In a few short weeks, Resident Evil Village will release, and bring with it revelations involving Chris Redfield’s true nature and Lady Dimitrescu’s sinister plans. However, in the recent Resident Evil Showcase, it was revealed that fans have one more thing to look forward to: the return of The Mercenaries mode, an arcade-y score attack side mode not seen since Resident Evil 6. The last new Resident Evil game to have this much-loved mode was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2012. After almost ten years of Resident Evil finding its footing and reclaiming its status as peak survival horror, it’s great to see Mercenaries return.

The Mercenaries has an interesting history behind it. While it was popularized by Resident Evil 4, the first entry to feature it was actually Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Titled The Mercenaries — Operation: Mad Jackal, it featured a mercenary squad hired by Umbrella trying to achieve their objective in Raccoon city. Many Mercenaries staples started here; the time limit, different characters, weapons, and abilities, defeating enemies and saving civilians to earn bonus time, points, and items. It was kind of a hybrid between HUNK’s mode in Resident Evil 2 and the later Mercenaries iterations. Every Resident Evil that featured the mode since has had a similar, but distinct take on it, and Resident Evil Village looks to continue that trend.

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While Resident Evil 4 wasn’t the inventor of The Mercenaries, it was the codifier. Featuring a distinctly arcade-like feel and no defined story goal, the mode is a post-game reward featuring five very distinct characters and a series of timed stages. Players were tasked with killing enemies to score points and extra time, culminating in boss-level enemies eventually spawning. Killing enemies in quick succession initiated a combo multiplier, coupled with Resident Evil 4’s enhanced gunplay. This mode persists as part of the Resident Evil 4 experience for older fans, and the mode’s return in Village is likely to make way for its possible appearance in the Resident Evil 4 remake.

Resident Evil 5 and its various re-releases took what The Mercenaries was and built upon it. Co-op and leaderboards were added, as well as more chances to gain extra time and different loadouts per costume. The Mercenaries Reunion was added as DLC, and serves as an alternate and separate version of The Mercenaries featuring different characters like Rebecca Chambers and Barry Burton.

The Mercenaries United is available with the PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch releases of Resident Evil 5, and is a combination of The Mercenaries and The Mercenaries Reunion. All characters and stages from both modes can be selected from the beginning, as well as a No Mercy mode that dramatically increases the number of spawned enemies.

The popularity of The Mercenaries led to the spin-off title Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, which expands it into a full game. The gameplay is most similar to Resident Evil 5, using the same melee prompts and weapons. The enemies and areas are a mix of content from Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5. The game is still played in stages, but these are often more compact and feature unique goals and new enemies. There are also day and night versions of some areas. Still, most stages simply require players to engage with the game as they normally would.

Resident Evil 6 featured another evolution on the core Mercenaries mode. It is available for play right from the game’s start, and features even more ways of gaining time through skillful play. Enemy spawns and AI were more dynamic, and tended to feature an unfolding series of progressively stronger enemy varieties. Players could also choose different skills before deploying. No Mercy mode appears again in the PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch ports, featuring a 300 enemy limit, more enemies on screen, and, most notably, the cast of Left 4 Dead 2 as playable characters.

The Mercenaries has continued to evolve throughout the Resident Evil franchise, and its latest version in Village seems to be focusing on progression through a series of timed stages. Even the Resident Evil: Revelations spin-offs have a variant of it, and said Raid mode seems to have inspired Village’s level-based approach. As Resident Evil games are famous for their diverse set of modes and unlockables, it will be interesting to see what else is included in Village’s full package.

Resident Evil Village launches May 7 for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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