Since the first Resident Evil game in 1996, the franchise has held a special place on the survival horror scene. A saga that mutated very quickly to offer more action, until pushing this dimension to its climax with its fourth installment. One of the titles in the series that even today is held in high esteem. A status on which Capcom will capitalize with the release of Resident Evil 4 Remake. Does the king still deserve his crown?
The remakes of RE and Capcom games are a long love story that dates back to 2002 with Resident Evil, baptized Rebirth by a certain magazine… Joypad . A real model that ticks all the boxes and sublimates a video game monument. And as it’s more fashionable than ever in recent years, we were treated to the fantastic Resident Evil 2 and the more disappointing Resident Evil 3 . So, does Resident Evil 4 Remake borrow more from the first two cities? What is certain is that it did not steal its remake label.
I buy a castle in Spain
Several years after the events of Racoon City in Resident Evil 2, Agent Leon S. Kennedy, no longer a rookie, is sent to Spain to rescue the daughter of the President of the United States, Ashley Graham. A rather naive character who needs to be rescued by the member of the DPR But as on his first day in post in the town of Raccoon City, Leon quickly finds himself trapped in a plot that goes beyond the simple kidnapping . No outbreak of T-Virus at first sight, but a parasite, called Las Plagas, which turns villagers into beasts even more ferocious than zombies. Add to this the involvement of a disturbing cult, and Leon’s European road trip quickly turns into a big, big mess, but that’s why he was sent there after all.
Resident Evil 4 Remake, like its predecessors and its successors, is from the B series which assumes itself rather well. But since the release of the original in 2005, water has flowed the bridges and Capcom wanted to smooth it out to remove or alter the most “nanardesque” passages that are part of the DNA of the license. We saw it with RE2 Remake and it’s the same with RE4 Remake. The developers have thus toned down the B-series side, which was totally accentuated by the voiceovers in the vanilla version, for something less bombastic but ultimately more consistent with the new proposal.
As a result, there are fewer overplayed dialogues or scenes that were all the rage in the early years with galore slow motions inherited from The Matrix . One would tend to defend the two approaches after having finished this revisit. On the one hand, the big nonsense was quite funny, and on the other, the more sedate dimension of Resident Evil 4 Remake is not so bad. Everyone will see noon on their doorstep but our hearts swing between the two – you can call us cowards.
Resident Evil 4 Remake en impose
As said above, Resident Evil 4 Remake did not usurp its status. We cannot explain the changes in detail, but they are very numerous and even the most “insignificant” ones bring another perspective and can serve to better present certain things. And it’s like that from the very beginning to the very end (but motus and tight mouth). On the other hand, yes, we can now certify that the general atmosphere has gone up a very big notch.
Without pouring into horror that will make your heart scream or beat severely, the game offers us more nuanced sequences and panoramas, far from the brown and too bright monochrome aspect of Resident Evil 4 Gamecube. Capcom promoted it with footage of Ramon Salazar’s castle , but that’s the way it is for the whole adventure. A basic decor can thus take on a whole new dimension and be transcended with the same feeling of gigantism that we experienced when discovering the laboratory in RE2 Remake.
This is for example the case of the sequence of the tchou-tchou of the mine, more spectacular, and which finally, passes better while playing than during the viewing of the trailer. There is also great care given to the characters with a Ramon Salazar – yes, him again – with a formidable androgynous look at the crossroads of Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula and a genetically modified old lady aristocrat. The Garrador with its claws bitten into Vega from Street Fighter , fortunately, does not have a lucky charm face. The rendering of the infection is much better… In short, we greatly appreciate the turn taken by the title and the attention paid by the developers to have a long episode , but above all not butcheredin every way and manages to alter the atmosphere without denying the beloved action of the fans.
LEOONN!!! ASHLEYYY!!! It’s going to be all black
Long – we finished Resident Evil 4 Remake with a duration of about 16 hours on the clock without doing everything 100% – yes, surprising and familiar at times, too, but all is not rosy. Some scenes, such as the big fish fishing session in the lake, are less striking and lack panache. It purrs too much and other improvements should surely have been made, like the face to face with the crocodile in Resident Evil 2 which is more striking in the 2019 remake than in the original copy. Other passages – like the moment on the towers of the castle – can also be heavy in part because of a fully identified culprit: ASHLEYYYYY!!!! LEONNN!!! – I promise we’ll stop.
