Review: RE4 - Separate Ways
by William Hernandez
Who doesn't love the idea of playing as Ada Wong, the super cryptic spy willing to take on any job? The long-awaited DLC certainly delivers on making the experience feel unique while still capturing most of the design choices that made the base game so fun to play through. You can see why this story took a while to make; it's ambitious in how it reimagines the original minigame. It's a lot more padded out and it is definitely longer in comparison. For $10, this DLC is a must-buy for anyone who owns the RE4 Remake. It definitely isn't as polished or as complete of an experience as the base game, but, c'mon, it's more Resident Evil for dirt cheap. A whole new adventure that has no real equal elsewhere in the franchise.
Enjoyability: 10/12
If you're expecting the same kind of experience as the base game, you'd be wrong to assume you're getting that. As mentioned before, it definitely feels unique in how it plays out. The reason for that mainly comes through how different Ada feels gameplay-wise which is something that'll be discussed in more detail in the next section. What's relevant to talk about here is Ada's grappling hook. Her grappling hook is super fun to play around with and makes for some of the best moments within this game. The way that the developers involved it in combat is just perfect. As a method to move around, it also feels super fun and makes traversing Valdelobos feel different enough. That's another one of the game's strong suits, feeling like an engaging, alternative perspective of a story you're already familiar with. Where Separate Ways suffers a lot, though, is in how the game treats its difficulty. It can't just give you Leon's same old enemies and unfortunately Ada gets the short end of the stick with much more annoying encounters. The balance of the game definitely feels a little off and progress starts to feel like something of a chore in some areas. You're going to end up a lot more pressed for ammo than you'd expect. This game's a whole lot faster-paced so it just comes with that territory. Basically, don't expect to take too many breathers; Ada isn't there to get the easy jobs. It still very much feels like Resident Evi 4, though, just a little more hurried up.
Gameplay: 12/12
There isn't a whole lot to cover here other than the new stuff because my opinion regarding how the weapons feel hasn't changed in the slightest. The Resident Evil 4 Remake feels perfect when it comes to using the various guns and Ada's variants don't really shake that up too much. Regarding the grappling hook, I'm very glad it has uses in combat because it feels as satisfying as you'd expect. You can use it to close distance when an enemy is staggered to do a melee attack and you can also use it to disarm enemies with shields. You get to use it outside of combat as well and it's an alternate means of transport that gets quite a lot of use. It allows Ada to get to places you wouldn't otherwise be able to reach and so, yes, that means there's a lot of goods scattered about just waiting to be found. It can give you quite the advantage in terms of positioning in certain areas so also be mindful of that. Feels good, plays good, everything just works. Even the weird new IRIS system that basically turns Ada into Batman from the Arkham games. I don't know why it's in the game, but it makes basic search missions seem cooler, I guess. They definitely took some liberties with what Ada can do, but I can't say I mind any of it with how high the highs are.
Atmosphere: 11/12
Ada rushes through most of the environments so it's hard to say that there's the same tense feeling as there is in the base game. You also get access to more weapons a lot quicker so it's not like you feel handcuffed by what you have available to you either. Despite all that, though, the designs of the locations command a lot of respect. There are few safe spaces and lots of threats in between them. Walking through dark corridors still feels terrifying and there's still a sense of dread that comes with walking into a new room. You roughly know what to expect and that's what makes things scary. But there's also a lot that comes unexpected. Ada's mission doesn't come without complications. There's something chasing her and the player has no idea when to expect a confrontation. All you can do is walk forward and try not to think about it. But the more you isolate yourself, the more it'll seem like an inevitability. There's still a lot here to induce fear; it just doesn't quite reach its potential. It definitely feels like a continuation of the very same world (which is why I struggle to produce original commentary) so if you loved it before then you'll love it again. Just not as much.
Design: 10/12
This DLC feels a lot like the original Resident Evil 4 and it mostly comes down to the level design. As I've mentioned various times already, this game is a lot faster-paced compared to Leon's story. The way it throws enemies at you is very much reminiscent to the original RE4 because it just loves to throw wave after wave of enemies at you without giving you much breathing room. It's incessant and demanding. You don't really have a whole lot of agency or, at the very least, you feel far less in control compared to the base game. There are various sections outside of boss fights that boil down to just shoot until everyone else drops with no alternative strategy. To use every bit of ammo you have if that's what it takes. I don't hate that, but it just feels cheap if that's not well telegraphed. Other than that, I would say I don't have any real qualms with how the different fights are designed. While the objectives in skirmishes are a lot more straightforward, I think it works fine given the playtime. There's not too much of a concern of the player getting bored later considering that the DLC isn't that long. Again, Ada moves through the different locations pretty quickly so the set pieces feel interesting enough by just using their unique terrain. It's an effective formula and the game holds up through the entire run without any dips in quality.
Direction: 10/12
If you're looking for more context as for what was happening in Valdelobos, well, you're going to get some through this DLC. Not a whole lot of info, but enough to make this story worth telling. There's interesting crumbs of information for just about the whole cast of characters and, most obviously, you get to see what exactly Ada was up to. Is there anything mind-blowing, though? Not really from a narrative perspective. I wouldn't say that the story was weak, but more that it just felt like it had the potential to deliver something more substantial. There is no big payoff; it really does just amount to being Ada's perspective on things. Focusing on the same old characters isn't a bad thing, though. There's much to appreciate about the deeper characterization of Luis Sera and Ada Wong. They're very relevant to Leon's story, but you don't know to what extent in the base game. You couldn't possibly have a clue of their true motives, but Separate Ways makes things much more clear. Most side stories of bigger games struggle to deliver a plot in parallel with the main game, but Separate Ways does a great job of feeling like its own thing despite asking the player to revisit a lot of locations. Most areas are familiar, but they fulfill different purposes than before. You don't really need much encouraging when you had so much fun with these areas before. Plus, there's enough new stuff to keep things from feeling too predictable. It's still fairly predictable, though, but it is just DLC.
