Resident Evil 4 Remake evaluation: Refreshed, renewed, replayable

Following Capcom’s profitable remakes of its ’90s-era Resident Evil titles, a brand new tackle its magnum opus, Resident Evil 4, was inevitable. Whether or not it was mandatory was apparently a moot level. Now that we now have the remake, how does it stack as much as the influential authentic? Fairly darned properly, with a lot of the modifications enhancing the story and gameplay. It has one or two disappointing alterations (and a few outright deletions), but it surely’s a incredible method to expertise Resident Evil 4, both as a repeat or for the primary time.

You all know the story by now: Raccoon Metropolis survivor Leon S. Kennedy is now a authorities agent and is shipped to a rural Spanish village to retrieve the kidnapped First Daughter, Ashley Graham. The project shortly spirals uncontrolled as he should deal with a complete city of parasitized Ganados, a shady parasite-based cult and protecting tabs on a number of allies who aren’t fairly what they appear to be.

There are a whole lot of remake-specific issues I gained’t discuss due to spoilers — I need all the followers of the unique to expertise the precise variations for themselves. I’ll attempt to discuss in regards to the modifications in broad strokes. Nevertheless, I really feel protected in declaring which issues have stayed the identical. There’s sufficient of each to maintain the veterans guessing and the newcomers entertained. In brief, I used to be satisfied there was no purpose to remake RE4 — and now I’m glad they did.

Undercover agent coaching pays off

The very first thing to notice — and I do think about this to be a constructive factor — is that RE4-make will not be the identical form of remake as these of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3. These video games have been huge seismic shifts in model and design (which, sarcastically, made each look extra like RE4), and the RE4-make is extra refined. These small modifications put collectively a refreshed expertise, freed from the unique’s extra poorly aged components.

The gameplay modifications are the primary and most notable. Leon can now transfer whereas aiming — which is far more of a boon than you may understand — and he may also crouch to cover. That’s proper, the remake of the sport that action-ized Resident Evil has added stealth again in. It’s not massively helpful, however it’s good to have the choice so it can save you a number of bullets earlier than the hordes beginning coming after you in drive.

And there can be hordes. Resident Evil 4 dials up the fight, multiplying the variety of Ganado and different enemies Leon will encounter within the common space of the sport. The sport nearly takes glee in pushing the boundaries of what the participant can deal with in all three of the principle areas of the journey. The Ganado are harder than earlier than, and even touchdown an ideal headshot isn’t a assured kill. I performed on Regular problem and chewed a gap in my decrease lip attempting to make my ammo provides final.

The RE4-make offers Leon’s trusty knife new objective … principally within the sense that it’s not trusty. The knife will get a sturdiness meter, and it will possibly break if Leon overuses it. That is doubtless, as one other new gameplay addition is the flexibility to parry incoming weapon blows with the knife. I’m certain most individuals can have seen Leon use this in opposition to Dr. Salvador’s chainsaw within the demo. Whereas the sport does provide you with spare knives as backup, it’s doable to wind up in a situation the place you don’t have anything with which to struggle off the enemies.

The RE4-make additionally advantages from Capcom’s proprietary RE engine, because the village not seems fairly as muddy and dingy because it did earlier than. It takes a bit after its successor, Resident Evil Village, in that each the citadel and village look a bit extra atmospheric. I take a bit subject on the quantity of foliage that’s added, because it generally makes navigation a ache within the rear, however that is solely an issue within the first third of the sport.

One lacking senorita

In addition to the gameplay, the story and characters have additionally acquired an replace. The 2 characters to profit essentially the most from the remake remedy are Luis and Ashley, Leon’s two essential facet characters within the story. Leon spends extra time outdoors of cutscenes speaking with them, they usually have extra interactions with him than they did within the authentic. This additionally helps make Leon a bit extra attention-grabbing by affiliation, as this model is extra stoic and fewer prepared to banter together with his enemies.

Whereas the story beats haven’t modified, the order has. Veterans will discover that issues don’t at all times play out the way in which they did earlier than, and the rewrites each maintain the story contemporary and make every little thing make extra sense. I can’t be extra particular as a result of, once more, spoilers, however sure characters seem at completely different spots within the story, and a few of the sillier dialogue has disappeared in favor of creating the villains extra outright threatening.

