Capcom invited Azmi Tech to discover the very beginning of the Resident Evil 4 Remake. The opportunity to gauge this ambitious project before its release on March 24, 2023.
Continuing its work of restoring its flagship license ( RE2 Remake, RE3 Remake ), Capcom is tackling a very, very big piece this time. Resident Evil 4 is the one that, in 2005, changed everything. Gone is the fixed camera.
Finished the pre-calculated decorations. Resident Evil passed into the modern era and traced the path followed by an unquantifiable number of equally cult games, from The Last of Us to Dead Space, to the future Callisto Protocol.
And this first – short – game session only made our mouths water, letting us imagine an opus as successful as it is faithful to its source material. Here’s what we learned about Resident Evil 4 Remake.
1. Leon is much more agile
A logical consequence of the intense training he underwent after the events of Raccoon City ( Resident Evil 2 ), Leon is now more mobile. It has always been a fan of the roundhouse kick that looks like it came straight out of a martial arts movie.
He can now squat to be more discreet and sneak up on his opponents. An asset that leads us directly to the second lesson of this preliminary game session.
2. We can quietly assassinate enemies
As in Resident Evil 2 Remake and Resident Evil 3 Remake, this new opus brings a tool of capital importance: the combat knife. Thanks to him, Leon can get out of a hold and even deflect projectiles (when you were told he was more agile).
New: thanks to the crouching position, the protagonist can also slip behind an enemy to quietly kill him with his knife. Attention, as in previous episodes, the latter has a determining durability. Use with caution, therefore.
3. Resident Evil 4 Remake will play with our nerves
You may have played Resident Evil 4 dozens of times, but believe us. This Remake has a few surprises in store. Just in the short half hour we spent on the game. Some notable differences appeared to us. First: some elements of environmental storytelling are changing.
For example, the dog normally trapped in a wolf trap at the entrance to the village is. Already dead in this version of the game. A wink that few will notice but which proves that Capcom wants to play with it. Our nerves.
Another, even more trying example: the bell tower, which one can climb to resist the wave of attackers in the village, barely collapses when the summit is reached. We’ll have to find another bastion to survive!
4. We can – finally – shoot while moving
It may seem obvious given the modernized gameplay of RE2 Remake and RE3 Remake, but a booster shot never hurts: unlike the original opus, Leon can move when he aims with his weapon.
The opposite would have been surprising, but we can’t help but think that it removes something from the anguish and the dilemma that also made the salt of the RE4 experience: is it better to flee or to attack the first?
5. The game is no longer brown
This one is easy, but we can’t resist slipping a little word on the game’s technique. No one will be surprised, but the RE Engine is again doing wonders to display rich, detailed environments and modernize a color palette.
Primarily on the 2005 opus. Without denying the artistic direction of the original game, Resident Evil 4 Remake shows pledges that can appeal to newcomers and die-hard purists.
Resident Evil 4 Remake will be released on March 24, 2023, on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, and PC. For now, no Xbox One version is planned.
