After the huge success of Resident Evil 2 and 3 Remakes in recent years, Resident Evil 4 Remake was a natural progression that made sense for Capcom and fans of the series. While Resident Evil 4 is still playable these days compared to past games, it’s still a masterful remake which upgrades the game in nearly every way, making it feel like a 2023 game, and one of the best we’ve seen so far in 2023.
Many consider the original Resident Evil 4 to be a pivotal point for the series. Capcom significantly changed the gameplay from a fixed view to over the shoulder, which managed to emphasis the action, plus the gore. The game leans more into the action of action-horror, and you can still see the influence in some of the best games from the last 10 years like The Last of Us and Dead Space. This new Resident Evil 4 feels like a fine wine that has been distilled into something new, and something better.
While the original is still playable, it doesn’t have the mod cons of today’s games. For example, you couldn’t move and shoot at the same time, you had to stop, get your gun out, get a few shots off, and then you could be back on the move. When you have a chainsaw wielding, bag wearing maniac chasing you, you certainly don’t want to be stopping to shoot, you want to run, as fast as you can. 2023 looks to be shaping up as a vintage year for remakes, and you can see this trend continuing. Resident Evil 4 has fixed the moving and shooting issue, and the Resident Evil 4 Remake feels much more modern game. This allows you to move and shoot, whether that be running forward, edging backward, or jumping out of the way of falling debris.
Another great quality of life improvement is switching weapons instantly with the d-pad. Rather than the clunky, cumbersome method of going into the inventory each time and switching weapons, this is a modern quality of life improvement which was much needed. The controls in general feel much improved in the Resident Evil 4 Remake, the combat feels much better, more fluid and dynamic when compared to the original. There’s also a range of difficulties for different levels of players, whether you are brand new to the series and want to experience the story on Assisted mode, or you are a hardcore Resident Evil fan and want to play on Hardcore.
The enemy AI has seen a huge overhaul, much like other systems in the game. Enemies move in much less predictable ways, and you’ll be dealing with large numbers, perfectly portrayed in the opening Chapter 1 Village scene. At first you might stealth your way around, but you’ll soon be overwhelmed, not only by pitchfork wielding villagers, but with the scary and shocking moment when the chainsaw man breaks down the door and stops your logical exit. Enemies throw explosives at you, set clever little traps with trip wire, so it’s not just the traditional Zombie attacks, which are also pretty nerve tingling encounters. Another decent quality of life improvement is the save system, where you can find various typewriters around and save. If you want a much more authentic experience then there is an unlockable Professional difficulty mode which removes the save system.
The AI continually impresses in the game, with enemies seemingly absorbing your tactics and then appearing to come up with alternative, and gruesome ways to kill you. If you continue with a single tactic, like taking zombies heads of with carefully placed shots, then enemies will switch up their tactics, for example they start wearing head gear to protect themselves. Villagers surprise you constantly by switching up their tactics, but also by coming back to life and attacking in much more aggressive ways.
The environment also plays a big part in your gameplay, given enemies can interact with each other. Chainsaw man can just as easily cut up enemies as well as you, so it’s a good idea to goad him in front of lots of enemies to get him to do your work for you. Oil lamps can be shot, raining down red hot oil on your enemies, scorching them to death.
In regards to the story, Resident Evil 4 Remake stays true to the original. Leon is sent to a small Spanish Town to rescue the Presidents daughter Ashley, and then the narrative goes on a rollercoaster journey through a series of boss battles, battling against hordes of Zombies, and huge set pieces in labs, mine cart chases and castles. Whereas the final third of RE4 original dragged out, the remake tightens things up nicely.
Each part of the game has been improved. The previous quick time-led knife battle against Major Krauser has been vastly improved with parry gameplay mechanics, Ashley’s escort mission has been improved by removing her health bar, plus her AI was dramatically improved so she doesn’t wander off in dangerous situations. Villagers team up with each other, dodge bullets and even wear bullet proof clothing. The boss fights are scary and shocking, and very gory. Capcom’s graphical improvements via the RE engine make this game much more chilling than previous iterations.
As you progress through the game there are new weapons to find and upgrade your arsenal with. There’s a wandering merchant, which looks similar to a Warlock, hooded and cloaked with a wide array of weapons to sell. Early in the game this is a life saver given you start with a relatively simply pistol. While you can pick up a shotgun early on, the Rifle you can get from the merchant is very valuable, allowing you to headshot enemies from distance, plus taking them out with a single shot. The merchant also pays out for side quests and bounties which are dotted about the game, which has you hunting around the environment, shooting various targets or hunting for Golden Eggs. The Merchant pays out for these in gems, and they can be traded for unique items and upgrades.
One big change from the original is Mercenaries mode. This isn’t available at launch, but it will be added as a free update sometime later in the future. Additional modes like Assignment Ada and Separate Ways are also not available at the moment, which may be saved for DLC later down the line. New Game Plus mode is there at launch, plus a whole load of in-game challenges that unlocks various upgrades and weapons.
Overall, Resident Evil 4 Remake is a huge success, and a great template for how to do a remake in 2023. It keeps the essence of the original, while upgrading it in nearly every way. The graphics are some of the best available on current gen platforms, the controls are massively improved, and the enemy AI constantly surprises you via increasingly gruesome ways. 2023 is shaping up as a big year for remakes, and Resident Evil 4 leads the way as one of the best out there. Whether you are a newcomer, or want to play again, I definitely recommend playing through this one, as it’s likely to feature on many end of year lists.