Resident Evil 4 Remake Review: Missing A Right Hand

Resident Evil 4 released in January 2005 for the GameCube as part of the “Capcom Five.” Originally marketed as a GameCube exclusive, not long after launch it was announced RE4 would also release on the PS2 in October of the same year. Despite being old enough to be legally called an adult, Resident Evil 4‘s graphics and gameplay still hold up today. It’s also easily available, making the whole idea of a remake unnecessary in the first place. If you haven’t ever played Resident Evil 4, the Resident Evil 4 remake is a perfectly fine place to start – but you’d be missing out.

Three years ago at the beginning of my Resident Evil 3 review I was rather harsh on Capcom’s approach to remaking every single title in their catalog, and cited Resident Evil 4 as the pinnacle each of these new releases hoped to recapture. I never actually thought we would get a RE4 Remake – it just didn’t seem necessary in the same ways remakes of previous Resident Evil games did. Now, after playing the remake of Resident Evil 4 for many, many hours, I can honestly say: Capcom, please, STOP.

There is nothing inherently wrong with the Resident Evil 4 remake, but it isn’t nearly as groundbreaking nor as imaginative as the original. Sections which acted as standout setpieces in 2005 – running from a gigantic stone robot, for example – are inexplicably missing, as is much of the campy dialog. Some of it is there – the “Hey, it’s that dog!” line made it in, along with a few new ones – but Leon, Ashley, Ada, and seemingly everyone else have all been rewritten to be older and more dramatic, and in the process lost much of what made them so memorable in the first place.

The original Resident Evil 4 included one section where players could pick up enemies and drop them into a bottomless pit via a crane-like machine not unlike the ones used to cheat children out of quarters. It only appeared in a single room and wasn’t even really necessary, since Leon had mowed through plenty of stronger enemies by this point already. What it was, however, was fun, surprising, and unique. Moments like this were strung throughout the entire game, and broke up the combat in interactive and, crucially, interesting ways.

RE4’s remake asks, why waste the time to have a one-off crane minigame to grab Ganados? Why have a giant room with lava-breathing dragon statues? RE4’s answer, 18 years ago, was “Why not?” but instead of replicating these scenes, or replacing them with even more over-the-top setpieces, the Resident Evil 4 remake adds fetch quests. Instead of forcing the player to choose between increasing their own health bar or Ashley’s, RE4 remake removes Ashley’s health bar entirely. An entire boss fight has been dropped. Leon’s knife has ammo now. Is this really better?

Inventory management was one of the best features of Resident Evil 4. It’s still enjoyable in the remake, especially to people who like to keep things tidy and at right angles, but the introduction of crafting to RE4 makes it more cluttered and cumbersome than it used to be. 2023’s Resident Evil 4 can’t just give players ammo all the time, that would be too retro. In the mentality of this game (and most games in the past decade, let’s be honest) it’s much more “fun” if players get Gunpowder and Crafting Kits of various sizes. Forcing an extra step in menus counts as gameplay, right?

Breakable knives make this even worse. Leon’s knife can break if used too much and must be repaired by the merchant, but in the interim he can use steak knives, boot knives, and other flimsy stabbing implements scattered around the game world. These break much faster than Leon’s Official Favorite Knife™, but until they are used they must be stored in the player’s briefcase along with everything else. A well-timed parry is always satisfying, but it just doesn’t feel like it makes sense – holding off a chainsaw sometimes does less degradation than stabbing a downed enemy? Why?

And what’s next? Besides making everything look, play, and feel functionally similar, what is the actual point of remaking every single Resident Evil game, especially anything post-RE3? It seems at best unnecessary and, at worst, incredibly unimaginative and more than a little greedy, especially when the “remake” contains less than the original. Capcom delivered a masterpiece with the original Resident Evil 4, but so many of the unique moments of that game have been removed. If we aren’t going to include them, what is even the point?

Every game that makes it to the finish line is a miracle. Game creation is hard, and outside forces like budgets, deadlines, and publisher wishes will always impact what is and isn’t included in a final product. Resident Evil 4, both the remake and the original, are no different, and the RE4 remake is in no ways a bad game. Some of the changes are quite good, and some moments act as both perfect gags for returning fans and surprising jolts for new players – as anyone who climbed the demo’s bell tower has already seen – but it is less than what it attempts to ape.

Resident Evil 4 Remake looks great on PS5, plays smoothly even with fancy hair effects turned on, has very few glitches, and is still a lengthy game that somehow gives you the urge to replay it as soon as it’s over. It feels three times as large as the Resident Evil 3 remake, and is absolutely deserving of praise. It’s also not as silly, not as unique, and not as necessary as the original. Resident Evil, RE2, and RE3 all benefited from an increase in graphical fidelity and modern controls. Resident Evil 4 didn’t need it. Nor will RE5. Or RE6. Enough is enough, Capcom. Please stop.

Resident Evil 4 Remake released on March 24, 2023, and is available on PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. A PS5 code was provided to Screen Rant for the purposes of this review.