Resident Evil 4 (2023) Review
Played on PlayStation 5
Developed by Capcom
Released 24th March 2023
Resident Evil 4 was originally released in 2005. In that year alone; it was a certified classic, ranking high among other legendary titles as one of the best video games out there; it won the Game of the Year award, beating out God of War, Yakuza and Devil May Cry 3; it has sold more than 12 million units as of December 2022, holding the record for "Best-Selling Survival Horror Game" in the 2012 Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition, and much more. With a defining action-survival-horror opus, how could Capcom outdo themselves? Well, why not just remake the same great game? That opportunity arose as Capcom proceeded to remake all the classic Resident Evil games starting with the original in 2002, before restarting that journey with RE2 in 2019, and continuing up until 2023 with this fantastic re-experience. More than just a couple of graphical touch-ups occurred in this developmental process as the game received additions and changes to the core gameplay, tone and overall presentation, making it stand out more as a resurrection of the classic than just a simple makeover.
Playing this game was kind of special for me for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it's one of the few remakes of any videogame where I had played the original prior to release and was able to get hyped for it, compare the reveal trailers and more just like fans of the 2005 title could. Secondly, the most recent RE memory I had was playing Village, a game that was heavily inspired by RE4 and it wasn't until I had played this game that I noticed the influence being heavier than I remembered. Resident Evil as a whole is one of the few franchises that I love and playing through this game revitalised that love in a much grander manner.
Story
The story of this campy-yet-loveable horror is nearly identical to the original. Like previously, it follows Leon S Kennedy as he brute forces his way through a rural village in Spain, occupied by a parasite-harvesting cult, in order to save the President's daughter. The campiness is still present in an enjoyable way and the ridiculous action is still magnificent, but the horror has slightly changed. The whole direction of the game feels more horror-centric with visual changes like mood lighting, designs of environments and more becoming darker and narrative changes like a greater focus on Luis & his connections to the Las Plagas and Krauser's modified motivation to fighting Leon. Originally, horror was used more like a cherry on top of the action-survival foundations with terror feeling slightly saturated and only impactful in its eerie presentation, however, now the action and horror components have swapped roles, breathing in a more engaging experience. That being said, the horror doesn't always deliver but more on that in the Gameplay section, as in the storytelling, the fear factor plays out just fine. These small and seemingly unnecessary changes actually made me enjoy the tale a bit more than I did a year ago, all the way through to the end, something that the classic didn't fully accomplish. Overall, this fusion of remixing of the old content with the new storytelling creates a better, more cohesive, probable and modernised narrative.
Gameplay
The gameplay has received a much-needed improvement on all fronts. My biggest gripe with the 2005 masterclass in survival horror was its tank controls. Tank controls refer to stiff and somewhat clunky movement; the equivalent of controlling a slug. While some praised it for being a catalyst for the tense situations as you couldn't freely evade them, it was a heavy deterrent for me ever replaying the game as it didn't feel enjoyable to deal with, however, the controls and movement have very much been replaced with the gameplay we have been accustomed to in the prior remakes of the series. The movement and shooting still feel slow and heavy, but it's done in a more fluid state, coming across as less jagged and more frightful.
Everything else that was great about the original is still present in this 2023 effort: the clever "pick your shots" playstyle of managing your tight inventory and utilising it in the action-oriented setting, the exciting versatility of enemies and their situationally-intensifying characteristics, the AI companions not being absolute morons and instead being reactive to you and their environments, and more. In addition to these, this remake implements 3 new, gratifying mechanics.
The first is the parry feature. Feeling very much at home, this addition allows you to parry the attacks of your opponents using your, now destructible, knife and it makes for some great close combat encounters and removes the nuisance of QTE-central moments like the original Krauser boss fight. This parry can lead to the infamous roundhouse kick and other distancing, melee attacks of Leon which can be displayed on any stunned enemy. Compared to the other new features that prior remakes tried implementing, like RE3's dodge mechanic, it's clear to see which is superior as this game's parry is great enough to nearly make me forget about that terrible dodge (nearly).
The next addition is the option to do stealth. Being able to crouch and stealthily avoid/takedown the enemies in the area not only narratively fits the training that Leon went through as a character, but it also provides many great opportunities such as giving the player the option to stealthily clear out areas without it being too crucial to progress if you want to go guns blazing instead, or making the Ashley chapters feel even more like a horror game. Part of me wishes it was slightly more expanded upon, with maybe a silenced weapon or a throwable item to distract enemies, however, in its current state, it works wonders.
