TITLE: Resident Evil 4 Remake
DEVELOPER: CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
PUBLISHER: CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
RELEASE DATE: 24 Mar, 2023
GENRE: Action, Adventure, Horror, Survival
Resident Evil 4 is a survival horror experience with a rare third-person shooter gameplay, released on multiple venerable gaming platforms and even reissued several times with additions and adjustments by the Capcom development team. As of the time of writing, it is the only main installment in the series to have a version for mobile platforms and has had a prolonged development time due to design issues. Notably, you may already be aware that a game glitch in some of the game’s prototypes gave birth to the Devil May Cry series.
Even when the game was initially released on Nintendo’s GameCube platform in 2005, many players considered it one of the greatest games of all time. With such achievements, it comes as no surprise that Capcom decided to remake Resident Evil 4 following the success of the remakes of the classic games Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3. It still follows Leon’s adventure on a secret mission to a remote village in Spain, but it impresses in many aspects compared to the original.
The game is set six years after the events of Resident Evil 3, and one of the two main characters from Resident Evil 2, Leon Kennedy, is recruited by the US government as a special agent. After the president’s daughter is kidnapped by the mysterious cult Los Illuminados, the main character follows the leads to the aforementioned village to uncover the whereabouts of the abduction victim. However, upon arriving at the village, Leon encounters the villagers infected with the Las Plagas parasite and is forced to fight for survival against their attacks.
In the player’s perspective, although it is still the story of hero Leon rescuing the damsel Ashley, the new development team at Capcom has turned it into a much darker and more serious experience than the original game. The game perfectly balances the aspects of horror and action, something that the recent installment in the series, Resident Evil Village, has yet to achieve. The game maintains a perfect pace throughout its 16 chapters, despite doubling the playtime compared to the original game. The modernized control mechanics also contribute to a better gameplay experience.
The audiovisual aspect is what initially impresses the writer in the Resident Evil 4 remake experience. You can see it right from the game’s main menu before even stepping into the gameplay. The graphics are highly detailed, although they only have limited Ray Tracing support on newer consoles, they are still impressive. From the dull village and mountain scenes at the beginning of the experience to the vibrant colors of the castle towards the end of the game, even the fur of the mice in some side missions is meticulously designed.
The soundtrack and sound design also leave a strong impression on the writer, not less than the graphics. You can hear the groans of the creatures lurking somewhere, along with various other sounds in the game environment. From the sound of the wind rustling through the trees to the screams of someone, it warns you of imminent danger. However, there were a few instances where the writer heard sound effects that seemed misplaced in the experience, but couldn’t verify them as they were busy dealing with the tense atmosphere in the game.
The gameplay of the Resident Evil 4 remake also brings significant improvements, giving the writer a sense that Leon is more of a hero rather than constantly being chased and exhausted as in Resident Evil 7 biohazard. The fast-paced action segments, diverse range of weapons, and Leon’s close-combat abilities create a feeling of freedom in combat. Moreover, your enemies also receive upgraded combat abilities in the new chapters, forcing players to adapt their strategies accordingly.
For example, the slow-moving villagers often gang up on you, causing panic and chaos. On the other hand, the “sorcerer” enemies attack more strategically, using shields, armor, and crossbows to corner you. More dangerous are the enemies that combine both of the aforementioned “menacing” types, causing havoc and launching long-range attacks that easily drive you insane. The “conquest” segment in the latter half of the game is one of the frustrating moments in the experience, as you continuously dodge fire-engulfed rock projectiles that are impossible to avoid, forcing you to constantly change your approach.
The puzzle aspect in the Resident Evil 4 remake is well-balanced, offering just the right level of challenge and never frustrating the player unless they fail to pay attention to their surroundings. Every puzzle solution is somewhere within the gameplay, requiring you to look in the right places. The survival horror element has also been adjusted compared to the original game, specifically in terms of important resources like herbs and scarce ammunition. It’s no longer a matter of Leon wielding his gun and having an abundance of ammo on the default difficulty. You have to know when to shoot, fight, and run.
