Revealed in a surprise announcement during the Meta Quest VR Showcase last night, the time-attack Mercenaries mode has been added to Resident Evil 4 VR in a free update.
Mercenaries mode allows players to take control of Leon and other key characters like Ada, Krauser, Wesker, and the mighty HUNK in various arenas taken from the story. Each character comes equipped with a different weapons loadout which restricts their playstyle during that run.
The aim in Mercenaries is to rack up as high a score as possible by chaining together kills into lengthy combos. Extra time can be added to the clock by finding hourglasses hidden around each stage. These also added bonus points to the player’s combo, making them extremely valuable when aiming for a high score. The tension amps up the longer a match goes on, with more challenging boss enemies introduced to the arena.
Along with the classic Mercenaries mode from the original game, Resident Evil VR Mercenaries adds a wealth of challenges for players to take on. These include modifiers that amp up the difficulty as well as versions with unique weapons like the unlimited-ammo Chicago Typewriter. Besting them and earning high scores will open up entertaining extras like a Big Head Mode and black-and-white Classic Horror Mode. There are golden weapon skins and new player outfits to unlock, as well as online leaderboards to compete in.
Mercenaries may have made its debut in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, but it was in Resident Evil 4 that the format established the now standard format. It returned with co-op support in Resident Evil 5, and even Resident Evil Village brought a first-person spin on the time-attack format.
Resident Evil 4 VR is available now on the Meta Quest 2. The Mercenaries mode is available as a free update to all players.
