This is JUST the original game, and that’s why I don’t like it.
Resident Evil 4 Remake just seems outright unnecessary to me. Resident Evil 2 and 3 were originally fixed camera games and their remakes provided fresh takes on a completely new experience of these original games while still maintaining a sense of horror and dread through claustrophobically dark rooms and levels and its scarce resource management (less so in RE3R but there was still that element of terror). Here in RE4R, Leon is just this unstoppable force and never once am I ever really afraid of any possible horrors that Leon can’t handle. Even in the original RE4, despite it being action heavy it felt more as if Leon is just trying to survive the hellscape with how little the player is given and how much the atmosphere makes things tense be it in the villages, castle or laboratory.
This game obviously looks good for the most part as it's the same RE engine used for RE2R and RE3R so dem graphics are going to look gorgeous in portraying the location it's set in. However, like mentioned above the presentation just doesn’t sell the horror to me. It just feels like playing an action game that occasionally gives you a jumpscare here and there which just feels cheap at times. If I were to compare it to the original, the laboratory scene comes to mind where the original had the perfect lighting and ambience with the strange creature approaching, the horror is in just that fear knowing the inevitable is coming. With the remake, a moment that pissed me off is really just opening a door and suddenly some monster was already behind it giving it a cheap surprise. The presentation is just missing that special sauce to me. Also what the fuck did they do to Ada Wong, holy shit her new voice is so bad now WHY WOULD THEY DO THIS TO HER I AM SO MAD SO MAD SO MAD SO MAD- anyways I used a mod that fixes her voice so I’m gucci.
Story-wise it is exactly the same as the original RE4 but with some events shuffled which I actually appreciate since it presents said old ideas in new ways I can appreciate. Sure they toned down Luis being a creep to Ashley and the fact that Ashley is way more mature than how she was originally but I’m honestly fine with that. Cheesiness is all but gone unfortunately as the events are taken much more seriously, with more emphasis on Leon’s PTSD over the events of Raccoon City and him just cracking less goofy one liners. The bickering between Leon and Ashley is still there but it's more like Leon is reassuring a child rather than the back and forth of the original. There’s definitely an intentional tonal change between the 2 games but I don’t really mind it that much as it means that they are trying to do something different which I appreciate a remake to do.
As an action game, I might actually consider this to be a really great game. The knife parrying feels so rewarding to do and the action sequences with guns in trying to clear an area is satisfying to an extent. However, the tin says Resident Evil and that’s the standards I will be adhering to. Although on the surface it is great not being limited by tank controls anymore, it also means that so many other factors like the enemy movements and such have to be changed according to what you can do. The limitations of the original really added an element of terror in the limited things Leon can do with the scarce resources, paired with the slow moving enemies really created that horror gameplay experience of just a gradual escalating tension of panic. In comparison, the remake is just an action game that plays really well, but nothing particularly distinct or Resident Evil about it for me.
Honestly, I’m probably not even being fair to this game. My biggest issue is the fact that it's incredibly close to the original game without enough that makes it unique enough for me to recommend as its own experience. But at the same time, I have to admit this is a solid project and I can see many considering this to be the definitive Resident Evil 4 experience. I wish I could tell people to play the original instead, but I know there are aspects to it some folks just can’t get past like the tank controls and this game does serve well as a modern version just without actually being very distinct on its own compared to many other remakes I really like. Other than that, it's a solid game that I just fundamentally disagree with.
Resident Evil 4 Remake just seems outright unnecessary to me. Resident Evil 2 and 3 were originally fixed camera games and their remakes provided fresh takes on a completely new experience of these original games while still maintaining a sense of horror and dread through claustrophobically dark rooms and levels and its scarce resource management (less so in RE3R but there was still that element of terror). Here in RE4R, Leon is just this unstoppable force and never once am I ever really afraid of any possible horrors that Leon can’t handle. Even in the original RE4, despite it being action heavy it felt more as if Leon is just trying to survive the hellscape with how little the player is given and how much the atmosphere makes things tense be it in the villages, castle or laboratory.
This game obviously looks good for the most part as it's the same RE engine used for RE2R and RE3R so dem graphics are going to look gorgeous in portraying the location it's set in. However, like mentioned above the presentation just doesn’t sell the horror to me. It just feels like playing an action game that occasionally gives you a jumpscare here and there which just feels cheap at times. If I were to compare it to the original, the laboratory scene comes to mind where the original had the perfect lighting and ambience with the strange creature approaching, the horror is in just that fear knowing the inevitable is coming. With the remake, a moment that pissed me off is really just opening a door and suddenly some monster was already behind it giving it a cheap surprise. The presentation is just missing that special sauce to me. Also what the fuck did they do to Ada Wong, holy shit her new voice is so bad now WHY WOULD THEY DO THIS TO HER I AM SO MAD SO MAD SO MAD SO MAD- anyways I used a mod that fixes her voice so I’m gucci.
Story-wise it is exactly the same as the original RE4 but with some events shuffled which I actually appreciate since it presents said old ideas in new ways I can appreciate. Sure they toned down Luis being a creep to Ashley and the fact that Ashley is way more mature than how she was originally but I’m honestly fine with that. Cheesiness is all but gone unfortunately as the events are taken much more seriously, with more emphasis on Leon’s PTSD over the events of Raccoon City and him just cracking less goofy one liners. The bickering between Leon and Ashley is still there but it's more like Leon is reassuring a child rather than the back and forth of the original. There’s definitely an intentional tonal change between the 2 games but I don’t really mind it that much as it means that they are trying to do something different which I appreciate a remake to do.
As an action game, I might actually consider this to be a really great game. The knife parrying feels so rewarding to do and the action sequences with guns in trying to clear an area is satisfying to an extent. However, the tin says Resident Evil and that’s the standards I will be adhering to. Although on the surface it is great not being limited by tank controls anymore, it also means that so many other factors like the enemy movements and such have to be changed according to what you can do. The limitations of the original really added an element of terror in the limited things Leon can do with the scarce resources, paired with the slow moving enemies really created that horror gameplay experience of just a gradual escalating tension of panic. In comparison, the remake is just an action game that plays really well, but nothing particularly distinct or Resident Evil about it for me.
Honestly, I’m probably not even being fair to this game. My biggest issue is the fact that it's incredibly close to the original game without enough that makes it unique enough for me to recommend as its own experience. But at the same time, I have to admit this is a solid project and I can see many considering this to be the definitive Resident Evil 4 experience. I wish I could tell people to play the original instead, but I know there are aspects to it some folks just can’t get past like the tank controls and this game does serve well as a modern version just without actually being very distinct on its own compared to many other remakes I really like. Other than that, it's a solid game that I just fundamentally disagree with.