Saying that Resident Evil 4 was one of the most important video games of the early 2000s is not hyperbole. Because of its widespread use, the over-the-shoulder third-person camera and precise aim functionality were standardized and could be found in practically all action games for many years to come. As it leaned on fast-paced action and interactive cinematics to create a really unique and thrilling experience as it confidently danced players from one stunning set piece to another, it also represented a turning point for one of the most well-known horror franchises in gaming. I will never forget some of the events from the game. In an abandoned shed, a body hanging motionless from a pitchfork. A dog that understands how to pay back loans. “There’s no time for resting.” The whore wearing a crimson dress. Yeah?
That being said, a lot is at stake for the remake of a game that is regarded as one of the greatest ever made. We’ve pretty much seen what to expect from Capcom’s remakes after games two and three. Completely redesigned to a high standard, they’ve largely succeeded in preserving the essence and aesthetic of the original games, updating what doesn’t work and utilizing the RE engine to make gore sparkle and chiaroscuro of heaps of trash pop. This pattern is followed and improved upon by Resident Evil 4 Remake, which shows confidence in both the original game’s qualities and its own innovations to create an experience that will seem both excitingly new to new players and intimately familiar to longtime fans.
Large portions of the RPD and other iconic locales were altered and rearranged in the Resident Evil 2 Remake in order to make sense in a more photorealistic setting and blend in with the improved gameplay. Much of Resident Evil 4 Remake is practically precisely the same as the original game, especially in the earlier chapters. In fact, from scene to scene, I could tell exactly where we were in the 2005 game. Remakes and remasters have a peculiar quality in that, when done well, they tend to seem, at least in your mind, precisely like the original. After finishing the RE4 Remake, I’ve revisited the 2005 version, and I can categorically state that it has aged far more than you probably realize. The Remake does a fantastic job of preserving all of the important details, moments, and mechanics while raising the bar on everything else to a level that will be enjoyable to modern players.
Since the original established the standard for this genre eighteen years ago, gamers will still be used to certain modernizations, but the most of the action in RE4 Remake fits under the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” category. For example, the option to sneak past some foes by crouching is a small but welcome return to survival horror zone. The reasoning for this is that the creators wanted to give players as much flexibility and variety in how they conducted the fighting in the game as possible. Leon may now perform silent bolt throwers and knife-based ground finishers in addition to stealth kills, allowing you to sneak past some engagements without ever noticing. Many players will overlook this in favor of Leon S. Kennedy’s boisterous and aggressive style, and rightfully so, but having more player option in this situation is beneficial.
Although the original receives a lot of credit for popularizing the third-person over-the-shoulder viewpoint, it should also share some of the blame for the widespread use of Quick Time Events in the several sequels that tried to replicate its popularity. The ‘action button system,’ while lauded at release, is very much a product of its era. It was designed to prevent players from becoming disinterested during cutscenes. Due to their awareness of this, the RE4 Remake production team implemented one of the largest mechanical modifications in the game: the knife parry mechanism. The dev team allegedly realized there was no reason not to integrate a parry system throughout the entire game as they tried to make the famed knife battle with Jack Krauser more directly handled by the player instead of a sequence of button prompts. Therefore, if your timing is right, you may use the knife to deflect or even defend against the majority of opposing assaults. This patch adds a delightful risk/reward mechanism to every hatchet and kitchen knife Leon encounters throughout the game. Do you play it safe and just jump out of the way, or do you swipe and feel unstoppable if you time it just right?
Then, your knife becomes even more of an essential tool, especially when your ammo is running short, but it is not infallible. Your knife now has a durability metre, and if the merchant doesn’t fix it, it will break after a certain amount of use. The knife’s durability varies depending on how it is used. For example, using it to sneak up on unsuspecting adversaries and kill them is almost free, while using it to block a potentially fatal grab strike by timing your press of R2 will reduce its remaining usage by about half. Instead, you may keep your knife sharp and struggle free by constantly pressing X, but you will lose some health in exchange.
Apart from these last-minute saves, there are still additional QTE-type challenges where you have to hit the circle button or its equivalent in order to evade certain boss or monster assaults; however, they have significantly decreased in quantity compared to the 2005 version. Above important, they integrate far more naturally with the gameplay than the ‘press x not to die’ sections of the original game. One new feature lets attackers circle around you and grip Leon, giving other adversaries a chance to hit you; to break free, you have to press X. Luckily, this doesn’t seem like a QTE for the sake of it; instead, it heightens the suspense and sheer terror during the scenes where Leon, outnumbered and encircled, is clinging to life with every item in his XL attaché bag.
