Dsince the launch of Resident Evil 4 (RE4) original, in January 2005 for the GameCube, the Capcom video game has been released on a large number of platforms. This game over the years has not stopped receiving praise from critics and the public. For this reason, three years ago —when they just came to light the first rumors of the development of the reimagining of RE4— we thought that Resident Evil 4, the admirable prodigal son of the cube, I didn’t need a ‘remake’. Now, we have already been able to test the ‘remake’ of Resident Evil 4. So in our review of RE4 They will know if this reimagining of one of the legendary Capcom Five for GameCube is worth it or not. Without further ado, we invite you to know our opinion on one of the games that revolutionized the genre and created a standard in third-person games.
review index Resident Evil 4 (RE4) ‘remake’
A discreet alignment with the new canon of the franchise
The history of the ‘remake’ of Resident Evil 4 remains essentially intact. However, with the ‘remake’ Capcom has taken the opportunity to give more context to events such as ashley kidnapping Graham or the arrival of Los Illuminados to the village. This last event is thoroughly explored thanks to different archives and photographic images that we will find throughout our adventure through the gloomy Spanish town, from which we must escape. Additionally, some events have been modified or redistributed to fit the story that Capcom tells us in the ‘remake’ of Resident Evil 4.
Another aspect that improves the ‘remake’ of Resident Evil 4 compared to the original is the introduction of Osmund Saddler. Now this villain has more weight in the story and his background helps us understand the motivations behind the kidnapping of the daughter of the President of the United States. The same goes for the origin of the Plagues and their future connection to the next chapter in the Capcom saga. Additionally, in Resident Evil 4 (RE4) ‘remake’, Ashley Graham is not a “vulnerable” character —as she was described by the voice actress who brought her to life in the original— since this time she has a clear evolution throughout the game.
Changes that make the ‘remake’ of Resident Evil 4 (RE4) is enjoyed like the first time
Many of the changes that the ‘remake’ of Resident Evil 4 (RE4) presents can be experienced in Chainsaw Demo. In the final game, the changes of Resident Evil 4 (RE4) ‘remake’ allow the player to decide the rate at which he will attack enemies. Since Leon can now crouch and the new properties of the knife, stealth is a viable option to save ammunition or cross an area without being detected -something that in the original was not an option. The knife also has offensive uses thanks to the ‘parry’ mechanics.
The knife in the ‘remake’ of Resident Evil 4 (RE4) also has offensive properties. These allow the player to take cover from enemy attacks or counterattack if they parry the moment the button (L1 or LB) appears instead of the knife icon. If you execute the ‘parry’ correctly, you can counterattack the enemies. Those who attack us melee -even some of the bosses- we can finish them off. If they attack us with arrows or axes, we can reflect them so they don’t hurt us. However, if they throw dynamite or Molotov cocktails at us thanks to the perfect ‘parry’ we can return these objects to the enemies with the damage that this entails for them. This mechanic combined with the ability to dodge some attacks makes battles smooth and the player can strategize to get out of an area with a lot of enemies.
Exploration and side missions
Resident Evil 4 (RE4) still has a linear scan. However, there are some zones or secondary missions that urge us to return to some sectors to collect some treasure or fulfill orders from the merchant (peddler). These new additions that Capcom has implemented in the ‘remake’ of Resident Evil 4 (RE4) bring more life to the game and never feel forced or break the rhythm of the game. It should be noted that these secondary missions are totally optional and that —like the original title— the ‘remake’ of Resident Evil 4 (RE4) can be spent in eight hours completing a good number of these secondary activities or even in less than three hours if we know the game perfectly. Our first experience with this game took us 20 hours considering the time we spent looking for all the Mechanical Castilians.
The shooting gallery returns and now in the ‘remake’ of Resident Evil 4 (RE4) serves to collect the gachapones. These collectibles are now not just for show, as each one has effects that help Leon in different ways. Some help to have discounts with the merchant (peddler), others allow some type of resource to come out more frequently and others increase the ammunition that we can create among other effects that are undoubtedly worth discovering.
The ‘remake of Resident Evil 4 (RE4) is the game that best makes use of the RE Engine
The performance of the ‘remake’ of Resident Evil 4 (RE4) on PC is outstanding. Additionally, the configuration tool allows the user to know how much video memory they are devoting to the game at all times. This is ideal for entry computers, which is in addition to using FSR 1 or 2. This technology gives more options to users to configure the game with different parameters.
The sound, as in previous games of the franchise, is a fundamental part of the user experience and in Resident Evil 4 (RE4) This is an aspect that is extremely careful. Since, thanks to the sound in some places the tension increases. Additionally, the great implementation of sound in Resident Evil 4 (RE4) ‘remake’ helps the player to know the position of some of the enemies.
Resident Evil 4 (RE4) is, like the recent reimagining of Dead Space, a great example of how to do a ‘remake’. Capcom has managed to add new mechanics, enemies, locations to the original formula, and has ordered the story so that it is consistent with the new canon it is building. Unfortunately, some content was not on time with the launch, but this is not an impediment for us to recommend the ‘remake’ of Resident Evil 4 and of course postulate it as one of the best games of 2023.
Review made using a digital copy of Resident Evil 4 ‘remake’ for PC (Steam) provided by Capcom.
The ‘remake’ of Resident Evil 4 it is also available for PlayStation 5, PS4 and Xbox Series X|S.
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