Remakes are a wonderful thing in the video game universe. Taking absolute classics of their time and bringing them into the modern day with a fresh lick of graphical paint, revisions to outdated gameplay mechanics and systems, and the opportunity to add some brand-new levels or areas into the game can help flesh the world out further (and give us something new and exciting to check out). Dead Space Remake kicked things off in 2023, and the next iconic franchise to get the remake treatment comes in the form of Resident Evil 4 on March 24.
Ahead of the game’s official release, Twinfinite received a sneak peek at around 15 minutes of gameplay footage comprised of a few different segments of the game. We’ve already mused about how Leon still make beautifully corny jokes and remarks in the Remake, but here we’re going to be running you through a handful of the most notable changes we spotted. So, without further ado, let’s get right on into it.
Requests
Let’s start off with arguably the coolest and most impactful change we spotted in the remake, Requests. At one point in the footage, a note could be found in the world. Interacting with it brought up the above image, requesting a rare gold chicken egg.
It appears as though these requests will be used as minor side quests, encouraging players to explore the world more thoroughly and possibly even backtrack in each of Resident Evil 4’s distinct ‘areas’.
What do you get in return for acquiring said golden chicken egg? 3 Spinel, which are jewels you can sell to the Merchant for Pesetas. These can then, of course, be used to purchase new weapons and upgrades and some extra firepower certainly isn’t going to be something you’ll want to turn down when facing off against the Las Plagas.
The Merchant
Let’s be real, the Merchant in Resident Evil 4 was the most iconic tradesman that video games has ever seen. No, that’s not up for debate. The gruff-toned cockney geezer would remark about us “not having enough cash, stranger,” or let us know he had “some rare things on sale, stranger.” Yes, he liked to say “stranger” a lot, and while some may have found his limited lines of dialogue as grating, it also made the Merchant the hooded, mysterious and lovable guy that he was.
Alas, as part of the facelift in Resident Evil 4 Remake, Capcom has obviously had to recast the Merchant, and unfortunately, it just doesn’t hit the mark. He’s still got the cockney accent, but it’s at a higher-pitch and his iconic lines have been replaced by more varied and, arguably, more advanced dialogue. Is it something you’ll eventually get used to? Most likely, yes. But is it something that took us by surprise and had us weirdly disappointed when we first heard them? Absolutely.
Customizing the Case
Inventory management is back, forcing players to move, rotate and squeeze weapons, ammo, healing items and more into the limited, grid-lined confines of their case. It sounds annoying, and at some points in the game, it’ll definitely have you begging for just one more line of those precious squares, but it’s also way more interesting than just being overencumbered like you see in a lot of open-world RPGs.
While Capcom could have stripped out the inventory management mechanic in the Resident Evil 4 Remake, they’ve instead doubled down. Now you can customize your case, albeit in very minor ways. See in the bottom left-hand corner of the image above? Yep, that’s a chicken keychain. If that’s not something to write home about, honestly, I don’t know what is.
We didn’t get to see many of the other customization options or keychains available that players can assumingly unlock as they progress through the game, but it’s a nice little addition to make your inventory feel like your own.
Seriously Creepy Tendrils
I remember playing the original Resident Evil 4 on the Wii for the first time, and being equal parts horrified and also awestruck by the flailing tendrils that burst out of the heads of human enemies as the Las Plagas virus mutated. For the time, they looked fantastic, and really emphasized the horrors of the virus itself.
Even knowing just how impactful they were in the original game, the tendrils that burst through the brains of unsuspecting villagers in the Resident Evil 4 Remake footage still surprised me, in large part because of just how detailed they were. They flail around wildly and erratically. They vary in size, making for a more realistic and unsettling appearance. There’s even what looks like an eye violently scanning its surroundings, directing the tendrils’ wild movements towards their victim.
I know, shock horror, a remake has given an 18-year-old game a visual makeover, but I cannot understate how impressive they looked, and more importantly, how it added to the tense atmosphere of these encounters. They’ve got to be seen in action to truly appreciate them, but trust me, they’re creepy, skin-crawling goodness!
Ashley’s Less Annoying in Some Ways (& More in Others)
Ashley was annoying in the original Resident Evil 4. Her AI was… questionable, she’d constantly shout “HALP ME LEON!” and would generally act as someone that our beloved silver-haired protagonist had to babysit throughout the duration of the experience.
The good news is her ‘help me!’ exclamations, from the gameplay we have seen, appear to be a thing of the past. We should stress at this point that we did only see a small chunk of the game, so there’s every chance the iconic Ashley line could pop-up elsewhere.
It’s unclear whether the AI will be any less frustrating this time around, though she can still be seen closely following Leon around the world, albeit seemingly keeping out of Leon’s way as he’s trying to wipe out Las Plagas and complete environmental puzzles.
But, and it’s a big but, Ashley does appear to have a habit of screaming whenever she gets captured by the Las Plagas and carried away. It’s a rather ear-piercing screech, too, and unfortunately, it’s the same every time which just feels a little… odd? We get there needs to be an audio cue for players to know when they need to turn their attention to saving the president’s daughter from the clutches of an enemy, but I have a sneaking suspicion it could get rather grating by the end of the your adventure.
Outside of all of these changes, we should note that the footage has left a very good impression on us at Twinfinite. Resident Evil 4 Remake looks set to bring a beloved classic and arguably one of the strongest entries in the series to the modern-day with all of the creature comforts and flashy visuals that we’ve come to expect in 2023.
Resident Evil 4 Remake releases on PC, PS5, PS4 and Xbox Series X|S on March 24.
