Resident Evil 4 — The Restless Natives

You can’t go through many Resident Evil-related discussions without hearing how perfect of a game Resident Evil 4 is. It was originally released very early in 2005 on Gamecube (and originally planned as an exclusive), and was subsequently ported to a plethora of other platforms with extra features, meaning nearly everyone’s had a chance to experience it. The game was franchise creator and then-primary producer Shinji Mikami’s answer to reinventing the wheel for the RE franchise, thinking that the previous formula had become too stale. Some older fans didn’t like many of the changes, but they were well received by others. You also have those who thought this was the first RE game they liked.

But it did release in 2005, almost eight years ago (and that’s enough to make you feel old). So the current question is: Has it aged well? You’d be surprised at how poorly some age over a short amount of time, including games from earlier in this generation. But having played it again, this time in HD, I can tell you that RE4 has aged like fine wine. This may be the fourth iteration of the title, but it’s still easy to replay.

The biggest ostensible hindrance to replaying the game again is the controls, which are admittedly a little tough to get adjusted to thanks to modern shooters giving the player the ability to move and shoot simultaneously. The lack of that was a problematic point for a few around the time it released. It doesn’t take long to realize that the game is designed around this supposed “hindrance”. RE4 isn’t meant to be played like your average third-person shooter; it’s very much a logical extension of everything the franchise previously stood for, albeit with a slightly bigger focus on action.

Thunderstorms tend to be the best atmospheric effects.

You’ll see plenty of fans who didn’t like the slight change in focus and bigger change in camera perspective argue that the game forsook its origins for one that leaves survival/horror behind it. Every time I hear this, I wonder if they played the same game I did. Though it gets rid of the “Aaahhh, a zombie!” jump scares that were incredibly prominent in the previous games — which, let’s be honest here, aren’t scary — RE4 focus is more on psychological horror due to its atmospheric environments. During the quest, you’ll wander through villages, castles, and sewers, and more, many of which don’t have any music playing while no action is occurring to keep the player tense. You’ll get the feeling that you won’t know what could pop out at any time, and said feeling grows as the game throws new enemies at you later on. It doesn’t try to freak you out as much as, say, a Silent Hill game, but it has its moments.

The village is commonly referred to as one of the best moments in RE4, and for good reason. It’s the game’s way of teaching you how to adjust to the mechanics quickly, because it won’t be an easy adventure. The game is threatening by throwing numerous enemies at you, and this is the place that teaches you how to fend them off either one by one, or in groups by using crowd-clearing melee attacks. The village is also used as a common example because those of us who’ve played it don’t want to spoil the other great moments the game has for someone who hasn’t.

In RE4, Mikami and the development team crafted one of the most excellently-paced action games around. Every encounter is made exciting, constantly offering something new. You’ve fought enough diseased villagers? Have some memebers of the holy order. Fought enough of those? Here’s another different kind. It does a good job keeping you on your toes constantly, and that’s quite an achievement for a 15-20 hour game.

Just when you think you’re adjusting to everything, the game throws something new at you.

The story only adds to the experience. The protagonist of RE4 is Leon Scott Kennedy, returning from Resident Evil 2. He’s been sent to a rural village in Europe to rescue the president’s daughter, Ashley Graham. Is one man bad enough to rescue the president’s daughter? You’ll have to play the game to find out.

That Bad Dudes reference is proof that I’m not taking the story description seriously, and that’s because RE4 clearly doesn’t take its own plot seriously. It was written by staff aware of how ridiculous the franchise’s overarching story had become, especially after the craziness in Code: Veronica. The script is full of hilarious one-liners as proof of the game reveling in its cheesiness.

In an early twist, you rescue Ashley early on, making some sections lengthy escort missions. But they’re actually palatable, a game design decision made to maintain the game’s tense feeling. It sounds annoying on the surface considering she can take damage too, but it helps that she’s actually competent. If you aim your gun at something, she’ll either get behind you or duck, depending on where she is. If there’s a (supposedly clean) dumpster nearby, you can have her stay in one if things get too chaotic. That’s not to say you won’t have some occasional problems, especially if you’re assaulted from more than one side, but it’s manageable.

Hope you’re good at protecting people.

If there’s one aspect of the game that hasn’t aged well, it’s the QTEs. We were more forgiving of them back on ’05, when this game released — months before God of War, in fact. Now, they’re an overused mechanic in so many games that we often don’t want to see, and RE4 is no exception these days. They don’t hinder its quality in any significant manner, but they’ll get annoying, especially when they become more prevalent later on.

A bunch of extras will be unlocked after finishing the game. There are two quests starring Ada Wong, another returning character from RE2, called “Assignment Ada” and “Separate Ways”. The former is a non-canonical short quest that sends her around the island looking for Plaga samples. It only lasts for about an hour, and has to be played in one sitting, as there are no save points. It’s unremarkable, mainly because you’re going around the same environments you traversed in the main quest, and this time without most of the atmospheric effects. The focus is more on shooting than exploration, and it was clearly done to fulfill the wish of anyone who wanted to play Ada. Though she doesn’t wear her revealing red dress during it.

She does wear it during Separate Ways, though, and it’s a far more substantial quest. This mode, originally added to the late PS2 port, lets you see what Ada was doing during Leon’s trek over parts of Europe. It’s better than Assignment Ada, but still not on par with the main quest, and also includes a focus on shooting rather than adventuring. Aside from a few locations in the last couple of chapters, she goes through the same environments Leon goes through. Funnily enough, it feels like both Ada quests were trying to tell us where the RE franchise was headed after RE4.

Whose side is she really on?

If you really just want to shoot stuff, this game had the first over-the-shoulder incarnation of The Mercenaries mode. There aren’t as many options as you’re given in later games, but hey, but it gets a pass because for being the first. You’ll start with only Leon, and unlocking other characters requires getting four star-scores in one of the four stages. But hey, it has more stages than Resident Evil 6 has initially!

RE4 has one of the better soundtracks I’ve heard, but the interesting aspect comes from listening to how it changes throughout the game. The earliest tracks are slower paced, but they become faster as the game progresses to match the increasing pace. The menu and credits themes are also excellent, especially for Ada’s campaigns.

Most Resident Evil games stand the test of time well, but RE4 stands up the best out of the pre-current generation titles. Heck, it stands up better than Resident Evil 5 ever does throughout its entire quest. Many games have taken inspiration from it — Gears of War being the biggest — hand hopefully more continue to do so. Especially the current RE titles.