How will Capcom justify the Resident Evil 4 remake?

RE4 Remake
(Image credit: Capcom)

Resident Evil 4 may give Skyrim a run for its money when it comes to re-releases: PS2, PC, Wii, iPhone, PC again, etc. It's funny, but I did buy three of those reissues myself. RE4 is a near-perfect shooter with a long, generous campaign, inventive encounters, a unique atmosphere, and perhaps the best inventory screen ever. It's so good already we practically begged Capcom not to bother remaking it.

Well, Capcom is remaking Resident Evil 4, and I owe it to my seventh grade self (who is blasting ganados with a Wiimote in the living room) to try to figure out how they will. What can we expect when we enter the world of survival horror yet again?

Gameplay

(Image credit: Capcom)

Resident Evil 4 landed on something special with its combination of tank controls, swarming enemies, and explosive melee combos set off by shooting weak points. We've seen imitations ever since, but nothing quite matched RE4 until the Resident Evil 2 remake, which managed a similar feel alongside quality-of-life improvements like being able to move while you aim.

Take the RE2 remake's gunplay and technological advancements and replace those cramped halls and bullet resistant zombies with wider arenas and more flimsy ganados, and I think the RE4 remake could be an easy winner. It wouldn't need to reinvent the wheel, seeing as how the RE2 remake's gameplay is already so close to RE4, but it would be fun. I'll be curious to see if the RE4 remake reintroduces more actiony elements absent from the RE2 remake—like those aforementioned contextual takedowns—but one thing I won't miss is quick-time events. If I never see a flashing button prompt to outrun a boulder again it'll be too soon.

Presentation

(Image credit: Capcom)

Modern remakes of 2000s games often lose something of the original's art style. The widespread praise of the Demon's Souls Remake always makes me feel crazy—it's graphically advanced, sure, but it doesn't have any, well, soul.

I've seen similar concerns raised about the RE4 remake, and while we don't have a lot to go on yet I'm cautiously optimistic about its art style and atmosphere. Capcom has a good track record with reimagining Resident Evils, with the remakes of RE2 and RE1 arguably surpassing the originals' atmosphere. I am curious to see how the RE4 remake handles the game's third act on an industrial, militarized island. Despite strong set pieces like the fights with Krauser or being hunted by Iron Maidens, it's by far the weakest part of the game and the most likely to benefit from some revision.

If the remakes of Resident Evils 1-3 are anything to go by, we can probably expect the characters and story of RE4 to remain intact. The trailer provided glimpses of Ada Wong, Luis Sera (and his bad ass Red9 gun), Ashley, and act 1 boss Bitores Mendez. Presumably the final game will include fan favorites Ramon Salazar (Spanish Napoleon) and the Merchant (strangah.

These sillier elements may clash with the more serious direction Resident Evil has sometimes taken, but I'd argue that tension was present in—and even a big draw of—the original Resident Evil 4. Despite the silliness and one liners, the game has a real undercurrent of horror and melancholy, and the over-the-top elements serve to make it all the more surreal. One of the scariest parts of the game, a cat-and-mouse with the xenomorph-esque verdugo, is preceded by a legendarily absurd exchange with that aforementioned squeaky Spanish Napoleon, Salazar.

Please keep the attaché case

.gif of player faffing about in the best inventory screen ever made

(Image credit: Resident Evil 4)

I'm begging you. It's one of the best inventory screens in games: the detailed 3D models of your guns resting in there, the click clack sound effects as you reposition everything, the silly little poses Leon makes as you equip him. If they somehow muck up the combat and atmosphere, I'll still be mollified if they just let me play Tetris with boxes of 9mm handgun bullets. 

Associate Editor

Ted has been thinking about PC games and bothering anyone who would listen with his thoughts on them ever since he booted up his sister's copy of Neverwinter Nights on the family computer. He is obsessed with all things CRPG and CRPG-adjacent, but has also covered esports, modding, and rare game collecting. When he's not playing or writing about games, you can find Ted lifting weights on his back porch.

Read more
Lara stands in the cut training area from the Paris level of Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness
The worst Tomb Raider game is getting cut weapons, areas and voice lines restored as part of its upcoming remaster
Painkiller (2025) screenshot
Painkiller is back, and maybe they'll finally get it right this time
Alice from Resident Evil movie holding a big gun and a regular gun
It's been about four years, so yeah, let's go ahead and give Resident Evil yet another movie reboot
The cast of Persona 4
With remake rumours swirling, Persona 4 fans are ecstatic while P1 and 2 fans have crossed the horizon of despair
A woman with short hair stands next to a pot plant, provocatively
GOG's version of Silent Hill 4 has been updated with missing content from the original console game
Shodan, the villainous AI from System Shock
Nightdive's remaster of System Shock 2, the peak of immersive sims, finally has a release date
Latest in Resident Evil
Resident Evil Re:Verse
Resident Evil Re:Verse is reversing right off Steam, as Capcom claims it has served its 'original, celebratory purpose' despite mostly negative reviews
Resident Evil Village - Lady Dimitrescu
Terrifyingly good Humble Bundle deal nets you 11 Resident Evil games for less than the price of Resi 4 remake
Chris Redfield fights a zombie in 1996's Resident Evil.
I spent the last week roaming the Spencer Mansion and I'm here to tell you not to sleep on the new GOG release of 1996's Resident Evil
Resident Evil 7
Capcom announces the next mainline Resident Evil is in development, and the great news is it's being helmed by Resident Evil 7's director
Resident Evil 1 zombie
GOG is bringing the original Resident Evil trilogy back from the dead, and to digital PC storefronts for the first time
Box art for the original Resident Evil, showing a man with a weird face holding a shotgun.
A PEGI rating for the OG 1996 Resident Evil has me once again preparing to enter the world of survival horror
Latest in Features
Sphene applauds in Final Fantasy 14's patch 7.2 story.
I'm not yelling 'we're so back!' yet, but Final Fantasy 14's patch 7.2 story could be the first sign the MMO is returning to what made it so critically-acclaimed
Several tight-wearing superheroes surge towards the camera in a heroic fashion in City of Heroes.
One year later, City of Heroes' officially recognized fan server has me praying it's the future of dead MMOs
Immortal Pillars expansion for Age of Mythology: Retold
Age of Mythology Retold's new Chinese pantheon expansion takes a bold stance on updating an old game: Just make good new stuff
Ragnarok Battle Offline
After punishing my graphics card with Monster Hunter Wilds, I've returned to the rock-solid frame rates of my old hunting grounds: Windows XP
Ghoul in sunglasses
I'm convinced being a ghoul in Fallout 76 is the best way to vibe in West Virginia, thanks to these powerful perk cards and my new true love: Radiation
Steel Hunters hands-on
Steel Hunters is like a more tactical Titanfall, but as an extraction shooter it's undermined by boring loot