Guns, grenades, and... a hook?

When Capcom released the remake of Resident Evil 4 in March, even though the game was complete and exceptional in every respect, it felt like something was missing. The survival-horror action game was a robust package; it had everything, but some memorable moments had been excluded from the original. With Separate Ways, a new addition starring spy Ada Wong, Resident Evil 4 is more complete. 

Separate Ways recounts the events of Ada's mission during the main story of Resident Evil 4. Her adventure runs parallel to, and often intersects with, that of Leon. Key moments from the original game are now seen from her perspective. Ada faces many of the same enemies and revisits many of the same areas as Leon in his story but with a different perspective and events from the main campaign.



Ada's mission remixes and recontextualizes some of these revisited encounters, thanks in part to its unique gameplay mechanics. Although much of Ada's gameplay is the same as Leon's, using a combination of firearms, stealth, and melee attacks, she has a few spy gadgets that give her an extra edge. The most prominent differentiator is her grappling hook gun, which she uses to move around the environment and get around some of the puzzles that Leon can't solve without having to solve them.

This weapon is also useful in combat. Ada can use the device to shorten the distance between her and some enemies, which ends up giving her a strong tactical advantage in fights since you can force this approach on a specific enemy in the area. Optionally, she can use the hook to rip shields off certain enemies, which is very useful, considering that you no longer have to switch to a shotgun and break shields. 



Ada has another gadget that greatly changes her gameplay: a high-tech contact lens that allows her to find clues such as footprints or crucial puzzle components. These two items give her campaign a different vibe, making her progression through the story faster and more fun, as these new mechanics give the gameplay more dynamism and not just another story extension.

The other half of the same coin 

Resident Evil 4 players will find scenes similar to the main campaign in Separate Ways when they end up reliving moments from the story, enemies, and key locations. Capcom has cleverly mixed up some moments, such as a battle against El Gigante that uses Ada's grappling hook acrobatics and another tense boss fight that tries to make things more difficult with waves of enemies. 

But even though the grappling hook has a certain prominence in Ada's gameplay, I believe that at times it could be more useful. It's very much in the context of that mistake that occurs in many films where you think "If she can do these crazy stunts against the boss, jumping and everything, why doesn't she just jump over this obstacle?". 



But don't be fooled into thinking that there are no new features; some areas and elements are completely new. Capcom even restored the security laser corridor that had been cut from the main campaign with Leon, which was something pointless and crazy but something that the community itself loved, and now it's back in the DLC with Ada's gameplay.

From the point of view of the game's lore, the changes to Ada's campaign also help to reinforce how much more capable and confident Ada is compared to Leon; she does everything with more confidence and control, and the DLC ends up making it clearer that if it hadn't been for Ada's various interventions, Leon probably wouldn't have been able to complete his mission. 



Another character we get more context for in the DLC and who turns out to be very influential in the events of the story is Luis, who now in Separate Ways we also get to see in a little more detail, albeit in a shallow way, what he was also doing from Ada's perspective and how he influences the story. 

An eye on the backstage 

Ada is a calm and straightforward character, so skilled at keeping her true intentions to herself that sometimes even the player isn't sure what her real motivations are. She is very different from Leon, but I believe that on this point she was a little hampered by the English dubbing because it ended up sounding a little too artificial, causing me a certain strangeness and seeming somewhat forced. 

Perhaps this was a strategy to try to differentiate her much more from Leon and try to emphasize this characteristic of coolness and calm even more, but for me, it ended up not being very well executed. The dubbing isn't bad; it just ends up being a bit disjointed at times because of this detail. 

Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways significantly improves the narrative and the importance of Ada's parallel story, serving as a model for the DLCs of future Resident Evil games that Capcom will surely release, given the resounding success that the remakes of the old titles in the saga have been having. 



It's a more condensed and accelerated version of the remake's story that develops the events behind the scenes. It may seem repetitive in parts and lacking in greater development in others, but it's secondary content that's worth playing if the remake of Resident Evil 4 has left you wanting more and you're interested in exploring new mechanics available in the same universe. 

That's why we can say with certainty that Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways is highly recommended. A few minor flaws have been mentioned, but they are negligible. The DLC is extremely fun, and the new mechanics give a fresh twist to the gameplay of the standard game. So if the player still has an interest in the franchise and wants to play and delve deeper into the story, Distinct Paths is an indispensable stop. 

Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways was played on PC via Steam.