Resident Evil 4 (remake)
Developed and published by Capcom
Genre: Survival horror game 
Released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on March 24, 2023. Versions for iOS, and macOS were released on December 20, 2023.
Mode(s) Single Player

Rating: 9.5/10

In light of the high-quality remakes of  “Resident Evil” released in 2019 and 2020, Capcom would do an equally admirable job rebuilding a classic 2005 version of  “Resident Evil 4” (RE4). Hitting the start button of the 2023 remake may spiral players into a 12-hour-plus game. This game fully revitalized the campaign and dramatically one-upped the original 2005 version of the game. 

The Spanish countryside setting displays an evil feeling that surrounds the player. Each pace has a more tightened point where hardly a single minute is wasted. The controls have been modernized; allowing some signature dynamic shooting. 

“RE4” gives the player a liquid gold story to re-enjoy if they have played the 2005 version or are new to experiencing it for the first time on Nextgen graphics or NVIDIA. The prologue is about a character named Leon S. Kenndy, haunted by the memories of what happened 10 years ago. He has gone through special agent training to be promoted to a federal agent of the Division of Security Operations; becoming the president’s bodyguard. Now on a mission for the United States President, he must find her daughter Ashley Graham, who is missing in a village in Spain. The gameplay begins after the backstory of the events that led up to this time. The player will be greeted with a large forest filled with trees and old buildings that are withering away. 

The 2005 version didn’t give players what they are experiencing right now. This is because game creators at Capcom wanted to make the “RE4” remake darker. They were able to give it a bloody approach because of the latest hardware for next-gen consoles; such as seeing the lighting of shadows called RT or Ray Tracing. Ray Tracing is seeing the light movement in real-time showing how it produces shadow, reflections and ambient occlusion based on the light being hit off an object or the environment where the animation or game is taking place. This gives the player a more creepy feel within the environment around the player as they get more into the game. 

“RE4”’ mechanics for this remake were an amazing breath of air, giving the player a feel of spamming the same button when dealing with an enemy that is pushing a weapon to one’s face. This gave “RE4” a more intense feeling when getting into fighting with enemies. Some of these enemies are such as “El Salvador” and” Plaga Mandibula.” A new parry move allows the player to dodge an attack that an enemy may do swiftly. Blocking it without taking damage, will lower the duration of the weapon that one may be using. “RE4” has its fair share of NPCs, called The Merchant. The Merchant is a person who wears a long black coat, sells items, plus upgrades tools and weapons. They provide the player with some special quests for some amazing rewards to help them upgrade their weapon. 

The last thing that the player needs to worry about is protecting Graham, this means keeping her from getting hurt or taken by Plaga, or it’s game over. Even though the RE4 remake has some amazing mechanics it does not stop there. 

The “RE4” remake brings new graphics and visuals. A player can notice this by looking at buildings, and outside walls setting the rough detail of the stone or rain hitting the side of a wall; This is not the only big graphic visuals, bosses got a much-needed upgrade, based on their current models from the original game. The player can see this based on the details of some of the bosses’ skins and attacks; one boss that one can notice is Lord Sadder, the final boss of the game. A player can see the individual details of gross and creepy tentacles that are around the boss. This will give the player a chill down their spine.

Overall “Resident Evil 4” remake takes this original game and makes it completely different while also giving the game a whole new look and feel to it. This game is a solid 9.5 out of 10. For those who have played “Resident Evil” before, this is sure to relive those favorite childhood nightmares.