During the latest State of Play some big shots made their appearance, starting from Insomniac’s spider adventure (here is our test of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2). Capcom has also joined the party, both with Resident Evil 4 VR Mode, both with the announcement trailer for Separate WaysDLC based on Ada Wong’s mission during the events narrated in the remake of the fourth chapter (the review of Resident Evil 4 is just a click away).
We haven’t been able to test the content yet, but we can already start talking about it, because we saw it in action in an interesting hands-off demo. In fact, Capcom seems to have made some changes on a gameplay and narrative level compared to the original Separate Ways, just as it did with Leon Kennedy’s investigation. So let’s not waste time talking: it’s time to return to El Pueblo.
Wesker, the narrative premises and differences with the classic
In addition to taking on the role of Ada, another reason why players can’t wait to get their hands on the content concerns the individual who is in mission control. We are clearly talking about Albert Weskerwho tasked the raven-haired agent with retrieving the Amber.
As we wrote in our special on the new lore of Resident Evil 4, this “substance” contains the same organ found in the dominant variants of the Plagas. Wesker wants to get it at all costs and is unable to hide a hint of impatience when Ada tells him that she sent Luis Serra to retrieve it. In any case, both on the aesthetic front and in terms of the performance of the voice actor who plays him, we find ourselves faced with an excellent incarnation of the iconic villain in RE Engine, which we can’t wait to control firsthand in Mercenaries mode . Returning to the plot, in the “classic” content Wong found herself acting as Leon’s guardian angel on several occasions. This will not change in the modern Separate Ways, as the scene in which the woman rings the bell to force the Ganados to divert their deadly attention from Kennedy well suggests. Just like for Resident Evil 4, situations very similar to those of the original will be added to other revisited ones. In the fight against Leon seen in the remake, Ramon Salazar does not merge with one of his monstrous bodyguards, unlike what happened in the 2005 battle. So what happened to the creature? The answer may have been provided by the gameplay itself, in a shot of the hand of a being who keeps an eye on Ada’s movements.
In general, we’re curious to understand how Capcom has reinterpreted other sections of the DLC, think for example of when Wong is chased and captured by Bitores Mendez after saving the ex-policeman or of her confrontation with Osmund Saddler, which this time will take place in the caves that house the ancient headquarters of the Illuminados cult. In short, what is certain is that the conditions for giving some surprises to long-time fans seem to be all there.
His Majesty the Grapple!
Like Leon, the protagonist of Separate Ways will be able to move stealthily to carry out silent eliminations with the knife and save ammunition. To defeat Ganados, cultists and other threats you will also have at your disposal a machine gun, shotgun, sniper rifle and other standard weapons, as well as the trusty crossbow with explosive bolts.
After a few successful bullets or a saving parry, he will be able to perform various melee moves to maximize damage to the abomination in question, as well as finish off enemies on the ground with his own blade. Agile and lethalto make her way through her opponents, our agent will resort to various types of acrobatic kicks, important pieces of a high-level animation sector tailor-made for her.
The modernized gameplay components of Separate Ways seem to owe a lot primarily to one tool, which alone it could partially differentiate the gaming experience from that offered by Resident Evil 4. In fact, during the hands-off, the prominent role played by the grappling hook seemed clear to us, both in terms of movement within the scenarios and in terms of clashes and boss fights. But let’s go in order.
In the portion of the film taken from a battle at Salazar’s castle we saw the protagonist use the device to move quickly from one tower to another in the complex: she just needs to get close enough to the chosen ledge and fire the cable to reach it quickly. a flash. Given the presence of chests to burgle and tasks to complete to be rewarded with precious Spinels to exchange with the Merchant, it is absolutely legitimate to hypothesize that we will have to keep our eyes sharp in exploration: there could be elevated or hidden areas that can only be reached via the grappling hook. The trinket could also be used in the original Separate Ways, but both for camera issues and for the actual possibilities of use, it was not a particularly refined solution. As we mentioned earlier, Ada’s tool will also make the difference in battle. When facing a bull-headed brute – one of the many threats returning from the basic adventure – the woman first hit him with bursts of machine gun fire from a distance, and then attached the grappling hook to the big man to reach him quickly and “greet him ” with a big kick.
In her 2005 mission Ada already found herself grappling with a giant, but even in this case the experts took steps to enrich the fight with tactical possibilities that should not be underestimated. This time the brawl will take place in an area with some houses and the survivor will be able to use the gadget to climb on them or to move from the roof of one house to another.
For lovers of complications, the enormous abomination will be able to raze buildings to the ground with a few well-aimed shots, thus eliminating the protagonist’s positional advantage. On the other hand, however, Wong will be able to reciprocate the courtesy, in a specific way. As per tradition, sufficiently damaging the cyclopean-sized enemy will cause the immense Plaga that inhabits him to escape from his body. Needless to say, Ada will then have the opportunity to attach herself to the revolting organism with the grappling hook, so as to damage it heavily with the knife.
At the moment, not much else we can add about the new Separate Ways but given the short release, we plan to talk to you about it again very soon. We haven’t tried it pad in hand yet, but what we were shown could only reassure us about the work done by Capcom to bring it back to light.
