Resident Evil 4 Remake: A First-Time Experience For Old And New Fans Alike
The most recent entry into the set of remakes could become one of the best Resident Evil games available. The Resident Evil 4 remake brings horror and survival together into a continuous badass set piece of action, puzzles and quick one-liners which will leave fans wanting more. Even though this is a remake of the original Resident Evil 4 with a production gap of 2 decades, the remake comforts itself in its nostalgia, but more importantly, thrives in the upgrades of the technology it uses.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Resident Evil Franchise (Especially Resident Evil 4).
From a first-hand experience of the remake, the approximate 15 to 20-hour game time and 16 chapters of gameplay feel continuous and fluent meaning there’s never a boring moment. It is safe to say that the game laughs with the intenseness of some action scenes, a perfect crafter sequence of just the right amount of enemies to keep you on your heels. This experience is backed by the beautiful upgrade to the various areas Leon, the main playable character, will kick and shoot his way through.
A Change Of Tone
One of the first things to spot between the original and the remake is the tone change. This tone is exemplified through various details, but none more significant as the darker themes the remake goes with.
The original uses light that brightens up a room, so when faced with a group of enemies, the scenery beyond the group of ferocious cult members can still be visibly seen. The remake changes this, like the Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes also did, by making areas darker. Modern lighting with darker tones helps with the framing of horror the resident evil games are so crucially known for. Many encounters are fought in practically pitch-black rooms, with small pockets of illumination allowing to pinpoint resources Leon might need to pick up or key quest items that can help progress the game.
In the mission where you play as the damsel in distress Ashley, the dark tones are amplified. Ashley is forcefully split up with Leon in which she needs to traverse a dark library swarmed with suits of knights’ armour controlled by the parasites infesting the game to get back to her pseudo bodyguard. With no weapons and just a small lamp to guide her way, the dark corners and the idea your playing as a character with no defences, the mission becomes one of the most intense to speak of. Put this mission back into the original and the lighting would play a lot differently for Ashley’s gameplay with corners fully lit up and almost cartoonish enemies of armour stumbling to attack you.
The tone is also changed through voice lines and setting. Where the original has more playful lines, the remake takes a darker turn with more serious and darker paths taken, this being shown from the onset of the police drive to the Spanish village.
These darker tones seep into other resident evil games, especially the newest in the series: Resident Evil Village. Where RE Village takes its own initiative, the game that inspired it the most characterises itself as why it’s a fan favourite in the series.
Leon And His Roundhouse Kick
The remake follows Leon, several years after the events of Resident Evil 2 where he is now a trained Government operative tasked with retrieving the President’s daughter from a Spanish Village. This training Leon has received has made him into a strong badass. Thankfully this isn’t hindered by a complicated character, as Leon is as uncomplicated as main characters come. This doesn’t make him one-dimensional though. Leon has become a respectful character with extended combat training after the trauma he experienced in Resident Evil 2 (where Racoon City was taken over by the G Virus).
The game is played as a third-person shooter. This helps Leon hold the story for himself and this is why earlier games in the franchise had fan-favourite playable characters. This is something Resident Evil Village doesn’t do by having first-person shooting instead. The playable character, Ethan Winters, leaves much to be desired, something that is hindered by the lack of seeing the character you’re playing. By playing in a third-person perspective in Resident Evil 4, we can see Leon experience the set scenes first-hand and the improvements in the fighting style he has picked up since Racoon City.
Side Characters
Ashley
Ashley is still the worried, overwhelmed character she was in the original, however, she’s changed to a helpful, competent character who creates a strong relationship with Leon. Even though this is a playful relationship, Leon’s regression from her proposals hints at the power Ashley’s dad has and the possible fear Leon holds.
Ada
Ada continues her platonic relationship with Leon, with the ongoing question of her intentions and her siding with Leon. Controversially, the voice actor had been changed for the remake with a sadder sounding tone. Although this change was respectively denied by many fans, the change of tone could relate to the disheartening mission she had been tasked with, something revealed at the end of the game.
