In my original look at Resident Evil 4 (viewable HERE!) I said that while it was undeniably a great game me at the time didn’t like the weird un-Resi story and all the QTE cutscenes, but either way it was still fun to play. So when RE4 Remake was confirmed I was confused and a little annoyed as Code: Veronica is actually in need of an update unlike 4, but I will say that this Remake is right up there with the RE2 remake as like that it keeps most things the same but updates it (like removing the outdated QTEs!) and looks gorgeous to boot. So let’s take a deeper look!
Background:
A screenshot that couldn’t look more “Resident Evil 4” if it tried!
Resident Evil 4 Remake was released for the PS4, PS5, XBOX Series X/S and PC on March 24th 2023. I find it very weird to say it came out 18 years after the original, in my head the original fixed camera/tank controls games are old but the third-person action trilogy of 4/5/6 are recent. Stupid perception of time!
Gameplay:
“Wait, this guy was just a regular villager! … Oh well.”
Given RE4 was already a third person action game with slightly tanky-but-not-actually-tank controls there isn’t as big of a leap here, it’s still a third person action game but now it has the free movement of recent entries like the 2 and 3 Remake, complete with using a reticule to aim rather than the classic RE4 laser pointer, though that can still be purchased. Also like the original you can stun enemies and follow up with a melee strike (or a German Suplex if things align right!) to conserve ammo, plus use the knife to melee but new to the Remake is not only the ability to stab foes who grab you like the previous two remakes but also like those the knife has durability and can break, either leading you to have to pick up knives from the environment or get the knife repaired by the returning Merchant (who sadly doesn’t have a hard-to-pinpoint accent but instead is just a straight up London cockney). The biggest addition to the gameplay is a new parry system, allowing Leon to, well, parry in-coming attacks by pressing L1 (or your console’s equivalent) at the right time, do it enough times and it can stun enemies leading to a melee attack. It’s actually very fun and satisfying to pull off.
As mentioned in the opening paragraph the QTEs have been thankfully exorcised from the game, though one or two stronger enemies have big attacks you can only dodge by pressing a button in time so it’s not gone entirely but these are always the one button and you have actually plenty of time to press it. Some bosses still have moments where they’re down and you can press a button to knife them, which is also QTE-ish but overall annoying scenes like the Krauser knife fight and the laser room have been turned into an actual gameplay scene and removed entirely respectively, making for a much more fun experience. The always oddly satisfying attaché case inventory system is back and the mixing gunpowder to create ammo from the previous two remakes is carried over to this one as well, which is nice. Obviously health pick ups come in the form of First Aid Sprays and mixable herbs and weapon variety is nice and deep and now includes a new bolt gun that allows you to collect your bolts from your fallen foes and therefore technically has infinite ammo so long as you’re careful. All weapons can be upgraded at the Merchant shop for things like firepower, reload time etc.
You know what they say: The more things change, the more they stay the same…
Speaking of the Merchant he now offers side quests you can do that mostly include destroying the Blue Medallions like the first game (but now includes all areas) but he also offers a firing range that has a weird pirate theme… it’s odd but actually fun except that the prizes are given to you via a gatcha machine that’s legitimately randomly set at the start of your game making it extremely unsatisfying. You still pick up money around the place and can get items that exist only to sell that you can up the price of by putting in jewels and the like. It’s not all roses and sunshine mind you, Ashley still needs escorting at various points in the game and now instead of her own health bar she has two phases: knocked to her knees and dead. Add in the fact that the generic enemies in the game can literally run past you and grab Ashley in a heartbeat there were several really annoying parts aside from the classic Castle sniping bit. Also annoying were the instant-kill Plagas that can bite your head clean off regardless of how much health you have, I died a couple of times when those things approached me from behind giving me no chance to react.
The classic Mercenaries mode was added as free DLC a week or so after the game’s release but it’s missing a stage and two characters and is extremely easy, I unlocked the handcannon by getting an S rank on the three stages with Leon my first time and I always do terribly at Mercenaries. Overall though the plot has been tightened, the QTEs removed and the gameplay is extremely satisfying and tight, so I can’t really complain!
