After years of rumors,Resident Evil 4 Remakehas finally been confirmed by Capcom. Making matters better, the release date was also revealed, and it’s only nine months away. Fans ofResident Evil 4have been waiting for this remake ever since Capcom’s intent to redo the classicREentries became clear. The original game was revolutionary in the third-person shooter space, and was such a wild success that it divertedResident Evilinto horror-themed action gameplay for several years.
Now, the series' return to horror will be injected back intoResident Evil 4. One of the original game’s most charming aspects was its intensely campy action, with everything from a mechanized statue chase to working with a helicopter to attack a military base. Fans can’t wait to see how this remake interprets the game’s many setpieces, even though there is some worry that the new atmosphere will take away some charm.Resident Evil 4was an action game firstand a horror game second, and the remake needs to be careful about how it mixes these elements into its gameplay.
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Resident Evil 4 Remake Should Continue to Reincorporate Horror
When Capcom took a look atResident Evil’s presence on seventh generation consoles, it saw that the series had moved away from its horror roots. This revelation first led to theResident Evil Revelationgames, and laterResident Evil 7.ModernResident Evilstill employs heavy shooter elements, but has also dialed up its survival horror aspects. The games occasionally feel like pure horror experiences for short stretches, often near their beginnings.Resident Evil 8took a more experimental approach with this, setting up different scenarios with different levels of action and horror throughout the game. This may be the approach thatResident Evil 4 Remakegoes with, as it is most similar to the original game’s segmented format.
Resident Evil 4is stuffed to bursting with different set pieces and locales. Most remember the general progression of the village, the castle, and the military base, but there are a lot of other environments peppered throughout. The moments where Leon needs to fend off an endless horde of villagers and Ashley must navigate the castle alone are definitely two of the more horror-inspired parts, and theResident Evil 4 Remakewill likely emphasize these. On top of a generally darker atmosphere, there will probably be more ammo scarcity and moments where Leon and Ashley need to flee their enemies. Bitores Mendez, who already looks like Mr. X, could be used as aroaming Tyrant early inRE4R, and several elite enemies could replace him later on. There are still plenty of opportunities for horror in the Las Plagas-infested Spanish countryside.
There Should Also Be Plenty of Action in Resident Evil 4 Remake
However, that is no replacement for what madeResident Evil 4good and memorable. The action elements of the original game must be maintained.Resident Evil 4is notable in the widerREseries for having distinctly marked levels straight out of an arcade shooter, and is the firstResident Eviltitle to heavily incorporate quick time events. Possibly the biggest part ofResident Evil 4was its pioneering of enemies reacting to different parts of their bodies being shot. The core gameplay loop of stunning an enemy with a head or leg shot and performing a context-sensitive melee takedown is iconic and would upset fans if removed.
Thus, theResident Evil 4 Remakeneeds to walk a tightrope between emphasizing a darker, more horrific tone while incorporating action mechanics and sequences. There will likely be moments that swing one way or another, and it wouldn’t beResident Evil 4without both. Still, as the actual combat gameplay has not been revealed yet, fans are nervous that Leon’s combat may have been altered. Dynamic enemy damage and action mechanics have both been present in pastResident Evilremakes, soResident Evil 4 Remakeshould keep them both. It just needs to be careful about doing extreme overhauls like replacing the original game’s offensive kicks and suplexes with adefensive mechanic likeRE3 Remake’s dodging. That may increase tension and fear, but asResident Evil 4’s segment-ending score screens would imply, that’s not all the game is about.
Resident Evil 4 Remakelaunches August 02, 2025, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.
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