[Game Review] Remakes, Rituals and Romance: Resident Evil 4 (2023)

It may shock some of you that I, a Taylor-Swift-loving, girly-girl, am the one to review the Resident Evil 4 video game for Ghouls Magazine, but let me be clear - I LOVE this franchise with my entire black heart. 

I have dedicated many hours over the last two years to playing each instalment and, even though I didn’t play them all on release like a lot of fans, I have paid my dues and fought my way through every Lycan, tyrant, parasite, zombie dog and creepy doll to get here.

There is just something about these games that has me clicking the download button the minute they release. The franchise, even though each entry is different, has the perfect blend of action-packed horror and story-driven scares that make you desperate to keep your characters alive, and not just for your own personal achievement.

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If you have already played the original version of this game, released back in 2005, you are probably questioning whether replaying this version is worth it. The short answer is yes. Despite its hefty price-tag, I realised just a few minutes into Resident Evil 4 that it was worth every penny. As I continued, I was BLOWN AWAY by the quality of this game. 

I believe in the merit of this remake so much that I will be avoiding comparing it to the original in my review as much as I can, and will instead just talk about what makes it so great.

6 years after Raccoon City is destroyed by the Umbrella corporations release of the T-virus, ex-police officer Leon Kennedy has been recruited as a special agent for the US President. When the President's daughter Ashley - aka Baby Eagle - is kidnapped, it’s up to Leon to rescue her and bring her home safely. 

With the support of the US Secret Service, you play along as Leon as he heads to a remote village in Spain. For those of you keen to get to the action though, you don’t have to wait long at all. In just a few minutes (before the title screen even appears) you are faced with a whole village square full of infected locals desperate for blood. 

Of all of the instalments in this franchise, I have personally found Resident Evil 4 to be the most difficult in terms of combat. This isn’t because the controls are clunky or hard to use – quite the opposite - but because the antagonists are simply relentless and refuse to die! I experienced the YOU ARE DEAD screen and was asked if I wanted to change the difficulty more times than I care to admit. The opportunities for different types of combat make the game so much fun though, with upgrade opportunities for all your weapons and some enemies which must be defeated with simple melee/knife attacks. 

As you make your way through each of the 16 chapters you will journey through dusty villages, lustrous castles, rainy forests, many a dark underground passage and tons more incredible-looking settings.  You’ll also face off a variety of formidable foes – from wild dogs to blind giants with massive claw-hands who act on sound alone, and everything in between.

As well as fighting off creatures left, right and centre, there are also a number of puzzles to be solved to help you progress in the game. I would say these were probably the only (very minor) let down of the game – they seemed much simpler than in previous instalments and didn’t take much more than a quick look around the area to figure out. Nonetheless, they were often a welcome break from the relentless onslaught of battle.

Something I really care about when playing the Resident Evil games is the plotline and character progression, especially with returning characters where you feel like you begin to develop your own relationships with them. Leon’s character development here was really endearing and I enjoyed seeing him warm up to Ashley and begin to really care about her safety, and not just because he was being paid to. 

Ashley herself was a super fun character too – even though she’s young and spends most of the time in danger, she isn't the wailing stereotype – she is sassy, she fights back, and she’s not scared to get her hands dirty when it comes to defeating enemies.

Admittedly, despite not submitting at all to the idea of needing a man in life, the romantic in me loved playing a hunky man (seriously, how can an animated character be SO hot?!) attempting to rescue a damsel in distress, and wondering whether they were ever going to become more than just hero and victim. I’ll leave you to find out the answer to that for yourself.

Overall, Resident Evil 4 is as exhilarating as a game gets. The story is just enough for you to feel captivated without overly long cut scenes that leave you itching to get back into playing. The characters are interesting, the villains are terrifying and the scenery is absolutely beautiful. Fans of this franchise will not be disappointed.

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