Resident Evil 4 (2023) Review
Resident Evil 4 has a formula for Horror that truly manages to scare and that is a great thing!
Capcom has been on a very hot streak these recent years, breathing new life into their Resident Evil games, from a remaster of their first title — Resident Evil to the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3 respectively, there have been plenty to keep the die-hard fans coming back and, many opportunities to gain investment from new fans alike, so it was only logical that they would remake one of the best resident evil games in the series. But nothing fully prepared me for their latest brilliant entry — Resident Evil 4 remake. From reimagined environments, new and tightened controls, slicker story cohesion, 3D stereoscopic sound, and a huge overhaul of the look and feel of the game, it is fair to say I was blown away from the start to the end of the 16-hour campaign of tension and horror. Built-in their new RE Engine, Resident Evil 4 remake has been purposefully crafted to capture a feeling of existential dread and unease with each scrapping shadow and limited but well-placed torch to dimly light the way through a village torn apart by parasitic zombie monsters. The use of light play has had a dramatic change in how I played this game in comparison to the 2005 original, forestry and narrow walkways look darker, giving a feeling of lurking danger at any possible moment, I found a closer reliance on Leon’s trusty torch was needed in the darkest areas and it really gives a scary feeling of walking into the pitch black of a cave hearing distant groans flowing through the tunnel system without any knowledge of how close they truly are to you. Resident Evil 4 has a formula for Horror that truly manages to scare and that is a great thing!
The original Resident Evil 4 was a landmark title for Capcom and their survival horror series, so it shouldn’t need much introduction, however considering its release was over 18 years ago I should explain a little here as to why. At the time it was a huge deal for the game that the fixed-camera perspectives were switched out to a radical over-the-shoulder viewpoint, bringing us closer to the action like never before, faces up close and personal with all the games gore and horror with new detail, giving a new emphasis on accurate targeting of enemies and reflexive movement. This fundamental change to the series had a huge effect on the gaming world forever, even influencing new third-person titles such as Gears of War, Dead Space, and The Last Of Us. But that core gameplay DNA is still there and for this new remake, it has been refined, spliced, and improved to add more quality and modernization to the next generation of Resident Evil games.
Now when it comes to looks in the original game of 2005, it was a stand-out title for the time, but to truly offer the horror survival experience of 2023 there had to be some serious improvements to get up to date with the next-gen hardware. Lighting has been redefined for Resident Evil 4 remake, shadows fall in eerie positions adding a layer of atmosphere that can give you a genuinely good feeling of unease. The sporadic amount of lighting that feels almost lacking but purposely placed really helps generate a sense of isolation, for instance when running through the village there was a comfortable sense of ambient light and freedom to move, but in contrast when underground in a dark cavern I felt myself resistant to move into the enveloping darkness with only my narrow halo ring of torch-light to guide the way. Running in the new RE engine has given the game a new polish and shine, everything feels faster and smoother, running at a solid 30 FPS, the game is fantastic and looks as incredible as it feels to play on modern hardware. Immersive and intense audio is usually the first and foremost important factor to consider for full horror immersion, and Resident Evil 4 remake has managed to strike a perfect balance, with tone, music, and environmental sounds. Walking through winding forestry and hearing ravens hawking and swooping away gives the game world new life, crackling fire from nearby torches is a comfort but not enough to make you feel safe. Walking through tight or dark areas of the world and hearing twisted parasites shuffling around or lashing out their tendrils, alongside the zombified groans of the las plagas infected add atmosphere to what can already be a nerve-shredding experience and I find these are for the betterment of the game. A world that can keep me feeling tense and on edge proves to me that the game is staying on form and delivering on what it promised, a survival horror title that will keep you tense and thrilled at each turn.
Resident Evil Remake follows the same story as the original game, Leon Kennedy is sent out to rural Spain to track down and rescue the President’s kidnapped daughter — Ashley Graham from a religious cult who are coveting a mind-controlling parasitic force. A straightforward rescue op for our SS agent Leon, turns into a deadly fight for survival against sea monsters, looming giants, crazed hordes of infected zombies, and a large array of Las Plagas mutated parasite monsters. Fighting his way through a small Spanish village, sprawling castle shadowy laboratories, and even an explosive minecart ride to rescue Ashley, encountering Spy and love interest Ada Wong as he goes. The game plays homage to all it achieved and tightens it up, the original game’s final third always felt a little bloated and drawn out, but that is not the case here, The gameplay has been tightened up and cut close together removing unnecessary gameplay loops that were there just for the sake of filler, which gives the final acts of the game more direction and purpose whilst maintaining all the horror and suspense that is all too easily lost in horror titles at this late stage in the game.