Luis is far more personable within the remake, performing barely extra forthcoming about who he’s and what he’s doing. Ashley is extra fleshed out, coming throughout much less as a prop and extra as a personality with ideas and feelings. She spends a lot of the sport understandably terrified however prepared do her half to assist, and the brand new model of her solo chapter is one in all my favourite elements of the sport.

Even our outdated good friend The Service provider will get a makeover. Sure, he’s nonetheless a gravel-voiced Cockney gun-hawker, and he nonetheless offers you the choice to purchase, promote and tune-up your weapons. However he additionally has a brand new commerce system, the place you are able to do him small favors in change for spinels, which you’ll be able to commerce for helpful and precious objects. These further bits give the sport some replayability and additional stuff to do.

Oh, and one small criticism in regards to the authentic that I’m glad the builders addressed: The Spanish peasants really sound Spanish, versus Mexican. Within the first sport, they form of skirted round immediately saying that it came about in Spain (which I at all times assumed was an try to not offend actual Spaniards). Within the remake, all of them have correct Spanish accents and Luis references Don Quixote a number of instances. It doesn’t make an enormous distinction, but it surely’s a minimum of not as grating to take heed to.

The extra issues change …

Whereas I just like the Resident Evil 4 remake general, it’s not excellent both. There are occasions the place you may nearly really feel the builders holding again on large modifications. This wouldn’t be an issue, besides the will to stick to the unique in large methods means they someday skimp on the small issues. Typically in-game chapters don’t at all times move properly narratively, because it appears like they lack an attention-grabbing setpiece second to wrap every little thing up.

If Ashley and Luis develop into extra charming and attention-grabbing within the remake, then poor Ada is the one who suffers. Gone is her air of horny thriller – right here she’s curt, apathetic and downright drained. Her scenes with Leon lack the chemistry of his with the opposite two allies, and it makes her appearances (that are admittedly uncommon) fizzle. I believe her voice actress doubtless acquired some poor path, as a result of I can inform she’s attempting to sound sultry and as a substitute feels like she has a sore throat.

Talking of Ashley, she sadly retains a few of her extra annoying traits. In lieu of hiding spots, that are nearly utterly absent, the RE4-make swaps in a “formation” system. Utilizing this, Leon can both inform Ashley to remain near him or to maneuver additional again and maintain her distance. In principle, that is to maintain her from getting clocked by each the enemies’ and Leon’s melee assaults. However with the sport’s tight map design on the, she’s at all times on prime of you whether or not you’ve advised her to fall again or not, which suggests it’s extra doubtless for an enemy to select her up and stroll off together with her.

So far as gameplay goes, there’s one change that floor my gears however good: Leon’s run animation is so sluggish. His in-game dash feels about the identical as the unique sport’s default strolling pace. This turns into extra troublesome later within the sport when it’s a must to dash away from bigger, extra aggressive enemies (and people horrible Regeneradors), and it appears like Leon’s working by way of quicksand. These complaints aren’t sufficient to spoil the sport for me, however they did mood what was in any other case a really joyful expertise.

“The place’s everyone going — bingo?”

The Resident Evil 4 remake appears like one thing made by an enormous fan of the unique, however one who wasn’t afraid to modify issues up a bit. I sank about 20 hours right into a single playthrough, and I’ll nearly definitely play extra of it. Whereas I generally want the builders had modified much more than they did, I’m glad with the ratio of faithfulness-to-new within the remake.

There’s a probability that followers of the unique gained’t take to this altered model properly, and a few of the components within the above part do maintain it from being an ideal expertise. Even leaving apart the truth that it’s a remake, it’s nonetheless a strong sport general, and it’ll give pleasure for brand spanking new gamers who expertise this refreshed and renewed Resident Evil 4.

Capcom supplied GamesBeat with a PS5 code of this sport for the aim of evaluation. Resident Evil 4 Remake launches on PS5, Xbox Sequence X/S, PS4, and PC on March 24, 2023.