RE TOUCH OF EVIL
The classic survival horror of Resident Evil 4 gets a modern makeover... but loses none of the menace
Resident Evil 4 Remake (PEGI 18) PS4, PS5, XBOX ONE, XBOX X/S, PC ★★★★★
HOW do you remake a game that’s considered to be one of the best ever?
That’s the dilemma that faced Capcom when it decided it was time to give Resident Evil 4 a makeover.
First released in 2005, it was the first to use the third person, overthe-shoulder perspective and was the perfect blend of tense, exhilarating action, incredible storytelling, and outright terrifying encounters.
It went on to become one of the most influential games of its kind, setting the template for horror games going forward.
Without this there would be no Dead Space, no Last of Us – or at least, not as we know them today.
Nearly 20 years on, there’s yet to be a Resident Evil title to surpass it, so the bar was incredibly high when it came time for Capcom to give it some spit and polish.
The developer has been slowly working through its Res back catalogue, reimagining its classic titles and bringing them up to modernising them for the new generation consoles.
But how do you build on perfection?
While Res 4’s storyline has been ‘reimagined’ so that it ties in more easily with its predecessors, the basics are still there. You play as Leon S. Kennedy, a US agent sent to rescue the daughter of the US president from the Los Iluminados cult.
Despatched to a remote Spanish village, Leon soon discovers the locals are extremely hostile, brainwashed and under the control of a parasite called Las Plagas.
Straight away you can feel the benefit of the remastered game play.
For a start you can move and shoot at the same time – which took me back a little at first, as I’m so used to Leon planting himself when facing down an enemy.
The twin stick controls and targeting allow you to keep your gun trained on an advancing baddie as you retreat, and you can even deftly side-step incoming attacks without removing your eye from your scope.
What’s more, Leon can now crouch – allowing you to finish off downed bad guys, and in close quarters he can deliver kicks and parry incoming attacks.
Gone too are the days of frustratingly having to smash your way into crates and barrels in search of ammunition or health boosts, now they splinter at the press of a button to reveal their contents. Graphically, it’s breathtaking. Subdued lighting highlights the rich and stunning details of your surroundings, every shadow feels foreboding, every mud track and ramshackle home feels damp and musty. Even the monsters appear more gooey and ripe, you can almost smell them as they bear down on you – and boy are they fast.
Combat feels more vital and visceral than ever before, the snarling parasite-riddled villagers rushing you the second you appear on their territory. They are formidable, smart and you underestimate them at your peril.
I soon discovered that the best line of defence sometimes was to run, a lesson I quickly learned after causing poor Leon to die a number of grisly deaths.
Another huge asset to the game is the remastered audio, which adds an extra layer of anxiety and tension to the proceedings without you ever really being aware. It’s an incredible piece of work.
With this game it feels like the series has come full circle. When it first came out, Res 4 felt like a rejection of what came before it – a reinvention of the survival horror genre at a time when it was needed most.
But this remake feels like a celebration, a superb addition to the two remakes that have gone before and – dare I say it – an even better experience than the original. It seems you can improve on perfection.
Straight away you can feel the benefit of the remastered game play...
Buy it: £54.99 from amazon.co.uk