Speaking of that legendary and physically impossible piece of equipment (really, where does he carry it around?) the attaché case makes a comeback, retaining all of its quirky features along with a few new additions. At typewriters, you may now personalize the cover to provide yourself little gaming advantages. You can attach up to three adorable charms that provide additional benefits by changing its appearance. For example, a chicken charm will guarantee that any eggs Leon eats will restore his health 100% (try not to picture Ashley getting horrified when he cracks a raw egg into his mouth in the middle of a battle). Changing its appearance can also increase the likelihood drops for specific types of ammunition. Let us take this moment to reassure you that Resident Evil 4 maintains its campy sense of fun where it counts, despite its stunningly eerie new graphics and frightening atmosphere. How charms are really gained is a delightful little surprise that I don’t want to disclose here.
Not only can you arrange Leon’s belongings in the attaché case, but you can also make health and ammunition on the dedicated crafting screen. Alternatively, you may rapidly construct objects by placing them straight in the case, just as in the original game, on top of one another. The map screen has also been upgraded. It records helpful information while you play, such as the locations of objects you’ve seen but not picked up, puzzles you haven’t solved, and doors that are locked and opened, much like the Remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3. Personally, I appreciate that it notifies you right away of stuff you may have overlooked and provides the location of certain extracurricular quest answers; nevertheless, other people may justifiably choose to disregard these clues in favor of doing their own research.
Naturally, no Resident Evil 4 Remake would be complete without the merchant, and while some original game players may not be familiar with his new speech lines, they will still be appreciative of the additional services he provides. Throughout the game, the merchant has many pop-up businesses where you may purchase, sell, and service weapons and equipment. However, he has recently extended his company to include trades. Spinels were little diamonds that you could locate and sell for fast cash in the original game, but in this remake, they have their own currency and are handed to Leon by the merchant in exchange for carrying out little tasks for him. These requests typically involve a pleasant variety of chores for you to complete in exchange for a lazy handful of spinels, and they usually fit in well with your ongoing activities, saving you time from having to go back and forth.
The most straightforward of them include finding a gold chicken egg and shooting blue medals in and around a dilapidated farmhouse, but there are also some interesting minor detours. After that, the gems are awarded and exchanged for unique goods—the majority of which are exclusive to this merchant—with the merchant. There are also tons more treasures to locate, add more gemstones to, and then sale if you run out of money for upgrades or new weapons. As the game helpfully breaks down gemstone value multipliers that award you more cash for certain color and size variations, you’ll find yourself playing most of RE4 Remake with the contents of an airport Tiffany’s tinkling in your pocket. As a result, you’ll want to keep extra stones on you at all times to make the most of every trinket.
We would love to go into more detail about a few of the new gameplay features and story additions in Resident Evil 4 Remake, but we are unable to do so because of embargo restrictions and spoiler alerts. However, we can state that every aspect of the game’s design has obviously received a great deal of thought and care. While some boss battles have been entirely redesigned and recreated, others are functionally and stylistically exact replicas of the original work. Certain locales have been taken straight from the original game, while others, especially those that come later in the game, have been simplified to better match the narrative’s pacing and flow. Although the story has more structural changes, some significant and some hardly perceptible, tonally everything comes together to create a pleasantly harmonious whole.
Remakes have the drawback of being both doomed and doomed; if they alter the game too little, gamers will wonder why they bothered in the first place. If you make too many changes, you run the danger of offending devoted players and losing sight of what originally made the original game so fantastic. It’s no easy task to recreate one of the most important games of the past 20 years, but Capcom has succeeded in this instance. Ashley is far less obnoxious than in the original (though her sense of style has taken a serious hit), Ada is a smoking hot mess, Leon is just as dryly sarcastic, and the bad guys are all given their moment to shine before exploding into a pile of entrails and additional limbs. The regenerators, too, huh? Still scary beyond belief. This is as excellent as remakes get overall, albeit there are a few weak scenes, especially in the late game. even if younger generations might not fully get the bingo metaphor.