Mercenaries mode returns in Resident Evil Village with some big changes

Resident Evil Village is bringing back The Mercenaries, and a lot of fresh ideas.

As part of today's Resident Evil Showcase, Capcom announced the return of The Mercenaries mode, which will be available in the upcoming Resident Evil Village at launch.

Mercenaries may not have made the cut in the Resident Evil 3 remake, but Capcom seemingly wanted to make up for that with a revamped, completely new iteration of this classic mode. In Village, The Mercenaries will offer an arcade-style, action-focused take on the game's combat, taking you through its many locations and pitting you against the monsters you'll come across over the course of the main story.

If you're unfamiliar, Mercenaries sessions are made up of small chunks where you're tasked with taking out a certain number of enemies within a time limit. All your actions are being scored, putting a different spin on things.

New this time around is a shop, which you'll be able to access between areas. In this case, it's the Duke's Emporium from the main game. The shop lets you spend earned money on new weapons, explosives and even healing items. You can also use the Duke's Emporium to upgrade your weapons.

And in an even bigger twist, The Mercenaries mode also now includes ability pick-ups, which you'll find throughout the levels. These offer gameplay bonuses to your character, such as increasing long-range damage, buffing specific weapons, and even boosting movement speed and healing.

The trailer above shows off a good chunk of what you can expect, and it does look to be packed with content. Resident Evil Village releases May 7 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Stadia.