Resident Evil 4 remake gets better with every showing
Resident Evil 4 is getting an entirely transformative remake that’s shaping up to be one of the best games in the entire series. Leon’s European hiking trip is still dark and moody, but it’s spliced with more action than ever before – roundhouse kicks and suplex finishers for days.
I am a massive fan of the original game, and I know its darkened halls and ramshackle villages like the floor tiles in my toilet, so I can’t help but get excited with each area I recognize, and even more hyped for every area that looks to be totally new. A recent State of Play trailer stole the show while debuting a bunch of new features, including fighting alongside Luis Sera – the strapping rogue that Leon meets on his adventure – in new scenarios.
But it’s in new footage that Capcom has shared with GLHF where my anticipation goes over the edge. It takes me only a moment to recognize the Merchant’s lake-side hut, but from the quick glimpse, we can see everything has been totally revised. No more big boxes to push around, and a brand new puzzle to tease players. Getting to and from the hut is better than ever too, as Leon can drive a small boat through the underground waterways that connect the areas, driving over barrels to collect Pesetas as he goes.
The basic gameplay loop is similar, but enhanced. Leon still has his tactical melee strikes he can rely on when running low on ammunition, but we repeatedly see Leon parrying attacks with his knife, whether that’s powerful swings from a frenzied Garrador, or even crossbow bolts that are flying his way. It adds a dynamic element to combat that can also make you look incredibly cool as you play. Another incident with a Garrador sees Leon use stealth to sneak up and stab it in its weakspot on the back – almost impossibly cool.
The new stealth mechanics allow for fresh ways to take down old foes.
The Merchant has been upgraded too, as he now has quests that Leon can undertake. The familiar blue parchment pages are still found in different areas, and they now offer Leon optional objectives for a few rewards – the one example we see has the Merchant seeking a gold chicken egg. Sell a gold chicken egg to him in any area, and Leon receives three Spinels, which we assume he just sells straight back to him. It’ll be interesting to see what other optional objectives will appear throughout the game.
We also get a better look Leon’s attache case, which can now be customized and rotated in 3D. Fancy! If you’ve never played Resident Evil 4, it’ll seem minor, but this is incredibly important for fans.
The Merchant is more useful than ever.
The iconic segment where Leon is fighting against monks as flaming rocks are being catapulted at him and Ashley is fully recreated, and it’s glorious. The overall layout of the stage is almost identical to the original, but smart tweaks have been made, such as the placement of red barrels you can shoot to deactivate the catapults. With the swirling music, encroaching enemies, and barrage of projectiles, it makes for a suitably intense set-piece that you control the pace of. Speaking of control, you can even aim and shoot the cannon yourself.
Throughout the footage we get glimpses of new features and additions, such as new blue medallions to shoot, new paths, or even weapons, such as the crossbow which packs explosive bolts. These seem to provide a real punch, and again, I’m just eager to see what I can do with these against a variety of enemies.
Krauser is back, and your knife skills will be put to the test.
Finally, there’s the Krauser knife fight, which has been totally overhauled. In the original game this was a simple series of quick-time events for the player to tap through, but here it’s a proper in-game engagement, which sees Leon cut and parry his way through Krauser’s assault.
Resident Evil 4 looks set to be one of the best games of 2023 in a year that is packed to the brim with excellent titles, and most importantly, it’s offering a great game for first-time players, and a titillating new experience for the old school crowd. This is not one to miss in 2023.
