The Resident Evil 4 remake didn’t launch with its infamous The Mercenaries mode, but Capcom said it was coming after launch. That combat-focused survival mode is finally out for free, and Capcom has released a new trailer showing off some gameplay.
The Mercenaries is part of the game’s latest update, but players still need to go the their system’s marketplace to download a free add-on to enable this mode. It comes with three maps and four combatants — Leon, Luis, Krauser, and Hunk — all of whom gradually unlock after players achieve an A rank with the previous character. Getting an S rank on all three maps unlocks the Handcannon, which previously only showed up in the Extra Content Shop for those who had beaten the game on Professional without using bonus weapons. This should make getting all the trophies and achievements even easier (although, there are no new trophies or achievements in The Mercenaries).
Each map has different enemies and every character has their own loadout, melee animations, and special abilities. Krauser’s explosive bow is the only completely unique weapon in this DLC, as the others have weapons that are in the game’s campaign. Their special abilities, however, make each one quite different and are available once players fill their Mayhem meter. Leon becomes faster, Luis can set down dynamite, Krauser mutates and grows big bladed arms, and Hunk gets unlimited ammo.
Some have noted that a couple characters from the 2005 title haven’t made the jump, as Wesker and Ada are not playable. But datamined images show models for the two in the game, as well as a variant of Ada wearing her dress from the original and a different version of Leon that has him donning his pinstripe suit. Insider Dusk Golem corroborated this by saying Capcom was planning an update around the unannounced Separate Ways DLC that will include these characters, another stage, and a harder difficulty for The Mercenaries.
And while the Separately Ways DLC is unannounced (but very likely), Capcom has announced PlayStation VR2 content for the PlayStation 5 version of the game. However, it’s still unclear what that will entail since Capcom hasn’t revealed much about it.
This latest update is mostly about The Mercenaries, but the full patch notes reveal some bug fixes. Some flickering and blurry parts of the environment have been fixed on PS5, but Xbox Series X|S owners no longer have to put up with poor aiming. The game launched with dead zone issues, which made shooting more laborious than it was on other platforms. Capcom also said the game should have a better frame rate on Xbox Series X|S.
And even though The Mercenaries is free, it did drop alongside a ton of microtransactions that give players the ability to purchase weapon upgrade tickets for real money. Capcom has used the method of adding post-launch balance-bending microtransactions in the past, too, and has done so with the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3, as well as Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Resident Evil Village, and Devil May Cry 5.
