Summary
The suave, stylish, and endlessly mysterious spy known as Ada Wong has long been one of the most popular characters in theResident Evilfranchise since she made her debut in the second game. When Ada first showed up to accompany Leon during the Raccoon City outbreak, she was simply a side character who players would be tasked with protecting, but in all honesty, a lot of the time, she would be the one to bail Leon out of a sticky situation.
While it was implied that Ada was killed near the end of the game after falling down a chasm, not only did she survive the ordeal, but she’s even returned as a playable character for several installments that came after. Considering Ada isn’t technically a ‘protagonist’ in the same vein as Leon or Chris, she tends to only be playable in bonus modes or additional stories. No matter where she shows up, though, it’s always a ton of fun to embark on a brand-new espionage mission with the iconic Ada Wong. With that being said, here is how theResident Evilgames rank in terms of how fun and memorable their Ada segments are.
For anyone who may have forgotten about thisbizarre multiplayer modethat was released alongsideVillage,Re:Verseis an online deathmatch mode that also throws a mutant killer into the mix to spice up matches. Ada is one of the many survivors who players can decide to go with, and she’s a pro when it comes to survivability. Being able to dodge more often than other characters and utilize a somersault kick to evade attacks makes Ada great for staying alive when the opponents begin to power up.
The truth is, though, that’s really all there is to Ada, as she ultimately plays very similarly to the other humans as part of the clunky gameplay loop, which has admittedly gotten a little better over time. Capcom has recently announced the closure ofRe:Verse, but thankfully, fans won’t be missing out on much when it comes to Ada specifically.
Despite not being playable in the originalResident Evil 2, Ada is given her own short gameplay segment in the middle of Leon’s campaign after he goes down after taking a bullet from Annette. While this part of the game only spans a few rooms, the addition of Ada’s EMF Visualizer, which essentially turns the experience into a fun hacking minigame, provides a nice break from the traditional survival horror gameplay loop.
Sadly, Ada isn’t playable outside of this temporary portion of the game, despiteHUNK getting his own minigamein the Fourth Survivor mode. It’s clear that Capcom wanted to stay true to the originalResident Evil 2, which is completely understandable, so it’s still nice to see a playable section featuring Ada included at all, even though it may be on the shorter side.
Initially, the fourth campaign ofResident Evil 6, which revolves around Ada, was only made available after beating the first three, but it has since become available from the start in modern versions of the game. The story itself explores how Ada runs into Leon, Helena, and a few other characters during her mission to hunt downSimmonsand his research. Along the way, she learns about Simmons' strange obsession with her, alongside the existence of a shady organization known only as the “Family.”
While the campaign is fairly short, a bit too puzzle-heavy, and largely meaningless in the wider lore, where Ada truly shines is the Mercenaries mode. Being able to jump, flip, and twist around enemies thanks to the game’s melee attacks makes for some truly fun gameplay; it’s just a shame Ada’s campaign couldn’t have been a little more memorable.
It can be hard to believe nowadays, but Capcom once tried to create aResident Evilhero shooter, at least, sort of. The ‘Heroes’ mode was included withOperation Raccoon Cityand allows players to jump into a 5v5 Raccoon City deathmatch with either the heroes or the U.S.S. Surprisingly, despite being presented in a good light during the originalResident Evil 2, Ada is classed as a villain for the multiplayer mode, allowing her to team up with the likes of HUNK and Nicholai to take down the plucky protagonists.
Not only does Ada come with a quick reload passive, but she also comes equipped with incendiary rounds that can clear the streets from zombies while also melting Hero health bars if they get a little too close for comfort. As would be expected from Ada, her kit is designed around hit-and-run tactics that make her incredibly hard to kill. This is, however, the only mode Ada is playable in, but being able to duke it out with other iconic characters as part of a surprisingly balanced and enjoyable multiplayer mode makes it a big highlight.
It’s actually a surprise that Ada shows up at all inUmbrella Chronicles, considering the game covers the events of games that she isn’t originally a part of. However, the game also features the Death’s Door story, which allows fans to not only see how Ada survives her fall inResident Evil 2but also to play as her to escape the city once and for all.
While this is a fairly short on-rails mission that only lasts roughly 20 minutes, there are still some nice interactions in here between Ada and Wesker, along with a pretty memorable final boss inthe durable Tyrant R. It’s pretty brief and not quite as layered as the other campaigns in the game, but Ada’s mission is still a blast to run through for a quick session, especially considering the sheer amount of weapons that she can acquire during her escape.
Resident Evil 4 would be the game that saw Ada make her canonical return to the story after her apparent ‘death’ at the end of the second game. Throughout the first half of the game, Leon is stalked by Ada, who tracks him like a hawk, but while she shows up at numerous points to confront him, large chunks of her story are not seen in the main game.
It’s in the Separate Ways bonus story where players can actually take control of Ada to explore smaller sections of the village, castle, and island to see what she got up to while Leon was on his mission to save Ashley. While this additional content is action-packed, albeit brief, several versions ofResident Evil 4also contain Assignment Ada, a non-canon mode that plays like one big shootout gallery. This isn’t even mentioningMercenaries, where her deadly SMG can be used to mow down hordes of Ganado. Simply put, there’s plenty to enjoy here, and while Separate Ways would be expanded upon in the remake, having two Ada modes still makes the original a great choice for fans of the character.
It’s fair to say that Ada fans are spoiled for choice when it comes to theResident Evil 4 Remake. On the one hand, Ada once again has her Separate Ways campaign, but this time, it’s been significantly increased in length, featuring plenty of new encounters and enemies missing from the main game, such as the laser room andthe dreaded U-3. Players have a lot to dig into with this bonus campaign, including some nice development for Ada to justify her stance at the end of the game, along with the traditional survival horror gameplay, which includes new weapons and areas.
That’s not all, though, as Ada also comes back in the Mercenaries mode. Because she is now able to use her grappling hook to launch herself toward enemies during combat, it makes for an incredibly unique and adrenaline-pumping gameplay style, which is so much fun to toy around with. All in all, this is the best game when it comes to being able to play as Ada Wong, thanks to the thrilling bonus campaign and her unique Mercenaries iteration.
