During the latest Resident Evil Showcase program, Capcom revealed that Resident Evil Village will see the return of the action-packed game mode "The Mercenaries." Featured in previous games in the series, The Mercenaries is a high-speed, arcade-style action minigame where you must complete challenges within a certain time limit.
The Mercenaries will see some new features and improvements when it returns in Resident Evil Village. In between areas, players will be able to visit The Shop. Inside the Duke's Emporium, players can purchase new weapons or upgrade their existing arsenal to fit their playstyle.
There are also additional customization options for each weapon. In addition to decided which weapons to take into battle, players must also decide what upgrades to use. Things like weapon Power, Rate of Fire, Reload Speed and Ammo Capacity can all be upgraded.
Also new to the game mode are Abilities. Throughout a stage, players can acquire new abilities that enhance their character's power. An ability like "Shotgun Master" increases the damage of shotguns, while "Out of Reach" increases the damage of long-distance attacks. This adds an additional layer of strategy and customization.
The Mercenaries is a bonus mode that's included in Resident Evil Village at no additional cost. This is the second free addition to the game, along with the previously announced multiplayer game Resident Evil RE:Verse that will be included for free for anybody who buys the game.
Resident Evil Village is set to release on May 7. A new demo will be available for PlayStation, Xbox and PC platforms on May 1, with PlayStation getting early access to a limited-time version of the demo starting April 16.
On a related note, Netflix also announced the director, composer and release window for its upcoming Resident Evil CG animated series. Check out what we learned about Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness over on our sister site, Toonado!