Sold as a real teammate, as opposed to the damsel in distress , we can say that the account is not there and that we were fooled. After Lady Dimitrescu who only does extra work in Resident Evil Village , it leaves a new bitter taste in the mouth. So yes, it helps a bit, but overall, it’s still quite a drag. From now on, we have the possibility of ordering him to follow us very closely or on the contrary to keep his distance, or even to hide in lockers. In any case, she may end up sticking with you and above all, being kidnapped by the Zealots or the Ganados. A battle that will end in a game over if we are not reactive…
The mapping of this call / order key is not the most obvious either. The command is assigned to the R3 button – when you press the right stick – and in the heat of the moment, you can quickly make a mistake. You also have to make sure that the young woman is safe, and not in the line of fire, because after two attacks, it’s also game over no matter what. And a full head shotgun blast coming so quickly… With Ashely, some will understand why Ellie in The Last of Us is the equivalent of the invisible man for enemies.
For once, the presence of Ashley could / should have been reduced, but hey, she’s at the center of the story so… well… we’re going with it! However, there is a marked improvement in the phases of the game when the roles are reversed…
Smooth gameplay in line with the latest remakes
If Ashley Graham can be “complicated” to manage, this will not be the case with the puzzles. Some puzzles have disappeared or been replaced by even simpler puzzles – we can regret this lack of complexity, but we fear that we have to make up our minds about it. Others return but in another form like that of the church where one must align three colors with an acronym. The Resident Evil 4 Remake version is more readable. On the other hand, RE4 Remake is a real gift for its playability. Leon is no longer clumsy, the camera is no longer an ordeal, we are in line with the last two remakes. And it’s a lot of good, because by returning to the 2005 game (in its HD version), we say to ourselves that it’s finally easier to relaunch the PS1 episodes than the hit GameCube in its own juice.
Now our hero can shoot while walking, run smoothly and defend better. It has several knives which, with each use, deteriorate until they break. The huge difference here is that these blades can be used to perform stealth assassinations, or counter attacks or even projectiles from classic enemies or bosses . An advantage when surrounded, overwhelmed and taking aim is not the quickest way to react. And then it saves bullets to stagger opponents. Because unlike the other installments, Resident Evil 4 mixes gunfights with hand-to-hand combat.
As soon as a villain is stunned, we can rush over to give him a return kick worthy of JCVD. However, if that wasn’t enough, kicking a rival on the ground is possible. It’s small but you have to survive well. And it also prevents our target from evolving into a more powerful creature with tentacles coming out of its head. In terms of bestiary precisely, fans will be on conquered ground with magnified enemies, and novelties like the infected Zealot who climbs the ceiling or the big beefy man with the head of an ox with his hammer.
Over 15,000 written words and no Merchant comments. “Hello stranger! » yes, don’t worry, he is there since he is the one who provides the weapons and their improvements which will cost a lot of pesetas, the different briefcases which grant us bonus effects (ex: the reduced cost of resources to create ammunition like scrap etc.) if you attach charms found in special circumstances, and with which you can sell all the valuables unearthed.
Resident Evil 4 Remake shortcomings
If Resident Evil 4 Remake is in our opinion better than the original, there are points that disappoint. Already visually speaking, it blows hot and cold. An update is available at launch to fix rain, And we understand why. It was simply catastrophic with an effect that was too pronounced and too dated. Then, during the first hours, there is still a significant problem of feeling in terms of resolution, whereas in fact, it is visibly high enough. It’s quite violent in the village or at lake level and it stings the eyes. And it’s the same for the framerate which is not at the top. But the worst also rubs shoulders with the best and “luckily”, the rest is above these passages. This inequality remains damaging, especially after a Resident Evil 2 which had been praised for its graphics.
Nevertheless, on the sound side, RAS. This episode is less conducive to freaking out, but the soundscape fulfills its role perfectly. In truth, it is only for dubbing where we are divided. For Ada, for example, Capcom sought out Lily Gao, the Chinese-Canadian actress who plays the character in the turnip Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City . Why didn’t you call Sally Cahill back? Same irrevocable sentence for the voice of the Merchant, which without being next unlike Ada, is less accomplished. On this point, we would have preferred a total maintenance of the theatrical aspect.
Finally since we’re talking about what’s wrong, sorry hardcore fans, but Seperate Ways and Assignment Ada, the bonus modes that allow you to experience the adventure from the femme fatale perspective, have been abandoned. At the end of the game, only the Professional mode has been retained, and a New Game+ is also entering.