QUICK TIME EVENT INCOMING! I’m only joking no need to panic. To my surprise, the QTE mechanics of the original game have been cut down dramatically from the game, and I feel this is for the betterment of the remake and gaming in the modern age, instead they have been replaced with new gameplay mechanics that will offer a more rewarding and immersive experience in the world. Evasion of enemies has never been easier, with all the freedom of a 2023 game such as twin-stick movement and targeting with a less resistant Leon. Freedom to move around the environment during combat has been expanded, no more opening a menu to change weapons or grinding to a complete halt to unholster a weapon, all of these things can be done on the move, and more importantly being able to shoot down enemies and move is here this time. Strafing backward and popping shots into the heads of the ever-approaching hordes of zombies never felt so good. This is a huge change that really gives the game a quality of life improvement. This isn’t something that will shock you if you’ve never played the original and are new to the game but for those of us fans who did this is a big and welcome change. However, the biggest change of all is the use of the knife. The combat knife can now be used to counter enemy attacks. That is right, not just to awkwardly swing at boxes and barrels for ammunition (which has also been improved with the ability to break them with a single button press now) whether its projectiles being thrown at Leon or pitchforks are being driven towards his very face, pressing dedicated knife button at the right time will counter an attack. Or the knife can be used to sneak up and swiftly finish off an unsuspecting enemy, using the new crouch ability to sneak around a corner and initiate a takedown of an unsuspecting zombie farmer is satisfying yet intense, it feels quick yet the feeling of noise is always present and keeps the gameplay tense. All of these combined make for a far more fluid combat system that can be enjoyed by a new and returning audience who are comfortable with survival horror mechanics of the games today.
Now Resident Evil has never been labelled as easy. But for those who like a challenge or even those who want to give this series a go but are not sure if they will be comfortable with it, there are difficulty modes that can help offer the experience you want. Assisted and Standard modes offer an easier or regular idea of how to play the game, but modes such as hardcore or professional difficulty offer a more punishing level of gameplay that will test your metal if that’s what you’re looking for. Regardless of the level of gameplay the star attraction of Resident Evil is — the Evil, the monsters you will encounter, and there is no way to ever really settle into a strategy of monster slaying as once you’re comfortably grabbing headshots on the zombies, they will start wearing metal helmets to force a tactic change, then once you’ve adjusted to that they will gain deadly tendrils that explode from what should be a defeated enemy and you have to keep distance and, then again once you’ve figured out how to take down these nightmare fueled monstrosities you’ll arrive at a head-on with a mutating, unstoppable regenerating monster that can regenerate every limb and part like like a super fast and very evil Dr Who.
When ammunition is at a premium it’s good to check for strategies and tactics that will save you those precious bullets, we all know the coveted red barrel that can help out in a pinch, and we now have a counter mechanic with our trusty knife. But what if the answer we seek is simply more guns? Well, we have a trusty friend to rely on for that in the form of — The mysterious Merchant. Our trusted shady, traveling gunsmith is back to help us out in our fight to rescue Ashley. Like a strange mystical pop-up shop full of gadgets and guns, the Merchant offers an array of upgrades to our weapons, new guns, and recipes to craft ammunition and items on the go. He also offers us an array of side quests to complete, like shooting blue medallions or collecting golden chicken eggs for the special in-game currency — Spinals, to spend on unique items and upgrades outside his standard wares on offer. In comparison to the original game, the merchant feels far more generous with selling items and buybacks, allowing for more to return to the player and keeping the gameplay feeling far fairer if you accidentally sell your best weapon to him and need it back (which I happened to do a couple of times in my haste). The shooting range is back again, only this time it’s accessed a lot earlier from the merchant and can offer rewards for playing through the fast-paced mini-game. Coins and tokens can be collected for doing well in the challenges that can then be exchanged for little Charms and unique items to give gameplay benefits to Leon.
Now I’m currently writing this January 2024 so there have been a couple of surprise goodies for Resident Evil 4 remake added to the game over the year in its release. The first is the returning DLC of Separate Ways. A much shorter yet completely individual gameplay experience showing the events of the game’s story from the perspective of the very popular Mercenary for Hire — Ada Wong. Using her grapple gun and high-tech gadgetry to aid her on the island we get to play the segments of a new story that you don’t get to see when playing through the main campaign with Leon, adding far more context to the situation at hand and adding a new layer of story to sink into. Also released at the end of the year was a dedicated PlayStation VR mode. Receiving the same treatment as Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil 4’s VR mode is almost like playing a brand-new game in itself. Placing yourself literally in Leon’s shoes to face off against the island zombies, parasites and monsters is a truly terrifying way to experience the game, but it is also very rewarding and worth the sweaty palm-inducing fear that you may experience when face-to-face with Regenerators in a first-person perspective. Controls in VR can be a little janky but once you get past the initial start-up steps and learn the control scheme it becomes a tense but fun ride. Also returning to the game is the legendary Mercenaries mode, designed to offer another way to replay the game but with a new twist. Working as a wave-based assault mode, featuring time attack challenges and several characters to play as, another place to sink hours of fun into when you’ve exhausted the main campaign and all you can explore, collect, and destroy.
Being a fan of the original or new to the series it makes no difference, Resident Evil 4 remake is a game that I have no doubts about recommending to anyone, it’s a perfect blend of survival action horror in the modern-day era of gaming when the market can feel a little saturated at times. With new and enriching details to feast your eyes upon, a 3D sound system to pull you further into the creepy atmosphere, and a dozen quality-of-life changes to improve the game along with some drastically overhauled gameplay mechanics the game is relentless, and that’s why we love it. The Team over at Capcom should be proud of this fabulous achievement, Umbrella may not have been able to splice the perfect parasite, but Capcom has managed to weave together a perfect specimen with Resident Evil 4.
10/10
Reviewed by — Matthew Terry