The Stranger/Merchant
The Stranger is the merchant players will meet at various spots in the game. This is a relaxing sight as players will know they get a safe point and possible upgrades to their weapons and kit. The Strangers also provides contract missions for extra money and a firing range mini-game.
Along with his welcomed sight, the stranger comes out with some of the best lines in the game, with a mystery on how it obtains the things he sells you.
Father Mendez
Mendez is an early-game boss you’ll encounter. He is an obvious node to enemies in earlier games like Mr X. Although your encounters are short and far between, Mendez portrays the sinister practices of the cult he follows.
Salazar
Salazar is the owner of the castle Leon will encounter halfway through the game. The castle is a major area and the ownership of Salazar creates a formal and antique intenseness. Although Salazar is only shown to discretely follow his master, Salazar’s delivery is what shines especially with the line “Mr Kennedy”.
Jack Krauser
Krauser had an operative history with Leon and so the reunion between the two is even more special. Striving for pure power, Krauser made one of the best boss battles this game has to offer.
These boss battles include the several knife fights he has with Leon, amplifying the effectiveness of the knife feature. The final boss battle where Krauser sets Leons in a maze of traps and weapons to lead to a one-on-one fight with himself creates for an intense and suspenseful set scene worth fighting for.
Sequencing and Set Pieces
The remake is full of intense set pieces that Leon has to traverse through, some of these include:
Del Lago – The Large Lake boss battle may be simple in its mechanics, but sets the wheels in motion for how expansive and impressive the set scenes can be. Whilst on the lack players will see themselves on, a massive fish that will tug the boat Leon is on and so the player is in a harpoon chase with a fish at least 10x bigger than the boat Leon is in.
Storming Castle Ramparts – Subjectively, the storming of the castle ramparts might be one of the most challenging areas players will come across. However, this is justified by the intense use of cannons. Running through enemy after enemy, Leon has to utilise massive cannons to break down castle gates and fend off a massive giant roaming the grounds.
Speeding Mine Carts – One of the most memorable scenes is the minecart scene. Escaping the mines, Leon must take several Minecarts across a fast roller coaster ride whilst fighting enemies trying to hinder his escape.
Jet Ski Escape – The final scenes set Leon Escape with Ashley via a Jet Ski. The player has to dodge various falling debris and ramp over burning collapsed building the escape the final island the game sees Leon traverse through.
An Upgraded Combat Experience
Although the essence of Resident Evil combat continues from earlier games, Resident Evil 4 upgrades the combat to a whole new level. There are a lot of fo enemies, and when you think you’re done; more come. However, the remake counteracts this with a more controlled flow of ammo and meds that Leon can pick up. The remake has done an excellent job of fine-tuning the enemy count to make sure the player is always on the edge, being pushed to their resource limit just to clear an area. Thankfully when the ammo is depleted and there are no more resources to pick up, there are other ways to scavenge said ammo.
Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes had a knife system in their games, however, the use of them was very limited and was only used as a defence more than an offence. In the Resident Evil remake, the knife is an important resource like no other. Players can use knives to stun by parrying and killing enemies and so they are balanced as both an offence and a defence now. The story of how Leon trained to become a government official places story points to the progression of knife combat.
Leon has a kick and evade mechanic. The kick is used to knock back enemies and can be a breather moment for players as they try to get into a position to keep going. The evade mechanic is used when large, heavier attacks are used, and this exemplifies the training Leon has received with epic backflips and dodges.
How about you? Which remake of the Resident Evil Franchise do you prefer? Let us know, we’d love to hear from you!
Other things you might want to know about:
Is Resident Evil 4 remake happening?
The Resident Evil 4 remake was released by Capcom on the 24th of March 2023 on several platforms.
Is Resident Evil 4 remake only on PS5?
Resident Evil 4 will be on several platforms, not just PS5. These platforms include; PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC Windows.
How long will the RE4 remake be?
From a first-hand experience of the remake, the approximate 15 to 20-hour game time and 16 chapters of gameplay feel continuous and fluent meaning there’s never a boring moment.
