Resident Evil 4 was a revolutionary title that forever changed the course of the franchise, third-person shooter, and horror game. It was also an excellent action game, albeit one with a few flaws. The 2023 RE4 make new fixes pretty much all.
The Resident Evil 4 Remake is a tighter, more immersive version of the 2005 original. On the surface, the game quiet resembles its original form much more than anything Final Fantasy 7RMother or even the 2019 reinterpretation Resident Evil 2. But what do we have with us Resident Evil 4 is a kind of remake that we haven’t seen from Capcom for a long time.
Image via Capcom
The Resident Evil 4 Remake shares many of the positive qualities of the resident Evil Gamecube remake and its subsequent HD remasters. For one, it weakens the camp in the writing department and brings Resident Evil 4 more tonally consistent with the other modern remakes. For the most part, though, both games function as updated versions of the original’s rooms and perspectives through which you experience them.
The controls have been updated and feel fantastic – this is the best a resident Evil Game has felt to this day – and many of the areas are being expanded and improved. It’s a faithful remake, but one that fully understands what works and what doesn’t with the source material.
The new graphics and controls are evident from the moment you take control of Leon in the village’s opening forest. But it’s clear from the start that we’re dealing with a different, more scarred Leon. He’s traumatized by Raccoon City and the remake gives that detail breathing room in the opening.
It doesn’t change the choices Leon ultimately makes, but it does give him a new texture. This is indicative of the approach the game took to retelling Resident Evil 4‘s story of a man sent on a rescue mission only to discover a brand new horror.
Supporting characters have more backstory and Ashley in particular has changed significantly. She is more capable and has agency. While she still often screams her heart out, she’s a more grounded, less hysterical character. In short, she feels more like a real person circa 2005 than a female video game character.
Ashley’s defense and direction also emphasizes her freedom. She no longer has a health bar that you need to maintain with precious herbs. Instead, it’s a more seamless system where you can’t let her get grabbed by cultists too many times in one encounter.
This makes the sections with Ashley feel less like companion missions and more like organic experiences. And while the infamous water room returns, it really achieves the intended balance of tension that wasn’t achieved in the original.
Image via Capcom
In fact, a large majority of the rough edges in the 2005 game have been fixed or omitted and replaced. If there was a puzzle that you found disturbing in the original or a room where you died repeatedly, I can assure you Resident Evil 4 Remake has made it more manageable in one way or another – mostly because the game makes you faster and gives you more combat options than before.
Any weapon, enemy, and melee animation that you want to return to RE4 is here in glorious 4K. Old tricks are all still on the table, but the game is also packed with changes big and small that modernize the gameplay and keep things fresh for the old-timers.
Yes, ammo crafting was introduced and yes, it rules. Of course, being able to craft any specific ammo type you need on the fly suits the frenetic encounters of Resident Evil 4 Remake.
The ironic part is that most encounters are more overwhelming and deadly than those in the original game. But advances in Leon’s mobility and arsenal actually make it easier – at least in Normal mode. They have more perks than ever, so of course the spaces and body count will update to accommodate them.
Through that lens, it’s beginning to be understood why – despite being so obviously different in much of their territory and encounter design – the Resident Evil 4 Remake gets the feel the thing right.
They are more mobile and resourceful than ever, embodied by the knife and stealth. Leon’s combat knife was the only weapon I fully upgraded by the end of the game. It’s your lifeline. No longer just a simple melee weapon that you can now swing, stab, and parry with Resident Evil 4‘s knife. The latter offers a key difference that completely changes the rhythm of combat.
Parrying will reduce your knife’s durability, while regularly attacking will not. The knife’s best move is a finite resource, as are the ammo and herbs that also keep you alive. A successful stealth kill also decreases the knife’s durability, meaning stealth is important.
Image via Capcom
Some of the biggest and most welcome changes go to the dealer and back Resident Evil 4‘s economy. Make new rewards you (much more) for poking around. There’s a lot more treasure to find than the original, and gem slotting has been expanded into an explicit system that gives you set bonuses. This adds an element of risk/reward when it comes to deciding which valuables to keep and which to sell.
Also, the blue medallion shooting section has been expanded into a series of side quests instead of just one. Each of them will reward you with Spinels, which are now a currency that can only be exchanged for exclusive goods at the merchant.
Spinels can drop from certain enemies, but you’ll get most of them by completing those requests. Each of these elements adds a reason to revisit areas and search for treasure, and provides a respite from the relentless forward-inspired action.
While inventory management does the same tetris Joy, this is also being expanded. You can also now find customizable skins for your briefcase that grant various passive buffs. The briefcase can also now house three dangling amulets, each of which also grants different buffs. With these you can customize your “loadout” in a very modern way.
The only spanner in the proverbial chain during my review was a system involving the trader and side missions where there’s a nice dietary element meant to remind you of incomplete activities. It didn’t work quite right and hopefully it will be patched before release day.
Image via Capcom
Resident Evil 4 Remake It’s no exaggeration to include modern elements REFERENCE Titles, such as the yellow ribbon or paint marker box and ammo crafting. The card is also picking up resident Evil 2 Make new And REFERENCE3 reissue in it it is comprehensive and readable. And since you’re going on more treasure hunts, you’ll want to check the map more often than before. For what it’s worth, this is probably the best card in the series yet, and a huge improvement over the original.
Changes to combat encounters, the order of events, boss fights, and of course quick-time events all serve to create a more dynamic experience.
There are actually some moments from the back half of the original that you won’t see here Make new. Some of the more iconic cheesy lines and over-the-top moments don’t make an appearance. Overall, there are a few omissions that will disappoint fans. An almost complete rewrite of the script means that the game’s sense of humor has changed. Luckily it still has one.
The most disappointing part of Resident Evil 4 Remake is the lack of post-game content. We know Mercenaries will appear in a future DLC pack, but Assignment Ada and Separate Ways are nowhere to be found after beating the game once. These would no doubt make great DLC, but their absence is still disappointing.
However, there is New Game Plus, which is nice.
IMages over Capcom
Resident Evil 4 – The Bottom Line
Advantages
- A perfect action horror roller coaster ride that keeps tension and suspense from start to finish.
- An appealing and welcome emphasis on treasure hunting and exploration.
- Full of fun, clever upgrades and adjustments to Leon’s arsenal and abilities.
- Smart content changes make the game tighter while keeping old fans on their toes.
- The supporting actors become more elaborate, even if they aren’t fully three-dimensional.
Disadvantages
- The merchant’s reminder system appears to be broken.
- Wish it came with the mercenaries or other post-game content, but we’re happy to settle for New Game Plus.
It’s been hard to write this and not keep coming back to all the unmentioned thoughts that boil down to repeating what makes RE4 primarily a classic. All of that: the excitement of resource management, the weapon variety and balance, the complete tonal cohesion of the cinematic action, and the series’ scariest enemies. They are all still there.
Capcom’s development team deserves credit for not only recreating this iconic game, but improving it in countless ways – and having the courage to leave behind those things that didn’t fit that vision. RE remake It was worth the wait and is a survival horror masterpiece.
[Note: Capcom provided the copy of Resident Evil 4 Remake used for this review. Featured image via Capcom.]
