Resident Evil 4 Remake's free Mercenaries DLC is here, and players have already put the mode through its paces. Everyone's been disappointed to discover that it's missing some characters and a map from the original, but at least Hunk is kicking more ass than ever.
The new Mercenaries mode features four playable characters (Leon, Luis, Krauser, and Hunk) and three playable stages (Village, Castle, and Island). Luis is brand-new for the remake, but he's replacing two fan-favorites from the original: Ada Wong and Albert Wesker. The remake is also missing the original game's fourth stage, a water-based level which, unlike the other three, featured a new environment not seen in the main campaign.
Mercenaries has generally been a fairly slight mode when it's appeared in previous Resident Evil games, simply offering zombie-murder time trials to give you something to do after completing the main game. While the response to the new RE4 Mercenaries has largely been positive - it's free, after all - there's still been a sense of disappointment that it's been scaled back from the original game.
- The Resident Evil deathmatch game that flopped is going offline as Capcom says it's "served its original, celebratory purpose admirably"
- Resident Evil 4 director Shinji Mikami promised 20 years ago to disembowel himself if the legendary third-person shooter ever left GameCube, so nobody tell him it's now on over 10 different platforms
That's particularly strange given that Ada, Wesker, and the water level were all datamined when the Remake launched, complete with detailed renders of what they're meant to look like. Modders have even used that data to make Ada playable in the main game along with the custom animations she's meant to have in Mercenaries.
Right now, everyone's speculating that the missing characters and map will be added with the rumored Separate Ways DLC, though whether that content's free or paid remains to be seen.
At least Hunk's still leaving everyone in awe of his overpowered abilities. As in the original RE4, Hunk's melee attack on stunned enemies lets him simply snap their necks. Yes, that even includes the nigh-indestructible chainsaw-wielding enemies. Seriously, just look at this montage. It's glorious.
The best Resident Evil games keep one-upping themselves with their own remakes.
