Resident Evil 4 Remake Review

THE HORROR SURVIVAL GENRE’S SAVIOUR?!

The Resident Evil franchise is known to many as an excellent Japanese horror game franchise. Having sold 154 million copies as of December 2023 and has multiple instalments, it’s safe to say the series isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. But, where did it all begin?

The first Resident Evil game was created by Shinji Mikami and Tokuro Fujiwara and released in 1996. From the moment it was released, Resident Evil became extremely popular and ranked as the 91st game of all time by the next generation. Fortunately for us, Capcom chose to capitalise on its success and make more instalments. This would lead to Resident Evil 4, the game that revolutionised and changed the survival horror genre for the better.

Featuring Leon Kennedy (who first appeared in Resident Evil 2), the game added elements of action and mixed it with the survival horror genre. Despite facing criticism, the game soon became a cross-platform hit.

As of recently, Capcom has turned their attention to remaking the games of this franchise. After seeing the success of Resident Evil 2 and 3, it was almost certain Resident Evil 4 would also be remade.

EXPERIENCING THE RESIDENT EVIL WORLD THROUGH LEON KENNEDY.

After barely surviving the horrific Racoon City Incident, our protagonist Leon Kennedy is thrown head first into the fictional city “El Pablo,” located in Spain, in order to track down and
safely bring back the US president’s daughter Ashely.

Leon’s survival skills really come to fruition in this instalment. He’s confident in his skills and himself, which I believe translates well to the gameplay through Leon’s devotion to finding Ashely.

Both the cutscenes that involve Leon and the ones that do not do an excellent job at establishing the mood and overall tone of the game. Scenes often highlight Leon’s competence as an agent, further expanding the narrative and the presence of an incoming/already established threat. This is done for most enemies and does an excellent job at establishing what they’re capable of doing in a short amount of time.

However, whenever Leon and Ashely were separated, it started to feel repetitive after a short while. As the mastermind would often appear and kidnap Ashely. Although I believe this could have been improved, such as using other reasons to separate Ashely and Leon, it is ultimately a small problem for what is otherwise a good narrative.

The game’s lore is also told throughout the levels and does an amazing job at making the world of Resident Evil feel alive. Examples of this include diaries of possessed villagers, workers, and those more involved with Ashley’s disappearance. It would be recommended to seek these out if you want to learn all you can about the game’s lore and characters.

In terms of gameplay, Leon is extremely fast and powerful. As the player, you are able to shoot your way through hordes of enemies while keeping up with powerful bosses. This is certainly where the action aspect of the Resident Evil 4 remake becomes apparent. Horror games such as Haunting Grounds (2005) often have weak protagonists in an attempt to create feelings of helplessness for the player. Resident Evil 4 opts out of this notion entirely, choosing to instead give players the ability to fight back in effective ways. This is well done, as the gameplay works together with the narrative.

When it comes to playing as Leon, I can do nothing but praise the team for making the experience both immersive and not contradictory to his character.

IT IS A LOT MORE DIFFICULT THAN IT LOOKS!

This game is certainly difficult. From the unique and difficult puzzles to the extremely powerful enemies, everything felt like a captivating test with the occasional headache. This became obvious on the very first mission. Sadly, I died a total of fourteen times to the infamous Chainsaw man! But on a serious note, this game’s missions are immersive to the point that it is difficult. After all, it is predominantly one man fighting against an army of zombies. From this encounter alone, I can tell you that the game forces you to think on your feet. To use your bullets effectively and to always expect a huge boss to throw itself at you when you get lots of ammunition. Despite this element of the game being hard to get used to, players looking for a challenging experience will certainly enjoy this game from start to finish.

Secondly, the game punishes you for underestimating the missions, especially for missions 14, 15, and 16. Which had me ducking, weaving, and praying that my bullets don’t run out or I don’t run into a heavy-hitting enemy. Which is why it is always a good idea to scout out areas for any barrels or leftover ammunition, because you will definitely need it.

The puzzles in this game are by far the hardest parts of this game. As they are not only complicated but unique. They force you to really think, applying different methods in order to see the door unlock. However, some of the puzzles seemed almost impossible to do without help from outside/other people.

THERE’S YELLOW PAINT EVERYWHERE!

One of the biggest criticisms this game has faced is its use of yellow paint. It is certainly a two-edged sword, as on one end it will help you locate ammunition and items in your missions. However, it does put a hole in what would otherwise be a fully immersive experience.

It would have been more effective to use objects that relate to the lore in order to make it more authentic. For example, adding things such as bullet shots to the barrels to distinguish them from ones that can’t be interacted with.

The yellow paint is a small hindrance and would only be a problem for players who want nothing but a completely immersive experience.

FINAL THOUGHTS.

Just from playing the game, I can see the amount of effort that has been put into it in order to make it a thrilling experience for players. From the enemy and level designs to the spectacular gameplay, this game has really outdone itself.