, a side story starring Ada Wong, showing exactly where Ada was and what she was doing during the events of the main game Resident Evil 4. In the original, it was added when Resident Evil 4 ported to the PlayStation 2, giving that version of the game something extra that wasn’t found in the original 2005 release of Resident Evil 4, which was first released only for the GameCube.
Separate Ways became popular due to the expansion of the main story of the fourth installment in which the player takes on the role of Ada Wong from the second installment of Resident Evil so, understandably, many fans were upset when they realized that Separate Ways as DLC wasn’t already by default available as an integral part of the game. But it is what it is. Capcom decided to release the Separate Ways DLC as a paid DLC a few weeks ago.
Separate Ways Will Keep You Glued to the Screens from the Very Beginning to the End
Thanks to its action-packed gameplay, Separate Ways will keep you riveted to your TV or computer screens from the very beginning to the end.
Resident Evil 4’s Separate Ways DLC immediately puts the foot on the gas pedal and keeps it almost until the very end of the game, with occasional moments of peace and quiet, or solving simple puzzles. Ada is thrust into the action right from the start, with players forced to fight against, mostly, a larger number of enemies in the castle area from the base game. This is where Ada’s grappling hook, i.e. the “new” game mechanic, comes to the fore, as it will help you both in transitioning to new parts of the game and in new locations, as well as in getting out of situations where you feel like the iconic Los Illuminados or Ganados could get you overwhelmed.
The re-release of the fourth installment of Resident Evil, like the original from 2005, is mostly based on the destruction of a large number of enemies and the shooting element. The same goes for Separate Ways. In typical action-oriented Resident Evil style, Ada has a powerful arsenal at her disposal. The action segment of Separate Ways is just as great as the base game. Ada has a solid selection of weapons at her disposal. There are also some familiar standard enemies and “bosses”, although the game is nominally much shorter than the standard RE4 Remake.
But while Separate Ways can be completed in about 3-5 hours depending on how you go and how you explore the environment, we have to admit that SW feels like a complete experience to me. All the features from the base Resident Evil 4 game that add to the replay value are included in Separate Ways, meaning players collect treasures, complete side quests, upgrade weapons, and can go back through it all as many times as they like thanks to the New Game+ feature, which is something that the original Separate Ways didn’t have.
SW Is a More Immersive Experience Than the Re-Release of the Third Installment of Resident Evil
Separate Ways, while only DLC, lasts longer and is a more immersive experience than the 2020 re-release of Resident Evil 3.
Capcom could have gotten away with simply updating the graphics for Separate Ways and being done with it, but instead, they greatly expanded the experience. This version of Separate Ways contains new parts of the story, new parts of the game, and completely reworked encounters. The same applies to some “boss” fights. Fights against “bosses”, thanks to Ada’s grappling hook, contain new elements and give the fights more depth and complexity, which is certainly good.
You might think that this gripper is just a regular gimmick or tool that allows Ada to slide through certain pre-designated areas, but it’s actually much more than that. For starters, after you stun an enemy, you can shoot a grappling hook at them and perform a roundhouse kick, which wasn’t possible with Leon before. After meeting with the merchant, you can also purchase an upgrade that allows you to use a grappling hook to rip off enemy shields, which adds to the gameplay nicely.
Everything in this version of Separate Ways is bigger and better than the original. There was some concern that Capcom essentially made Separate Ways and “cut” it out of Resident Evil 4, so to speak, in order to sell it and make a few more bucks from fans of the game (as was the case with Resident Evil 3 Remake), but this is not the case here. It would definitely be nice if Separate Ways was straight out of Resident Evil 4’s re-release at launch, but when it’s all added up and subtracted, we don’t think it’s too much of a problem that Capcom is asking $10 for it. If you don’t agree with us, we completely understand.
Albert Wesker Starring
The plot runs parallel to the plot of the standard game. This time apart from Ada Wong, the infamous Albert Wesker is in the main role. Her mission is to get and deliver to Wesker something called Amber in the game. Several segments of the expansion intertwine and cross with scenarios experienced in the main game.
The most memorable segment is when Leon defends himself against the Ganados before we discover that it was Ada who rang the church bell, causing the Ganados, dazed by the sound of the church bell, to walk away with the words “La Campana” from Leon, leaving our protagonist alone in the middle of the village, after which he utters the classic one-liner. You’ll be returning to a lot of familiar terrain, visiting a few areas you visited as Leon in the standard game, but also going through some new locales.
It should be said that the grappling hook isn’t the only gadget that Ada is equipped with. There’s also a special scanning device located in the iris of our main heroine’s eye, which will help her find clues and solve puzzles. Most of the gameplay in the global remains the same as in the standard game. Most of your time is spent stealthily destroying enemies, solving mysterious puzzles, or fighting “bosses”.
Optional side mission requests are welcome and offer a classic combination of fun and humorous elements. You’ll still be able to shoot blue medallions and catch fish, this time in the sewers. Despite a large number of familiar elements from the standard game, Separate Ways also brings new elements, and new “boss” battles. It’s precisely because of this newspaper that we’re ready to forgive Capcom for the fact that the DLC costs money, that is, it’s not free.
Replay Value
Excellent “Replay Value” and excellent customization options in terms of graphics are additional reasons why you’ll want to play and pass this DLC
Note that the original DLC from way back in 2005 only had five chapters, while this one has seven, which is another plus. And on top of that, you’ll need roughly five hours to finish the game at first. There are numerous challenges available for you to tackle, including completing many challenges as well as beating the game on a Professional level and getting an S+ rank, which is something we’re sure many fans, especially those looking for a challenge, will be eager to do.
Completing challenges allows you to unlock additional costumes and collectibles that give you infinite ammo or some other perk, which will of course encourage you to play the game again. The replay value of the game is very good, far better than the replay value offered by the original Separate Ways.
If you have already experienced the base game yourself, then you already know how impressive the technical performance of the game is on consoles, especially on a Windows PC. The same goes for Separate Ways, which is accessed from the main menu as a game mode separate from the main story.
The loading time is fast and fluid, depending on what kind of SSD you have, of course. To make matters better, the DLC isn’t demanding even if you have a weaker computer, and thanks to the RE Engine, you can adjust the different graphics options to your preferences and your computer’s capabilities.
Final Thoughts
All in all, the Separate Ways DLC is a great addition to the standard story and a must-have and must-play for all fans of RE4 Remake, which came out earlier this year. A new part of the story, new locations combined with mixed situations in old locations, old plus some new enemies, new “bosses”, new game mechanics, and Ada Wong are the reasons why $10 isn’t much for Separate Ways DLC.
When we talk about Resident Evil in general, we must always bear in mind that as counting 2023, the series has sold a total of 150 million copies since its 1996 launch, resulting in Capcom’s best-selling franchise concerning software sales.
A nine-film movie franchise, comprising six live-action and three animated pictures, was born out of the series. And, if there’s a survival horror title that will enter the eSports universe of competitive gaming and eSports betting markets at top-rated online sportsbooks, such as the best Klarna bookmakers in 2023 and others mentioned at Bookmaker-Expert.com, that’s going to be precisely Resident Evil.
