Cognition Dissemination: The Resident Evil 4 Remake Is Bound to Have Changes

The Resident Evil remakes have followed an identifiable trend of being darker and more serious than their original counterparts, further leaning into the “survival horror” genre it already occupied. This started with the first Resident Evil remake (commonly called “REmake” by the fanbase), originally released on GameCube and remastered for too many platforms to name. REmake exacerbated the atmosphere compared to the original by literally making the game darker and adding new challenges, both of which increased the sense of horror. It worked, which is why the Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 remakes followed in its footsteps despite switching the camera perspective to the over-the-shoulder view more common for the franchise’s newer (though not newest — those are first-person) installments.

It’s no surprise, then, that the Resident Evil 4 remake is following in its footsteps. Capcom revealed the long-rumored project in the latest PlayStation State of Play stream, which showed a new iteration that looks similar and different compared to the original beloved version.

The trailer makes it evident that this version will have a more serious take on the story of the president’s daughter, Ashley Graham, being kidnapped. There’s no indication that most of the gloriously cheesy lines from the original game, with storytelling from writers well aware of how ridiculous the premise was, will be retained this time around. Rumors that circulated for months mentioned this point, along with how primary development was shifted from M-Two to Capcom’s internal offices after the latter was disappointed with the former’s work on RE3 remake. (The RE3 remake wasn’t bad per se, but a disappointment compared to the glorious work done for the RE2 remake.) M-Two reportedly wanted to maintain the original’s spirit, while Capcom wanted to take a different approach.

I’m not outright saying the game won’t have any cheesiness, an inevitability with RE given the franchise’s history and sources it’s inspired by regardless of how seriously the developers take it. All the familiar faces will be there, including Leon Scott Kennedy and the bomber jacket that he’ll hopefully keep on for the game’s duration, Ashley (with a face that matches her age this time), Ada Wong, and Osmund Saddler. Just don’t expect to hear about whether all the diseased villagers are going to play bingo this time, or whether the president’s daughter is equipped with ballistics. I could go on here, but you get it: It will be as different an interpretation as the remakes before it.

The bigger outstanding question is how this will apply to the gameplay. The original RE4 was known for making several gameplay innovations for the franchise at the time, besides the switch to an over-the-shoulder camera view. This primarily involved the contextual melee attacks the playable characters were capable of. Leon could kick, elbow, or even suplex enemies depending on how they were stunned or if the player was good at counterattack timing. It would be a damned shame, if not outright criminal, if these weren’t preserved for the remake. It’s possible to maintain these while keeping the newfound serious vibe. There’s potential for this version to feel and play better than the original if they keep these alongside the other features they’ll likely add, like the addition to move and shoot at the same time from the last two remakes, with enemy actions readjusted accordingly. I’d also like to see the dodging mechanic from the RE3 remake return.

The video and screens Capcom has provided thus far are enough to show how the environments will be kept in their pristine RE4 forms with a polished sheen, with sections that occurred in broad daylight still doing so. It’s still possible, after all, to throw all sorts of horrors at players while the sun is beaming down on everyone and everything.

Similarly interesting is how this version could have more in common with the old horror vision for the RE4 prototype, well known as Resident Evil 3.5. I wouldn’t expect the hooked man to appear, though I wouldn’t be against it, but it will take its oppressive atmosphere. Leon’s bomber jacket also looks similar to this version instead of the one he (again, barely) wore in the original GameCube game.

Most of the experience will be like the old game, outside the majority of the humorous quips, though I’m hoping to see more improvements. The pacing and design in the island section near the end could use work, which itself was ample evidence of a development team that ran out of time and energy in the final stretch of production, and needed to have the game on shelves before the fiscal year ended. I’d love to think that polishing this section was already one of the team’s priorities, and hopefully they’ll mention something about it in an interview. There’s also a rumor that the Ada sections will be incorporated into the main game in the form of perspective switches, which sounds similar to those during Leon’s campaign in the RE2 remake (and the original RE2 to a lesser extent).

The RE4 remake is due for release on March 24th for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC, which will make this Capcom’s first current-generation exclusive. The date isn’t that far off, meaning a new trailer and gameplay showcases shouldn’t be far off. The internet won’t be able to contain the fireworks if the changes are more serious than the fanbase is already expecting.