As far as remakes go, RE4 is the cream of the crop. In the last decade or so, the gaming industry has been swarmed with, Remakes, Remasters, Reboots, Reimaginings, etc. Many gamers have been open to the idea of their favorite games receiving the update treatment. The mainline Resident Evil games seem to all be going through this process with Capcom’s new RE Engine.
RE2 Remake was a huge success as well as RE3 to a lesser extent. However, I can boldly claim that RE4 is the best remake of a video game I’ve ever played. I went back and played through the original 2005 version prior to this release and playing them back-to-back is still a fresh experience. Objectively, I’d say RE4 Remake surpasses the original in terms of overall gameplay including combat and presentation. The combat feels smooth as ever, much more fluid and breezy than the original. Almost 20 years later, Capcom has taken what many consider to be one of the greatest games of all time and enhanced it even farther.
The console limitations of the PS2 hardware also lended itself in favor of the ominous vibe and harrowing atmosphere which has somewhat been lost over the last 18 years but that’s been the evolution of all horror games it seems. Those who grew up during the PS2 era will know what I mean about that dreary sense of seclusion you felt with older games verses newer ones (ie: Silent Hill 2) It seems that same subtle sense of isolation has somewhat fizzled out over the years.
Resident Evil 4 Remake is easily a must-play and I would go as far as to say the best the series has seen. However, it is not without its mild criticisms. There are a few cheeky lines or quips from our main hero Leon that are cut out or replaced entirely. A lot of the campiness is taken into a slightly more mature approach, which may put some people off but I don’t think its a huge deterrent. It still is pretty silly overall. I personally prefer Salazars original design and character over the new. There’s a few alternations here and there that made me sigh a bit but they’re generally harmless as a whole.
Nitpicks aside, if you’re a fan of the survival horror genre, I would say this belongs in your collection among the other all time greats. This could be your introduction to the Resident Evil series if you’re unfamiliar and it would still be a great place to start.
Verdict: 10/10 (Best game in the series)
https://opencritic.com/game/14200/resident-evil-4-2023-
Chao,
Mikhail