Resident Evil 4 is one of the most influential video games in the history of the medium, a game that perfectly balances tense third-person gunplay, varied set pieces and impeccable pacing to deliver something truly unique at the time of its release. That made me regard the prospect of the 2023 remake with equal parts anticipation and apprehension. Could Capcom really do it justice? After all, as impressive as their most recent efforts had been, recreating a game like RE4 is a far more daunting task.
Now that it’s here, it’s clear this is a complete reimagining of the original game using Capcom’s in-house RE engine. It fails to revolutionise the genre, but the way the game has been updated for a new audience is still remarkably engaging – and a fantastic reimaging of the original. Alas, the final game suffers from minor technical hiccups that surprised all of us.
In this article, we’ll share the current status of the primary console versions of the game as of launch day, including advice on how each version performs, then compare the new version to the original in terms of both visuals and gameplay. Looking to the game’s core design though, Capcom opted to not just to recreate the original experience, but expand it – and that deserves both celebration and scrutiny.
With the release of Resident Evil 7, Capcom introduced the world to the RE Engine which has gone on to power a wide range of games – including this new iteration of Resident Evil 4. Having shipped so many titles across current and last generation machines, however, you’d expect a certain level of polish with their latest offering, especially given the sublime Resident Evil Village. That polish is evident to an extent, but the game also launches with a handful of issues which detract from the otherwise gorgeous presentation.