This review has to start a little differently. Namely, a warning that Capcom is very careful about what we can show you from the game and what we can say about it. The Resident Evil 4 survival horror remake comes with a number of strict embargoes that must be adhered to at this time. So I won’t always be able to be as descriptive about the various news and changes as you might like. Undoubtedly, the reason for this is the publisher’s belief that many things must be discovered by the players themselves. From my point of view, it does not change anything about the evaluation itself. I just won’t always be able to accurately name every specific example. So much for the introduction, and now we can get down to the review itself.
I will not put off the essentials for later. If you’re waiting with bated breath to see if the new product succeeds or if it betrays the original, I think you can breathe a sigh of relief. Capcom did not allow any further hesitation as in the case of the remake of the trio, and learned from the criticism, they are trying to serve us an authentic Resident Evil 4. But one that, according to him, will be appreciated not only by those who remember the original, but also by new players. I almost didn’t feel the usual dilemma of how to evaluate improved versions of older games this time, because the remake for the most part, despite the fact that the original was released back in 2005, feels like a modern game. Partly thanks to the fact that the developers are sometimes scrupulously sticking to the blueprint, but at other times they weren’t afraid to touch the game. And so you come across parts and scenes that are essentially identical, only in modern graphics or devoid of most quick-time events, but at the same time there are a number of deviations and novelties in the game. And it’s not just the script edits that dropped some spicy hints about Ashley. But the important thing is that despite these changes, Resident Evil 4 looks authentic in every situation.
The remake has opened up a bit, even if it doesn’t offer an open world in the true sense of the word, it invites more exploration and, in my opinion, offers more variety and interaction. Perhaps a little in the manner of the recent remake of the sci-fi horror Dead Space. But Capcom has the advantage of improving on a game that’s even a generation older, so its upgrades are more noticeable at first glance. After all, the game looks great. I had high expectations for the remake and RE Engine, but the reality may have exceeded them. On the PS5, the new product looks really nice and what is probably the most interesting, not only does it offer independent turning off and on of ray tracing in addition to the resolution and framerate mode, but above all it moves faster than expected, even if you bet on the best looking graphics. I almost always reach for performance mode, but here I had no problem playing in quality mode either. In addition, you can also adjust a few other visual elements on consoles, which is not quite usual.
When developers want to and find it beneficial, they stick to the original extremely closely. Elsewhere, however, he calmly lets his imagination run wild, apparently in an attempt to refresh the original experience, update it and surprise veterans as well.
As for the technical side, very fast loadings or nice cutscenes are also worth mentioning. These are often mixed with successful boss fights, and in this case it is true that when the developers want and consider it beneficial, they stick to the original extremely precisely. Elsewhere, however, he calmly lets his imagination run wild, apparently in an attempt to refresh the original experience, update it and surprise veterans as well. I can only speak concretely about the partial changes that the authors have already disclosed. There was mention of a reduction in quick-time events, even in boss fights, you can have more knives, but they wear out and get destroyed when you use them. You can, however, repair the basic one at a reputable dealer. This is a very useful weapon. After all, you will come across more news here. I can only generally suggest adjustments to the briefcase representing your inventory. It’s better to work with today, and managing your gear still plays an important role, as befits the series.
You also no doubt know that in situations where Leona is accompanied by Ashley, you can instruct her a little differently. Your job is to protect her at all costs, not to let her get kidnapped or hurt. So, among other things, you have to tell him to hide or how far to stay away from you every now and then. In return, she will sometimes help you get to places that would otherwise be inaccessible to you. Again, I probably won’t be more specific, because in addition to the limitations related to the current version, I also don’t want to reveal more of the story than necessary, even to those who have never played the original game. And I can imagine that there can be a lot of such potential candidates among the players today.
Therefore, we will remember only the most basic things from the story. The main character, Leon S. Kennedy, is searching for Ashley Graham, the daughter of the American president. His mission takes him to a mysterious Spanish village, which is a good reminder of how Resident Evil Village was inspired by the fourth installment. Even though we’ve left Racoon City and are facing new threats, it’s typical Resident Evil full of grotesque characters, but also exaggeration. In this regard, I do not envy the developers their task. Apparently, they wanted to combine the classic concept, but also intervene in it with modern elements in places. First of all I have to stress that the story was not a hindrance for me, I enjoyed this adventure again. But sometimes it didn’t work for me like it used to. It’s difficult for me to try to empathize with someone who doesn’t know him and imagine how he will affect them. And it’s actually just as hard to say how it will affect veterans today. But some parts of it didn’t age very well for me, and alongside the modern gameplay, it was probably the loudest reminder of how old the original actually is.
It’s the same with some game situations. As a whole, the game still works great today. But there were places that I found more boring in terms of gameplay. At the same time, I don’t think it’s necessarily just the care the developers have given to the scenes. For example, the beginning of the game, in my opinion, deliberately sticks more to the original and I find it better than some of the later parts, regardless of whether they have been modernized or not. The good dubbing and sound in general also contributed to my good impression of the game. Although you may miss some of the voices if they’ve gotten too deep under your skin over the years.
The developers managed to sensitively update the title so that it still feels like an authentic Resident Evil 4.
When it comes to how faithful the new game is to the original game, fans often mention the scope as well. After the remake of the trio, concerns about shortening are understandable. Since the current version contains some changes, the passage through individual locations may not work out 1:1 even in terms of time. But the important thing is that I have the impression that the game is similar in length to the original. Of course, as always, it depends on your skill, but I think the average will be around 15 hours. From the point of view of the menu, it also seems likely that Capcom can somehow expand the content of Resident Evil 4 even beyond the officially announced free VR mode, which will arrive in the game in the form of a free update. The title already offers various mostly collectible bonuses in exchange for completing special challenges.
The key question is whether Resident Evil 4 will please fans in this form. This is extremely difficult to answer because we are all different. I can imagine that there will be players who will be unpleasantly surprised by some of the content changes and will be convinced that Capcom should not have interfered with the script. For example, with the words that the authors should have only modernized the graphics and controls and not touched the skeleton of the game at all. Or, on the contrary, someone will argue that there could have been more adjustments to get rid of some conceptually old-fashioned moments. But then again, it wouldn’t be a remake, but rather a reimagining. What I mean by this is that for me personally, the developers found a middle ground and as I mentioned before, they managed to sensitively update the title so that it still feels like an authentic Resident Evil 4. For me, this is the best possible new version of RE4 that is contemporary enough, but it’s still a title that won’t deny its origins. And that is only good, despite a certain burden.
