The beloved horrors from the past crawl back up in Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 Remake.
In 2005, Capcom released Resident Evil 4, a game many fans will claim to be among the best. It took the Resident Evil series in a new direction with more action-focused gameplay and a less intense atmosphere. That isn’t to say that the game was no longer in the horror genre, but with the protagonist Leon spouting one-liners while fighting undead nightmares, it gave off a bit of a different tone than the games that came before.
The series after Resident Evil 4 would follow suit, and keep the action focus. This would be the case until Resident Evil 7: Biohazard would reset the tone of the series and reignite interest in the zombie-filled series. Fast forward to March of 2023 and Resident Evil 4 has been remade for a modern setting.
It comes to debate whether the original Resident Evil 4 even needed a remake, with the game holding up so well even today, not to mention the numerous ports the game has had to modern consoles. But with the recent success, the series has had with other remakes and even more recent titles that took clear inspiration from the classic game, it was no question that there would be a remake for the title.
However, those worries are put to rest in a lot of regards as the remake holds itself on its own feet while not making the original irrelevant. Not to mention its more modern take will allow for newer players to be eased into the swing of things, compared to the more aged original.
Resident Evil 4 Remake plays very smoothly while eliminating a lot of the clunk from the 2005 title. Movement is much more snappy and fluid, allowing for more complex actions to take place. Weaving in and out of enemy attacks is much more important here, and making sure weapon ammo and durability aren’t wasted in moments of panic. In relation to weapon durability, it is the knives that more or less replace the quick time events from the original game.
While the original would have the player mashing buttons to get out of tight situations, in this game a knife can be used as a reaction to block incoming attacks, get out of the grasp of an enemy or quickly finish an enemy before their parasite mutates. This not only streamlines the gameplay but also adds another layer to quick thinking. Not only is it a reaction to save some health but it is at the cost of some knife durability and sometimes that durability is more important than health.
Despite the good the combat has, some of the biggest issues with the game come from the combat portions of Resident Evil 4 Remake. Enemies seem to stagger less when shot, even if it’s a shot to the head, so keeping large hoards of enemies at bay is much more difficult than it would seem. In the setting of the game, this is explained by the enemies not being zombies in a traditional sense but rather parasite-controlled bodies.
Using a heavier weapon like a shotgun will certainly knock an enemy back but that isn’t always an option nor does it help in cases where the enemy is further away. The issues with enemies are almost exclusive to the most basic enemy types and most of the more complex enemies have other ways of being dealt with or simply don’t have these issues.
Later into Resident Evil 4 Remake, the more intense and less horror-filled the action becomes. While still having moments of horror it becomes more about staying as aware as possible in order to not make any mistakes against tougher enemies. Making a wrong move against a large enemy or boss can mean losing health or attracting large hoards of foes to the location. While the difficulty is rising, it is worth noting that the checkpoints are rather forgiving and there isn’t too much punishment for dying aside from making the end game rank worse or setting you back a couple of minutes.
At no point does Resident Evil 4 Remake have that irritating feeling of repetitiveness, at least on standard difficulties. The later and harder modes the game offers can be frustrating due to enemy behavior changes or simple increases in the number of enemies, but the game does warn of the difficulty before picking so it isn’t a cruel twist on the game’s part.
Resident Evil 4 Remake’s story is set into chapters, which may seem like a way of forcing the player into certain areas. However, this is more of a way of marking large story events like meeting a new character or beating a boss. Most of the map can be explored at any time, but certain story beats have pathways blocked off. The moments where things eventually get completely blocked off are usually pretty obvious whether it’s a sudden setting change or some dialogue that implies backtracking will be more difficult to do past the given point.
Regardless, this more open design is important for the game’s structure. With limited ammo and resources, going back to areas missed becomes important to do in order to stay prepared. By no means does that make Resident Evil 4 Remake overly difficult, it rather plays into the more tense and bone-chilling moments of the game.
The horror of Resident Evil 4 Remake has been turned up a bit compared to the original. While Leon will still do his action moves and say his one-liners, the tone throughout the world has been modified to make it seem more like the action-filled elements are just part of things. Leon is seemingly more traumatized by the events in Resident Evil 2 than he was in the original, and his reactions to things are toned down a bit.
Even his iconic “Bingo” line seems a little dark simply because of the performance done by his voice actor Nick Apostolides. Other visual elements like the designs of characters Luis and Ramón have seen overhauls to make them appear less silly and more realistic or intimidating.
