The original Resident Evil 4 is the greatest horror game I've ever played. It was also the first horror game I've ever played. The remake was the first time I've played the original game before, and I have a mixed reaction. It's not as good as the original, and it sticks pretty close to it in a way that makes me think there's no reason to play this instead of the original. There's a part of me that could be harsh and give it a 3 star or lower review because of this. It does manage to recapture most of what Resident Evil 4 was though, and it ends up being a great game because of this. When it deviates from that though, it bounces between pleasant surprise and disappointment. The strongest inclusion was the new knife actions, and even that is held back by frustrating knife durability. Some of the boss changes are cool while others just feel dull or awkward. There's more story, but it's not better. They try to ground these characters and give them more of an arc, but I don't think they go far enough to make much of an impact. Leon, Ashley, and Luis come off well mostly here with Ashley and Luis getting beefed up roles, but Ada was the most disappointing part. She's so forgettable in the remake after being the coolest motherfucker I've ever seen in a video game in the original. The game does look fantastic and ups the gore in some gnarly ways. As a horror fan, I can appreciate that at least.

With the addition of stealth and limited resources, the game ends up feeling a bit like Shinji Mikami's last Survival Horror game The Evil Within. There's even a combat encounter that feels ripped straight from that game. Sadly, this game doesn't commit to stealth as it was rarely an option, and I only felt the limitations on my resources in the final few chapters on Hardcore mode. I think The Evil Within ends up being the better game too.