Resident Evil 4 remake review: A must-play for any Resident Evil fan
Of all the entries in Resident Evil's long lineage, many would say that Resident Evil 4 burns brightest in their minds, with memorable moments including the first time blocking doors from the chainsaw-wielding ‘Dr Salvador’, mashing buttons as Leon escaped a boulder Indiana Jones-style or watching Ashley being carried away while battling inside the 'water room', which – let's be honest – tested all of us.
While no one will argue the quality of Resident Evil 4 as a game, it’s possibly the most interesting entry in the series to try and remake – not just because it still stands up so well today (thanks in part to its fairly recent HD release), but also because it was the entry that breathed new life into the franchise while setting the series down a path that many fans disliked, with its heavy focus on action.
Edgy hair, cool quips and drop kicks galore, it was the most ‘video game’ entry of them all at the time, and eventually lead to Chris punching boulders in a volcano…
This remake was always going to be a rebuilding that required subtlety to refine what worked so well and the courage to scrap the parts that anchored it to a different era in the industry (we’re looking at you, quick time events), and thankfully, Capcom has nailed it.
The game centres on Leon Kennedy around six years after the Raccoon City incident. He’s no longer the greenhorn policeman and is, in fact, now working for the CIA. On a mission to rescue the president's daughter from a cult called Los Iluminados, somewhere in rural Spain, Leon quickly finds himself in the middle of a bio-terrorist plot to control the president himself.
The Los Ganados who populate the village aren’t your average zombies, either. Infected with Las Plagas, they’re free to work together, dodge, use weapons and, should you do enough damage, may well mutate into more dangerous forms.
As you first wander through the village, you’ll quickly get to grips with the combat system which hasn’t changed much since the original. It’s tighter and more refined – Leon can now move while aiming, for example – but it is much the same core ideas.
That is, however, except for the knife, which is now absolutely your best friend in the remake. Similar to the changes for Resident Evil 2's remake, knives can break.
Leon's trusty blade can be repaired if you’ve got the parts, but you’ll also find an assortment of other knives as pick-ups, which aren’t just for breaking boxes or disarming traps. You can stealth kill certain enemies, finish them off on the ground after a well-timed kick, and even deflect thrown axes or revving chainsaws.
With ammo often in short supply in the harder difficulties, we found ourselves relying on our knife to break us out of dangerous situations or finish off some of the more persistent Ganados. And if you thought the over-the-top high kicks and power slams might not make a return, they absolutely do and now are even more fun to pull off if you can line them up with knife parries and finishers.
Enemy variety is something Resident Evil 4 does extremely well. While every group of villagers or religious zealots offer their own tense challenge, perhaps one of the most fear-inducing returns is that of the Garrador.
These rage-filled, hulking mutants can’t see but hear extremely well, which leads to a truly terrifying battle in a tight blood-soaked chamber – taking everything you’d expect and amping it right up. We don’t want to spoil too much, because this initial scene is a real highlight, taking some inspiration from more modern horror titles and polishing the original experience.
Resident Evil 4 even dips into its own history, exploring enemies that never made it into the original title and giving them new life in the remake.
Yes, those nightmare-inducing sketches of spiders wrapped around an enemy's back, puppeting their actions, are now very real, with spider/scorpion-looking creatures skating across the floor and attaching themselves to zealots. It’s gross, frightening and just great.
Money, and the iconic Merchant, are still around, further expanded to help you appreciate the world more and backtrack for puzzles and treasures. The Blue Medallions make a return, but thanks to request notes found around the map, you’ll be challenged to fulfil other tasks in order to unlock Spinels.
Expect to be kept busy and have your shooting skills challenged while chasing those special upgrades.
Speaking of upgrades, charms are a new addition. As you discover them, they’ll clip to your attaché case and offer certain buffs such as increased chances to craft more handgun ammo or receiving greater health from green herbs. They’re a nice addition and allow you to really customise your playstyle.
A big part of Resident Evil 4 is traversing the map with Ashley in tow, something that will bring up some frustrating memories for fans of the original. This time around, Capcom has really built on the experience so this is much less of a chore and her character overall is less annoying to be around.
The mechanics when Leon and Ashley work together have been refined into two simple instructions: follow tight or stay loose. If you tell Ashley to stick tight to Leon, running past enemies is much easier. She’ll dodge and weave to an extent, which is best for those situations where you don’t have the time or ammo to fight off a horde.
When you’re in the mood to take on the surrounding enemies, telling Ashley to stay loose means she’ll do her best to hide or stay away from danger, giving you time to clear enemies before they can get close to her. This won’t work for too long, but the instruction makes keeping Ashley safe so much easier.
This refining extends to sections where you control Ashley. Much like how we saw Sherry's role expanded in Resident Evil 2's remake, there’s a really interesting exploration of Ashley where she's forced to survive without Leon. It's reminiscent of Haunting Ground, another Capcom survival horror classic, and the care put into these sections is really appreciated.
This care and subtle development is endemic through the whole of Resident Evil 4. The story, as you’d expect, follows the same beats, but there are surprises thrown in for good measure. It’s great to see how Capcom has managed to flesh out a lot of threads and character moments.
Characters like Krauser and Luis have a new lease of life, and there are callbacks and nods to other entries in the series (including less mainline titles such as Darkside Chronicles, the on-rails shooter you may remember from the Nintendo Wii’s heydays).
What Capcom has done is less of a re-imagining and more a celebratory culmination of all the series' ideas. Resident Evil 4 is an absolute blast, retaining all its bombastic and over-the-top ideas while injecting some more modern horror and quality-of-life changes. It's a must for any Resident Evil fan, and if you’re new to the series, what a great place to start!
Platform reviewed on: Xbox Series X
Resident Evil 4 is out on March 24 on PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
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