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‘Resident Evil 4 Remake’ Review: Ready for Bingo?

Eighteen years later, we’re back in rural Spain to rescue Ashley as Leon S. Kennedy, who is as deadly as he is dashing

Apr 02, 2023

Poster for 'Resident Evil 4' Remake.

“Where’s everyone going? Bingo?” asks Leon S. Kennedy, as he stands in the middle of a now deserted village square. Behind him is the stake with the still burning body of his police escort that blurs as the title flashes: Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil 4 was not a game that needed a remake, it was and still is one of the best (if not the best) games in the Resident Evil franchise. When RE4 was originally released for the Nintendo GameCube in 2005, it received ports to pretty much every platform (including the iPad). It was a breath of fresh air from the fixed camera angles of the previous games, giving us an over the shoulder perspective of Leon with his laser sight rifle. All the better to kill your enemies with, since Los Ganados that populate the village – unlike the zombies of old – actually work together, dodge and use weapons like chainsaws, rakes and dynamite. 

For many, it was the introduction to the Resident Evil franchise. I spent many an afternoon during my elementary school holidays playing RE4 (alright I confess, the first section of the game was terribly difficult so I got by with my uncle’s help; family bonding at its finest). Eighteen years later, to find yourself back in that rural Spanish village hits you with a rush of nostalgia as you explore your old haunts that are now rendered in 4K.

After the series was popularized again with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, the Resident Evil 2 remake was a welcome one, a way for new fans to experience the story. The Resident Evil 3 remake, however, was a bit of a letdown (Jill Valentine fans pray for justice every day). When it came to Resident Evil 4 which revolutionized the Resident Evil series, the biggest questions were: Why redo a perfect game? What can you even improve? Can it even be improved?

The answer: Yes. Somehow CAPCOM manages to deliver a phenomenal remake while staying true to the original.

What’s the story of Resident Evil 4?

Well, six years after the Raccoon City incident, the man, the myth, the legend, Leon S. Kennedy has gone on from being rookie cop to government agent. Tasked with rescuing the president’s daughter Ashley Graham, this one-man army travels to a remote village in Spain, a village full of cultists of Los Iluminados who have kidnapped Ashley.

As Leon navigates his way around hunting for Ashley (and then, of course, with Ashley), the villagers are lurking everywhere, on the lookout, waiting to alert the others to Leon’s location. Often you hear them yell out in Spanish, while it’s fun to just imitate their cries, it is actually worth looking up their meaning. One of the phrases they yell out is “Morir es Vivir” which translates to ‘to die is to live.’ Combine that with the fact that the villagers are referred to as Los Ganados (The Cattle), it hammers home the fact that the Las Plagas virus has turned the population into zealots of Lord Saddler, their beloved cult leader, leading his cows to slaughter. 

Leon S. Kennedy in ‘Resident Evil 4 – Remake’

The RE4 Remake is not a remaster, though. Things have been tweaked here and there, adding an element of surprise to returning players. Let’s look at Luis Serra. In the original game, you hear an incessant banging sound coming from a closet where you find Luis trapped. In the remake, you hear the same banging sound, only to find that the closet is surprisingly Luis-free. You turn around to find that the sound is coming from a villager nailing down planks to conceal the basement entrance (where Luis is imprisoned), prompting a fight when you don’t expect it.

There’s something about the combat that is so satisfying yet intense. No other Resident Evil game keeps you as on the edge of your seat as RE4. It’s so stressful but that’s what makes it so exciting. Resident Evil 4 was always on the more action-oriented side than horror. There’s no dedicated dodge button which makes things challenging. Though one has to admit, the mechanics do take a while to get used to – using ‘E’ for crouch throws you off, initially. Sometimes you feel like you’re not in total control of Leon (then again, it is Leon we’re talking about). This game makes you use all your guns, it forces you to think and plan ahead for all your encounters. Do you want to melee your way out? Perhaps this calls for flash grenades? Or should you use the environment against them by blowing up the explosive barrel? You can’t exactly go on a trigger-happy rampage; you need to conserve ammo.

A woman chasing you gets caught in a bear trap, carpe diem, you kick her head clean off. The live Leon reaction goes: “Sorry, must have slipped.”

The newly implemented stealth mechanic also adds another layer to the gameplay.  You can now vault through a window, shattering the glass and the enemy would not hear you. It’s the little things, you know.

Stealth kills are a handy way of conserving ammo, but your knife has durability now. Use it too much and it will break. Luckily, you can get it fixed at the Merchant’s. Not only can he fix your knife, but also tune up and upgrade your weapons. It’s worth looking for loot to sell and collect whatever is dropped by the fallen folk. They won’t be needing it, after all, and every peseta counts.  

It’s also so much easier to equip weapons this time around and the auto slot option for arranging all your inventory is really handy. While you can spend time organizing everything you pick up –  weapons, gunpowder, resources, herbs, snakes, chicken eggs…you get the drift – you could save yourself the trouble with the click of a button and get more space to make everything fit. Manage your inventory and your OCD in one go!

Speaking of your attaché case which houses your weapons, let’s talk guns. Leon actually changes his aim based on how close his enemy is, which is a nice touch. The reload animation is different for every weapon and it looks really cool (especially the Red9). The sounds as well are sharp and crisp, music to Leon’s ears (it is a wonder he’s not deaf).

The addition of side quests enhances the experience, changing things up. Clearing the quests yields rewards like spinel, which you can trade for valuable items. They are entirely optional of course; some are a bit tedious, but they really make you explore every bit of the map. Especially the ones that make you hunt for the medallions.

Ashley is also more capable this time around. Of course, she can get incapacitated and nearly gets carried off multiple times when you’re both attacked. But she can actually get down from high places by herself! It did feel kind of silly in the original when she would be on a ledge and you’d invariably end up looking up her skirt, prompting her to be outraged (understandably so) and go “Hey!” While the change may not be for everyone, it is appreciated. Thank you, CAPCOM.    

The environmental details are great and the game feels so atmospheric. The time-of-day shifts make it infinitely creepier and way more dramatic. The remake does make things darker and grittier than the original. The original RE4 had cheesy lines, which had its own merits (it did take away from the setting, though) but the cheese was as hilarious as it was iconic. A lot of the goofy one-liners have been replaced by mature dialogues to better illustrate the change in tone. They did not axe all of it, though. Some, like the ‘bingo’ line, are still there and adding to the charm.

RE4 had a dynamic difficulty. Depending on your playstyle, the game would change. If you played well, things would get harder, enemies would be tough to beat and resources would be scarce. If you were having trouble, the game would get easier, there would be more loot, and the enemies less opposing. While it did grant everyone who played a unique experience, it also allowed you to cheese the game regardless of your playstyle. The remake does not feature dynamic difficulty. Now you can choose from four difficulty settings – Assisted, Standard, Hardcore, Professional – and play on one of those. On Standard difficulty, the game feels a lot more forgiving than the original. The fights were a lot easier than they were and the only time I died was when I was unable to pull up my menu to take a herb during a boss fight. If you can handle it, Hardcore and Professional settings amp up the difficulty, but it’s going to take a lot more headshots to bring your enemies down. But a punishing experience is a decent tradeoff for an adrenaline rush.

Regardless of your playstyle, the Resident Evil 4 Remake is a masterpiece that needs to be played. You never looked this good before fighting cultists!      

Watch the trailer for ‘Resident Evil 4 – Remake’ below.

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