By Chris Jackson
PLATFORM: PC, PS4/5, XBOX SERIES (REVIEWED) | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Considered by many to be the finest entry in the entire series, over the years since Resident Evil 4‘s initial 2005 release it has proven to be one of the most influential games of its time. Following the successful remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3, expectations were certainly high when it was announced that RE4 would receive the same treatment, aiming to bring a stone cold classic into the modern era with new gameplay mechanics, a reimagined storyline, and more detailed visuals.
Six years after his experiences in Raccoon City, Leon S. Kennedy is sent to a remote Spanish village to track down the president’s missing daughter, Ashley Graham. Unfortunately, it turns out she’s being held captive by Los Illuminados, a bunch of murderous cultists, and the locals have all been infected by a parasite that turns them into deranged killers. After making contact with Ashley, Leon must now guide her through hordes of savage enemies and all manner of arcane traps and puzzles in order to escape to safety…
The general layout of the game is pretty much the same as anyone who has spent time with the original will remember, but enough changes have been made that it feels like a brand new experience. Items are no longer where they used to be, new puzzles replace some of the original’s more obtuse head-scratchers, and some sections have been removed completely while others have been tweaked to make them a bit more palatable for a modern audience. It’s all much darker, too, lending the game more of an unsettling vibe than before, enemies are much more ruthless, and in some very welcome tweaks, the original game’s QTEs have been drastically reduced and Ashley no longer shrieks at you every few seconds. Elsewhere, challenges reward you with points to spend on bonus weapons, accessories, costumes and character models, while optional side-quests are a handy way of getting access to treasure maps and other valuable goods from the friendly merchant (whose voice has sadly changed, in what is possibly the only disappointment in this otherwise wonderful remake). None of the changes are detrimental to the game in any way, instead improving the pacing and overall immersion into the game’s world.
Very much a modern take on RE4, everything’s sort of but not quite where players of the original will expect it to be, giving fans of the series plenty of things to keep an eye out for throughout their roughly 12-15 hour adventure. The beloved “Mercenaries” mode is due to be added as a free update/DLC on April 7th, which is certainly something to look forward to – if the enemies here are as brutal as they are in the main game, this may well be one of the most challenging and fun Resident Evil experiences seen so far. A superb remake that doesn’t give longtime fans anything to complain about, while still being perfectly accessible for newcomers, Resident Evil 4 is still the same masterpiece that it always was. Quite simply a must play.