Finally, the additional feature is the greater focus on side quests. While being able to interact with the Merchant to purchase new crafting recipes, weapons or upgrades is already fantastic enough, the bonus of having mini-side quests to do for extra upgrades is such a good feature that I had to double-check if the original had it or not, given how much of a no-brainer it feels like here. Ranging from destroying a select amount of blue medallions hidden around the level to fighting a mini-boss, these were entertaining enough diversions away from the main objective to satisfy both my intrigue and collecting compulsion.
Compared to the original, there have been modifications made for the sake of veteran players with revised item locations and the inclusion of new enemies like the bull-headed, sledgehammer-wielding lunatic that you encounter early on in the game, and it makes for a fresh experience, despite your familiarity with its predecessor.
As mentioned in the Story section, there has been a greater focus on horror in this experience, but it doesn't necessarily always deliver. Yes, the atmosphere is more haunting and a grand improvement over the 18-year-old game, especially in the castle section as it feels more tonally suitable. But, I probably only felt frightened, scared, jumpscared or stressed 3-4 times and that was in the final area of the game with the terrifying Regenerators (who have improved in terms of terror), however, even their presence was soon undermined by how quickly I came across the Thermal Scope that detects their weaknesses. The main reason the feeling of horror was fleeting was mostly due to the abundance of enemies or abundance of resources fuelling a very heavy shooter motive, however, it could also be argued that my previous experience with the story has somewhat nullified the true extent of the game's horror.
Bossfights
The bossfights are as awesome as I remember them being, if not more, thanks to the graphical improvements and quality-of-life reshaping. Chief Mendez and his centipedic nightmare fuel, Krauser's intimate melee challenge, Verdugo's stalking mentality, and more; each fight was not only great fun but also thematically fitting and consisted of a fantastic presentation. Just like the original, there are so many moments of magnificence within these fights, and unlike the original, they aren't cut short via easy difficulty or being designed as brief interactions.
Characters
The characters have redeemed themselves since my initial exposure to them. While Vogue magazine star, Leon Kennedy, is still the best cast member for how well he's able to latch onto every aspect of the game and amplify its best traits, many other characters feel more defining in their appearances and less forgettable as a result of it. The Merchant is more chatty now, making this an easy GOTY contender because of it, Lord Saddler and Ramon may still feel narratively plain but are more memorable with their dialogue and design (mostly due to the graphical improvement). Ashley has mostly stayed the same, only rarely coming across as an annoying brainlit compared to the "occasionally", and another great change in the remake is how there are fewer sexist comments directed at her. The cheesiness in the game also felt scaled back significantly with fan favourite lines like "Where's everyone going? Bingo?" having a more subdued presence. The cheese is still there, especially in those laughable quips of Leon's, and with how serious and how well-written every other character now comes across, it feels out of place sometimes, but it still mostly stuck the landing for me as I reminisced about how cheesy the 2005 script was.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere is, by far, one of the strongest points of the game. The new, revamped graphical fidelity makes the game look gorgeous and terrifying simultaneously as the shifted focus onto a stronger horror tone is present via the darkened areas and gorier representations of the enemies & environments. From small details on the inspectable objects, and the walls to the grand designs of either the village or the labs, the mood lighting and more are all done to such astonishingly beautiful measures that I regret not taking more screenshots. Last year when I played the original, I found faults in subsequent areas not matching to the same calibre as the previous level. In this remake, I found no such thing as I was fully gripped and immersed in the whole adventure, however, I wouldn't blame that on the fact that I approximately knew how the game would pace itself.
The soundtrack is also phenomenal with nearly every track being as dramatic and fear-inducing as the action occurring on-screen. It doesn't stand out to the same degree that it stays implanted in my head, but, upon relistening to the OST while writing this review, it does successfully develop that twisted dementedness that the game's opponents capture, all while outperforming the original, audibly.
Technically, the game doesn't falter to any noticeable degree, at least not in my playthrough, and it brings out the best qualities of the next-gen hardware.
Story - 9/10
Gameplay - 9.5/10
Bossfights - 9/10
Characters - 7.5/10
Atmosphere - 9.5/10
Near Perfect
The superior way to experience the Resident Evil 4 journey.
