Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways

Separate Ways is a worthy counterpart to Resident Evil 4's fantastic story, providing an excellent remix of both new and familiar locations, and its breakneck pace of pitting you against excellent adversaries never leaves room for a dull moment.

Resident Evil 4's DLC add-on Separate Ways is a meaningful extension that makes an already phenomenal game feel even more complete.

Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways greatly improves upon the storytelling and importance of Ada’s side story, serving as a template for future Resident Evil games’ expansions. It’s a condensed and accelerated version of the remake’s story that fleshes out behind-the-scenes events, and its ending enticingly teases the next possible remake in Capcom’s horror franchise. It can feel repetitive in parts, underrealized in others, but it’s a meaty piece of content that’s worth playing if the Resident Evil 4 remake left you hungering for more.

The best thing about Separate Ways is having the opportunity to revisit the Resident Evil 4 remake again in shortened summary form. Some additions exist, like getting to see more of Ada dealing and working with Albert Wesker, which is only teased in the main game. Learning more about their relationship is fun for longtime Resident Evil fans, and I also enjoyed spending more time with Luis, who continues to be improved over his original characterization. Separate Ways isn’t wholly unique, however. Ada has many of the same combat scenarios as Leon, and while getting to see memorable moments from a new perspective is fun, it doesn’t reexamine the story or action in an impactful way. The DLC functions as a fun extension of the main game but isn’t one to play in lieu of the primary adventure. But any excuse to play more Resident Evil 4 remake is one I am eager to attach my grappling hook to and fly toward.

I’m just as shocked as you are that Separate Ways ended up being great, but when you really think about it, there was no other realistic outcome. The Resident Evil 4 remake is so good that Capcom really could have rested on its laurels and developed a cheap DLC that would have been fine at worst, but they put the work in.

Separate Ways is about as good a DLC of this size can get, filling in narrative gaps and expertly tweaking a sublime gameplay loop. Playing as Ada Wong feels different enough thanks to new gadgets and weapons, while expanded areas provide fresh scenery for a second visit. A sense of disjointedness frays the edges, but Resident Evil 4 feels whole with Separate Ways by its side. A worthy expansion for one of 2023's greatest titles.

Nitpicks aside, Separate Ways is a mostly tremendous addition to the Resident Evil 4 remake and, along with The Mercenaries mode updates that were released for free, goes a long way in making the RE4 remake experience truly complete. Some may still not be happy that Separate Ways is a $9.99 DLC instead of being packed-in with the game like it was in the post-GameCube versions of the original Resident Evil 4, but this version of Separate Ways is a fundamentally different experience and one that surpasses its predecessor in every possible way.

If this remake and the DLC are any indication we are in for a solid remake of the next game or sequel in the series.

How can we make something that's already pretty perfect even better? Thankfully, we don't have to look very far, because Separate Ways is the perfect ending to Resident Evil 4 Remake. The cool thing about Separate Ways is that it doesn't waste its time on drawn-out scenes that get old, or on gameplay mechanics that become boring in the long run. Instead, it focuses on giving you a different style and pace of play that's not totally different from Leon S. Kennedy's, so you really feel like you're playing as Ada Wong.

Separate Ways is definitely - also considering the price (9.99 €) a well-developed DLC able not only to fill some obvious narrative gaps in Leon's main campaign but also to add an additional layer of depth (thanks to Ada's agility and technological “gadgets”) to an already quite good gameplay, greatly contributing to make the RE4 remake experience - also thanks to the fact that it manages to tie in perfectly with the game's overall plot - really complete and absolutely worth trying.