From the get-go, it is clear that the core difference between the remake and the original Resident Evil 4 is the visuals. Capcom does it again by making the world the game takes place in look both as real and as stylized as possible. Simply by looking at Resident Evil 4 Remake, one could tell that it is indeed Resident Evil, an important feat given the current state of visual design in the triple-A gaming space. Resident Evil 4 Remake’s world is in is simultaneously beautiful and disgusting in the best ways possible.
The buildings look like they could be from the real world, while the monsters retain their distinct style and still fit in those locations. While everything is pretty, it would be clear to those who have played the RE Engine games that there are obvious reuses of textures and objects, but it is nothing distracting as it just remains as something noticeable to long-time fans.
In regard to other forms of presentation, the soundtrack of Resident Evil 4 Remake remains as atmospheric as ever. The chilling feeling that the instruments plant into the mind as the castle halls are being explored, or the calm atmosphere that is given to save rooms by the softer tones are as effective as they were in the original game.
However, this time around the music has a distinct turn toward a more sinister feel, tying into the larger picture of bringing back some of the dread. Those who still feel that itch for the original score has the option through DLC, and the original music does indeed fit into the more modern setting without too much of a struggle, but the remake’s music is still a better fit for some of the more modified sections.
The music isn’t the only thing great about the audio presentation, as the sound design is fantastic throughout the adventure. The sound of weapons firing or items being picked up allows for a quick mental connection to be made if the player’s visual focus is on something like other enemies. None of the audio sounds out of place or distracting in Resident Evil 4 Remake, aside from one keynote found in the dialogue for the merchant.
All of the voice actings is great. As mentioned before Leon’s voice actor Nick Apostolides fits the character super well. However, while Michael Adamthwaite does a great job with his delivery as the merchant, the way the game triggers dialogue from the character can be incredibly annoying. With how often the character is found, there are constant lines being spoken from the shady character. It becomes annoying fast but with all of the other audio choices are perfect. Plus, there are plenty of options in the settings to change things to the perfect note.
The whole package here is something that comes off as special. The elements in Resident Evil 4 Remake that work are some of the best seen in the entire franchise, and possibly even in the action horror genre as a whole. Even when there is something negative in this game, it never seems to be an issue for long.
The sheer fun that Resident Evil 4 Remake has to offer throughout the main story and now in the Mercenaries mode will likely keep many coming back to the game for a good long time. Especially with hints towards other DLC like an equivalent to the Wii version’s Separate Ways mode, this game has quite the replay value built-in.
The DLC portion of Resident Evil 4’s lifespan is already approaching with the before-mentioned Mercenaries mode being added just recently. The mode is a faster-paced arcade-style mode, where the score is the main focus. So racking up those points with headshots, multi-kills, and combos will result in the best score. The mode offers different maps and characters to play with, some of those characters only show up in this mode so it is a treat to see the fan service following through in a side mode.
It goes without saying how incredible it is that the original Resident Evil 4 is considered such a fantastic game by the fans and then comes along its remake. It manages to not only stand out as a fantastic game as well but also be different enough as to not replace the original. It is this kind of effort that makes it understandable that these remakes are being made.
Surely this will mean many people will want to see remakes of Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6 where their issues are sorted out and made more acceptable to newcomers, but before that other mainline games like Resident Evil 0 or Code Veronic could very much use tune-ups as this game has.
Not to mention how that shouldn’t stop new entries like a potential Resident Evil 9 or Resident Evil: Revelations 3 from being made before then. For now, stopping the remakes for a while to focus on newer projects seems like the more interesting path that Capcom could take, but after this whatever they do should end up being exciting regardless.
Resident Evil 4 Remake is something to be remembered, as it is not only a great example of a remake but it is simply put a great experience. With a solid story and excellent gameplay wrapped in a beautiful package, it reaches far further than just the already existing fans of the franchise. Surely there are a few issues like the enemies being a bit too overwhelming at times or the Merchant not knowing when to stay quiet, but the issues are so small in comparison to the larger picture at hand.
It is an echo of the past, as a lot could be said for the original game that inspired it all, but with today’s gaming market being full of rereleases and remakes, this particular game stands out amongst the crowd. Resident Evil 4 Remake displays just how fantastic the original 2005 game was, while also building upon what the previous version had left in its path and still being its own thing.