Graphics and Sound:
Spooky lighting during Ashley’s player-controlled segment.
The graphics are excellent, really creepy and atmospheric, the lighting is top-tier and the character models are fantastic. No complaints there.
Soundwise is good too, I can’t say I particularly remember any music from the original or indeed here, so it just adds to the mood rather than stands out. The voice cast is fine, while I can’t help but shake my head at people’s overly-harsh and sickening reactions on social media I will admit the new Ada voice is far too monotone and not teasing enough for the character, but it didn’t ruin it for me or anything.
Story:
Saddler’s new final form is, um… something alright.
The story, for the most part, is exactly the same: Leon is now a top agent in the Government and is sent into rural Spain to rescue the President’s daughter Ashely from a cult known as Los Illuminados. When he reaches the village he’s attacked by the general public who are being controlled by a parasite known as Las Plagas that puts them under the sway of cult leader Osmund Saddler, as he has the “Master Plaga”. Leon fights through a village, Castle and an island fighting Plaga-mutated people, fairytale giants and monsters along the way. He also finds out his old thought-dead military buddy Jack Krauser is not only alive but working for Saddler, plus Ada arrives also not dead but Leon seems nonplussed about that part this time round. You won’t be shocked to find out Leon does indeed save Ashely and take out the cult members…
The key difference here is tone, a lot more emphasis is placed on the cult aspect, featuring sacrifices and classic horror imagery, at least in the first two locations (the island is still very much a military base complete with automated machine guns and the like) and beyond a few Plaga-induced hallucinations Lord Saddler is not actually seen until the latter half of the island part of the game, so no more cliché villain chats on the radio. In fact a lot of a campy silliness has been removed, which doesn’t really fit some of the more… odd parts of the game, especially crazy castellan Ramon Salazar, but there you go. Some of the best worst lines are used as achievement/trophy names at least!
In the original review I mentioned a scene where you were fighting priests riding fire-breathing gold dragon statues in a castle’s large lava room and how that was when I felt like I really wasn’t playing a Resi game at all and it seems the Remake crew agreed as that whole part of the game was removed. Also removed was the fight with the weird scorpion man in the floating and dropping containers (that was also a bit OTT) and the cable car sequence as well, which that one is a shame to see go. They added a Gigante enemy to the castle section though and had it reinact the Beast Titan from Attack on Titan but hurling handfuls of rocks at you from a distance. Krauser’s role is also reduced, as while he’s now the one responsible for killing playboy researcher Luis instead of Saddler his connection to Ada and the mysterious company headed by Wesker isn’t mentioned at all, instead its more implied he legitimately joined the Los Illuminados in order to gain the Plaga power and that’s it. Overall though the plot is very much the same thing, just taken a bit more seriously.
Downloadable Content:
The Regeneradors, the last truly scary enemy in the series…
As of right now there’s only the free Mercenaries DLC and some shortcut tickets to unlock some of the rarer guns and upgrades right away. That being said some data-miners have already found evidence of the Ada “Separate Ways” story from the re-release of the original hiding in the game, plus the two missing characters (Ada and Wesker) and missing stage from Mercenaries, so I assume they’re all coming within the next half a year or so.
Thoughts Now:
*Shakes fist angrily*
While I’m still sad to not see the last of the mainline fixed camera angle/tank control games get the Remake treatment I can’t say that at the end of my first run with RE4R I was in anyway sad or annoyed it was created. What easily could have been a HD reskin has actually ended up being a perfect remake, one that still feels like the original but with modern upgrades, its just unlike RE2 and 3 remake the upgrades don’t feel as massive due to its closer proximity to modern gaming. Doesn’t mean it’s not worth playing though, the parry mechanic alone made playing the combat really fun, and you could only get away with that in the 4-onwards games. Overall: pick it up!
Hogan Reviews 