On Mar. 24, 2023, The Resident Evil 4 Remake (RE4R) was released. This is a game that many people have been anticipating since the release of the original Resident Evil 4 (2005). It has become a classic video game and having a remake with today’s technology is awesome considering their ability to implement the evolution of video game quality. On July 20, 2023, Capcom, the creators of the Resident Evil Franchise announced that the RE4R has sold over 5 million copies and is continuing to sell even more as months pass.

Fans of the Resident Evil franchise saw that this remake was going to eventually be made as Capcom has already made remakes for Resident Evil 2 (original released in 1998, remake released in 2019) and Resident Evil 3 (original released in 1999, remake released in 2020) and will most likely continue to remake previously released resident evil games that will be adapted with the new technology and graphics we have today.

The Resident Evil series is considered to be in the horror genre. The original Resident Evil 4 is not scary to me at all, the RE4R is a little scary at times but it’s not constant horror, the scariest part I would say is when you play as Ashley for a short amount of time. Of course, the more you play the less scary it will be, but if you scare easily or just hate gross looking monsters and gore I probably would not recommend this game for you as this game isn’t for everyone and that’s okay. 

A basic description of the RE4R storyline is that the main character, Leon S. Kennedy, is a U.S. agent sent to rural Spain to rescue the president’s daughter, Ashley Graham from a cult called ‘Los Illuminados’ that is infected with ‘Las Plagas,’ a type of zombie virus, after going through the previous horrific events in Raccoon City in the Resident Evil 2 Remake. While you don’t have to play Resident Evil 2 to play the other Resident Evil games, I would recommend it if you do end up liking this game but it isn’t required to understand the plot of the RE4R. I would recommend playing the original just to get an idea of the remake for a cheaper price, as it is on almost all platforms but it also isn’t required to play the RE4R. 

I got the game shortly after its release as I was very excited to play it since I have been a fan of the original and loved it. I knew it was going to be a good game and that it was also going to be very nostalgic. When I started the game for the first time it asked me which difficulty to play; assisted, standard, or hardcore. On the hardcore difficulty it said it was recommended for players who have played the 2005 original so my first playthrough was on hardcore difficulty. I was able to get through the game but it was challenging and I was more interested in the plot of the game and exploring at the time. I don’t regret playing on that difficulty but it probably would have saved me less frustration if I had played on standard. All that being said you do not have to worry about the game being too easy or too difficult as the difficulty levels are exactly what they say they are and there is an additional “professional” difficulty that you can unlock after playing through the game once and many more extra challenges you can complete and get in game rewards for. There is also a noticeable difference in the difficulties, I would recommend for new players to play assisted or standard to get the hang of the game first and to just explore the game. 

Is the remake and the original similar? Yes and no. The gameplay and graphics are very different considering the original was made 18 years ago. The storyline of the game is similar but, of course, there was a lot of changes to make the plot make more sense and considering the time difference the dialogue between characters is extremely different, although we still do have some of the original cheesy one-liners from Leon, but other than that the majority of the dialogue from the original was taken out and has been improved. There is dialogue in playing mode, so while you’re exploring you may hear characters interact or just Leon talking to himself and making lame jokes. The original game is probably funnier whereas the remake is more serious but they use the remake to add even more lore to the story. In the RE4R there are some small things that confused me when following along in the story but other than that I liked the storyline and situations I encountered. I also appreciate how the story was more emotional and complex, especially in certain scenes, it adds a nice touch to the overall plot. 

As far as gameplay, I thought it was amazing. It was not what I expected from a resident evil game, between the natural movements and the added options available to kill enemies. The knife combat is a huge improvement as you can now parry or block enemy attacks and stab enemies when they are down and somehow use a small knife to block a large running chainsaw which is very unrealistic and I do not recommend trying anything in this game at home. You can use melee attacks to defeat enemies, such as a variation of kicks and more. You have the choice of being stealthy but only with the knife. I think stealth does need some improvement, as it would be nice to have more of a variety of ways to be stealthy since this is a survival game. Also, the stealth is not very realistic as you can run up to an enemy and attack them from behind and they wouldn’t hear or notice you.

The graphics, aesthetic, and characters of the game look amazing. The monsters you encounter are somewhat the same as the original but you are given the opportunity to create something different and unique making a good variety of zombies to defeat as you have creative bosses, non-boss enemies and mini boss enemies. Their commonalities are cohesive with the stories as they are all from the same virus. 

I recommend this game to anyone who is interested in a horror video game with a good subplot as it is probably one of the best survival games. Since this game is recently new the prices are around $40 to $60 depending on where you get it. The game is available on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series and Windows.

Links to Resident Evil Trailers:

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