Oculus has revealed that Resident Evil 4 VR is receiving a free update in 2022 that will officially add the fan-favorite Mercenaries game mode to the title. The VR version of the popular Resident Evil 4 officially released last month on the Oculus Quest 2, and it allows players to re-experience the classic survival horror title from an all-new first-person perspective. Despite its gameplay remaining largely unchanged when compared to its original counterpart from 2005, the VR version has censored and removed suggestive and potentially offensive dialogue from the game.
The Mercenaries mode is an arcade-style mini-game that first appeared in Resident Evil 3 and grew to popularity with Resident Evil 4. It featured distinctive levels and several popular characters from the series with unique attributes, weapons, items, and melee attacks. Its gameplay is heavily based on Time Attack Mode, in which players are tasked with obtaining the highest score by killing as many enemies as possible before the timer runs out. Mercenaries mode made a comeback to Resident Evil almost a decade later in Resident Evil: Village, bringing back its arcade-style features but drastically changing the mechanics to allow more fluidity in gameplay and pacing.
In a press release from Oculus (via IGN), the popular VR brand revealed that The Mercenaries will be making its way to Resident Evil 4 on an undisclosed date in 2022, allowing players to take on the tense game mode in first-person mode for the very first time. Additionally, the company also announced that it plans to add extra mobility and comfort settings to Resident Evil 4 VR sometime next year. These new features will include hand-based steering, better left-handed controls, and the option to fine-tune the location of chest and waist inventory slots for a better overall game experience.
Serving as a reinterpretation of the classic survival horror title in virtual reality, Resident Evil 4 VR recreates many of its iconic scenarios and gameplay mechanics in the first-person perspective, giving players a fresh playthrough of the decade-old game. The title quickly became one of the highest-rated and fastest-selling titles on the Oculus Quest just a few weeks after launch, and garnered enough critical acclaim to become nominated for Best VR Game at The Game Awards this year.
Resident Evil 4's Mercenaries is very fast-paced, especially when compared to the title's main campaign. Running against the clock, players must rush to kill as many zombies as possible and explore rapidly to collect extension pickups and give themselves more time to get more points. Similar to Resident Evil: Village, Resident Evil 4 VR could possibly see drastic changes made to the Mercenaries mode to adjust its difficulty and mechanics for virtual reality. Nevertheless, the upcoming Mercenaries VR mode is set to satiate players as they wait for the announcement of Resident Evil 4's next-gen remake.
Resident Evil 4 VR port is available on Oculus Quest 2.
Source: IGN