The recently released free Mercenaries mode DLC for theResident Evil 4remake has had a mixed reception. While newer fans are delighted to play as characters from the main story andResident Evilfranchise (Leon Kennedy, Louis Sera, Jack Krauser, and Hunk all make an appearance), veterans are understandably upset that two of the original characters, asAlbert Wesker and Ada Wong are absent fromRE4’s mercenaries mode. Nevertheless, when it comes to fighting hordes of Los Iluminados, Mercenaries mode delivers an arcade experience like no other.
But Mercenaries mode hasn’t been present in allResident Eviltitles, and with good reason. It only appears in titles that lean towards action and combat. In order for the franchise to stay within the survival horror genre,Resident Evilhas to make sure that it implements elements that fit with each game’s specific tone.
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Mercenaries Mode Only Appears In Select Resident Evil Titles
Mercenaries mode has been inResident Evil 3: Nemesis,Resident Evil 4and its remake,Resident Evil 5,Resident Evil 6,Resident Evil Village, and a standalone game for the Nintendo 3DS,Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D. All of these titles save forResident Evil 3: Nemesisfeature the tight controls that were introduced in the originalResident Evil 4.Resident Evil’s Mercenaries modeallows players to fight waves of enemies while carefully managing their resources and time to attain the best score possible. It provides a nice alternative to the somewhat more serious nature of these games' main campaigns where players can cut loose and focus on the combat rather than the narrative.
More importantly, Mercenaries mode can only be found inResident Evil’s more action-oriented titles. Because the combat mechanics in these games are so good, Capcom is more than happy for players to experiment with them in a controlled environment. Mercenaries mode fits with the overall tone of the games it appears in, which usually have absurd writing and focus on bombastic setpieces and fighting tons of enemies. It isn’t hard to imagineResident Evil 4’s Jack Krauser in Mercenaries modefighting off hundreds of Los Iluminados in an attempt to test his newfound Plaga powers.
Slower Resident Evil TItles Would Suffer From Fast-Paced Modes
In contrast to the action-filledResident Evilgames, slower titles like the originalResident Evil,Resident Evil 2, andResident Evil 7: Biohazardwouldn’t benefit much from a mode like Mercenaries. These games' controls are slow and clunky compared to their faster-paced brethren. As such, players aren’t meant to handle multiple enemies at once (if at all). The overall tone of the games would suffer as well. Having Ethan claw his way out of the Baker estate inBiohazardonly for him to fight hordes ofResident Evil 7’s Moldedin Mercenaries mode wouldn’t make much sense. Instead, Capcom did right by introducing slower, more methodical DLC into the game like the Banned Footage volumes. Not only do these chapters give context to the main game, but they keep with their horror themes.
There have been attempts at adding more fast-pacedmultiplayer modes toResident Eviltitles. TheResident Evil 3remake’s multiplayer mode,Resident Evil Resistance, pits four players against a single mastermind as they navigate traps, zombies, and special player-controlled foes to escape the mastermind’s domain. The unique premise is held back by poor performance issues and the fact that the multiplayer mode is nothing like the main game. Thankfully, Capcom has a generally good idea of whichResident Eviltitles benefit the most from its unique Mercenaries mode. Those looking for the mode’s return in future titles should examine the next game’s overall tone and combat, for these are what give away if aResident Evilgame will have a Mercenaries mode or not.
Resident Evil 4is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X.
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