Knives Out: Talk to the game’s producer about Resident Evil 4’s updated combat

Earlier this year we marked Resident Evil 4 as one of the most anticipated games to launch in 2023 – and with good reason! This remake takes on the monumental challenge of not only building on two outstanding recent remakes, Resident Evil 2 And Resident Evil 3but with the aim of recapturing everything the original survival horror classic delivered when it first launched in 2005.

Recently we checked out some pre-gameplay footage from Resident Evil 4 in action, and we couldn’t help but notice that the fight seemed a bit quicker than we remembered. Ducks, dodges, and fast melee counterattacks (and of course roundhouse kicks) seemed to hit faster. Of course it has It’s been a minute since we last played the original. To get a better feel for what combat will be like in the upcoming game, we really appreciated the opportunity to speak with him Resident Evil 4 Producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi to learn more.

“First of all, speeding up the combat wasn’t one of our goals – our overarching goal was to reimagine the game while maintaining the pace and content of the original,” explains Yoshiaki. “I think you’ll find it RE4The balance between horror and action – and elements that give you a brief respite from it – are all similar to the original.”

“Our overall goal was to re-imagine the game while maintaining the pace and content of the original.”

Yoshiaki mentioned that all of these combat elements were reconstructed, including the control scheme, to help make the remake feel more modern, similar to games made today. “The fight isn’t faster, it’s more flexible,” he says.

This flexibility in the remake’s movement is due to changes made to the controls. In order to keep the pace of the game, the development team adjusted the behavior of the enemies and the design of the environment layer accordingly. For example, the ability to parry was a feature that grew out of these trial-and-error adaptations.

“We were wondering how we could recreate the Krauser knife fight in a way that actually happens in real gameplay,” he says. “From there, we realized that the Parade fitted well with the game’s systems in general and implemented it throughout [the game] …You may find yourself in a situation where combat is heavily focused on using a knife. So mastering the parry is very useful, and timing for a successful parry depends on the difficulty the game is set.”

The knife can’t just go in Be Resident Evil 4 Used to attack and parry, but can also be used as a follow-up attack to hit downed enemies – and to perform a stealth kill if you can get up close to an enemy from behind without them noticing.

“Stealth, while not mandatory for the game, is an important element that expands the variety of strategies available. But it’s also just one of the possible options,” Yoshiaki continues. “I hope that as you play, you’ll just remember that it’s available to you and that you use it if you think it’s a good idea.”

“Stealth, while not mandatory for the game, is an important element that expands the variety of strategies available.“

Aside from the knife, there will also be some new weapons for Leon this time around, including a bolt thrower (which shoots bolts, of course) that will have some similarities to the mine launcher from the original game. “You can attack with the Bolt Thrower without making any noise, and if you retrieve the bolts you fired, you can use them again. It’s also possible to attach explosives to the bolts,” explains Yoshiaki.

The team also studied how enemies react and respond to Leon. For example, if Leon can move even when he’s readying a weapon, that will now lead to more flexibility in how players can attack enemies. Speaking of which, enemies have also been adjusted to respond to some of the new ways players can control Leon, using their strength in numbers in more ways than in the original game.

An example that illustrated this in action was the point in the game where Leon was escorting Ashley. Cornered in an old chapel, numerous zealots with medieval-looking scythes and flails rushed in to quickly crowd and surround him. As he ducked and dodged (and ran) from enemies, he quickly reloaded and fired his pistol – until he ran out of ammo. If it weren’t for a few quick roundhouse kicks and knife saves, Leon would have been done for.

We also looked at some of the ways to stun and slow down these enemies. In one instance, a zealot had captured Ashley and started running away with her. With a quick shot to the back of its leg, it dropped to its knees, dumping Ashley and leaving it open for a suplex wrestling move (why not?).

“Enemy weak points were a big part of the original and we kept that for the remake,” says Yoshiaki. “Defeating enemies from afar with long-range weapons like firearms, and defeating enemies with melee attacks after targeting certain points are both (still) possible.”

The development team didn’t radically tweak any of the enemy kill animations, so all your favorite lumbering enemies will crumble to the ground just as you remember. Instead, the focus was on maintaining the variety and methods of attacks that could be used to bring them down. As for a personal favorite? Yoshiaki was eager to share.

“Weak spots on enemies were a big part of the original and we kept that for the remake.“

“Personally, I mainly use the pistol to target enemy body parts regardless of how close the enemy is, and once they’re stunned, follow up with a melee attack to finish them off – I hope you find a playstyle that suits your preferences.” , and I hope you enjoy the modern controls, advanced strategies, and combat with even more formidable enemies!”

Best of all, we can start trying out new strategies before the release of today Resident Evil 4 later this month thanks to the new demo now available for Xbox Series X|S players. You can get that here.

Seek Resident Evil 4 will shuffle to the Xbox Series X|S on March 23, 2023. It’s available for pre-order today on the Xbox Store in both default or deluxe edition.