Every resource in the Resident Evil 4 remake requires the player’s attention. Even the inventory needs to be carefully managed to accommodate weapons, tools, ammunition, and essential items. However, the inventory management aspect is now more manageable as you can upgrade it to have more space, encouraging players to explore every nook and cranny of the gameplay for the purpose of upgrading and stockpiling essential items for survival. This design indirectly heightens the player’s sense of tension throughout the game experience.
One interesting improvement compared to the original game that I cannot overlook is the usefulness and well-behaved nature of the character Ashley. She no longer annoys the writer with her spoiled attitude as before. Ashley’s appearance has undergone several changes, particularly the fact that she no longer wears a dress, thus avoiding awkward situations but still maintaining a feminine look by opting for pants that resemble a skirt.
The segments where you control Ashley are very engaging and introduce new gameplay mechanics, making me have a more favorable impression of this character. Meanwhile, supporting characters like Luis Serra and Ada Wong also have more significant roles in the Resident Evil 4 remake, but don’t expect too much. Moreover, the game effectively utilizes the features of the DualSense controller on the PlayStation 5, similar to the remake of Dead Space, delivering a more satisfying shooting experience and making the gameplay much more exciting.
The adaptive trigger sensation varies depending on the type of weapon, for example, the resistance when firing a shotgun is much stronger compared to when Leon wields a handgun. However, the writer didn’t perceive much difference between the various types of guns within the same weapon category with the DualSense controller, regardless of their different recoil stats. The game also makes excellent use of the controller’s speaker in specific situations, creating a more immersive experience, such as when Leon has phone conversations with Hunnigan.
One minor drawback of the remake is the automatic flashlight that turns on and off based on specific exploration areas as intended by the development team, and players cannot manually control the flashlight like in the original Resident Evil 4. Although this change makes the experience seem more convenient, the writer encountered many environmental exploration situations with extremely low brightness where nothing could be seen without the flashlight. Not to mention the traps scattered by the villagers throughout the gameplay that are easy to stumble upon in the darkness.
Unfortunately, the Resident Evil 4 remake does not include the Separate Ways mode from the original game, which allows you to control the character Ada Wong with some gameplay mechanics different from Leon’s. There is information suggesting that this gameplay mode will be released as paid DLC, but no official confirmation has been provided at the time of writing. The Mercenaries mode is also not available at the game’s initial launch but later added as DLC, bringing a somewhat fresh experience.
The biggest difference of The Mercenaries in the remake and the classic version is the gameplay pace, as Leon no longer needs to stand still while shooting. To balance the gameplay pace in the Resident Evil 4 remake due to the aforementioned control mechanism changes, the development team added new gameplay mechanics along with time bonus when performing “quick time events,” using a knife, or utilizing special solutions like saving ammunition or explosive barrels. Similarly to the original, The Mercenaries experience requires you to have an effective strategy for efficiently eliminating enemies in order to achieve high scores.
Specifically, the more enemies you continuously defeat within a shorter time frame, the higher your score. If you can eliminate dangerous enemies like the “chainsaw ganados” or the chainsaw-wielding ones, your score will skyrocket. In reality, the idea behind this gameplay mode is not complicated, but the experience is surprisingly thrilling. Each controlled character has their own set of weapons, and players cannot customize them. For example, Leon uses the All-Rounder firearm, while Krauser is equipped with better melee weapons to compensate for Leon’s “weaker” guns.
However, The Mercenaries mode in the Resident Evil 4 remake does not support split-screen co-op and lacks as much content as the original game. For instance, the disappearance of characters like Ada and Wesker as well as the presence of only three stages instead of four in the original game. I didn’t have much time to experience this gameplay mode, so I’m not aware of how to unlock new stages or the mentioned characters. Meanwhile, characters like Luis, Krauser, and HUNK can be unlocked by achieving an A rank with the preceding character in the specified order.
In the end, Resident Evil 4 delivers a remarkable survival horror experience with many welcome improvements. Although the game still has a few minor drawbacks, they are easily overshadowed by a plethora of impressive positives. Whether you’re a newcomer to the genre or a long-time fan of the original game, this is undoubtedly a title that should not be missing from your gaming library.