Sure, Resident Evil Requiem’s free DLC is cool. But it’s not the mode I actually wanted

Capcom's surprise shadow drop of free Resident Evil Requiem DLC hit my social media timeline right before I was about to go to bed, so I jumped up and powered on my PS5 Pro to give it a try. Leon Must Die Forever is a new add-on mode available now in Requiem, accessible after you finish the game once. It's an arcade-y, roguelite romp where Leon is in a race against the clock to make it through several of the game's areas and eventually defeat the final boss. Screenshot by Destructoid It's sort of like a remixed version of the game's main story, with abilities to find that gives Leon power-ups like faster reload speeds or better aim. Killing enemies levels you up and unlocks the special abilities, and then you can move throughout the areas by entering glowing doors to go to specific encounters, as depicted in the image above. It's fun to try to move through the biomes of RE9 with some new purpose and a slight spin on the formula, and I do think it's enjoyable, but I definitely would rather have had the Mercenaries mode that most players were assuming was coming in this free content drop. Capcom is hard at work on singleplayer story DLC add-ons for RE9, but I'm greedily hoping that Mercenaries is still coming alongside those as well. The time attack mode featuring different characters and maps has been a mainstay in the franchise since Resident Evil 3 way back in 1999, so it was safe to assume it would be returning for RE9. Alas, not yet. I am in no place to complain about a free add-on, and I do appreciate that Capcom tried something different with the formula this time around. Leon Must Die Forever has unlockables like wearable items such as cat ears that come with baked in abilities and weapons, and there are several difficulties to unlock, so there's decent replayability here too if you're into it. But still, Capcom, if you're reading this, I'd love a Mercenaries mode with RE9's awesome combat gameplay. Playing on maps like Raccoon City or Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center with multiple characters (Leon, Grace, HUNK, even Zeno) while picking up time add-ons and other powers would be a blast. And I know I'm not alone in saying that I'm willing to pay for this add-on, too.

Capcom's surprise shadow drop of free Resident Evil Requiem DLC hit my social media timeline right before I was about to go to bed, so I jumped up and powered on my PS5 Pro to give it a try. Leon Must Die Forever is a new add-on mode available now in Requiem, accessible after you…

Capcom's surprise shadow drop of free Resident Evil Requiem DLC hit my social media timeline right before I was about to go to bed, so I jumped up and powered on my PS5 Pro to give it a try. Leon Must Die Forever is a new add-on mode available now in Requiem, accessible after you finish the game once. It's an arcade-y, roguelite romp where Leon is in a race against the clock to make it through several of the game's areas and eventually defeat…