Fact Check: Does Resident Evil 4 remake have Mercenaries mode?

The latest remake under Capcom's belt is Resident Evil 4, the beloved 2005 survival-horror game. Built on the latest iteration of the Japanese developer's in-house RE Engine tech, it puts its best foot forward with rich graphics, engaging gameplay and more. But is it truly the definitive RE4 experience?

While the original game was critically acclaimed for its meaty campaign, it also introduced an arcade mode known as Mercenaries. Since then, it has appeared in subsequent Resident Evil games.

Does this hold true for this latest installment as well? Time to find out.

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Resident Evil 4 remake does not have a Mercenaries Mode at launch

First revealed in the "Third Trailer" for the game, Capcom has confirmed that the iconic game mode is a thing for the Resident Evil 4 remake. However, it will not be included in the game on launch day. The team seems to have wanted to focus on the fundamentals first and foremost, in the form of the campaign mode. As such, Mercenaries will be making its way to the game as a post-launch DLC.

This will come as a disappointment to many fans, since the original game included the mode by default. However, Capcom intends to make up for it by making it widely available to all owners as a free update.

There's no word on when the Mercenaries mode will be released, but at least players have the story to beat through. With the number of secrets to find and side missions to complete, completionists can find themselves engrossed with the campaign until the arcade action arrives.

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What does the Mercenaries mode include?

As an arcade minigame, it sees players try to progress through a level on the clock while contending with waves of enemies. From standard foes to bosses from the story, the Mercenaries mode allows players to score points by dispatching opponents. However, they must do so under the time limit while also trying to achieve the highest scores.

The latter is done by achieving combos by racking up consecutive kills. The original game had various characters to play as, from Leon Kennedy and Ada Wong to major antagonist Jack Krauser and the iconic Umbrella soldier codenamed Hunk. Each has a unique arsenal of weapons and attacks to dish out at foes.

This delay may not be a bad thing for the Mercenaries mode since unlocking it required beating the story mode in the original 2005 game. Given how faithful the Resident Evil 4 remake is in so many areas, the same could be true here. However, it also bucks trends in other areas with the addition of altered scenarios and new mechanics.

On that note, the Mercenaries mode for the previous entry in the series, Resident Evil Village, allowed players to change their loadout by purchasing new weapons. It remains to be seen if such quality-of-life changes make it in, or if Cpacom s aiming for a more traditional approach.

The Resident Evil 4 remake launches on March 24, 2023 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC platforms.