I like horror as a genre, but I hate how scare reactions make my body react. I hate that I had to stop playing Empty space because I started having nightmares about Necromorphs. Still, I got through quite a bit Empty space before I stopped playing, and I used these tips to overcome his creepy gaits. As regards Resident Evil 4 and its recent remake, it’s worth noting that this game isn’t as scary as you might expect.
There’s a very good reason for that Resident Evil 4 became a breakthrough hit for the franchise: horror is a niche genre, and RE4 is not a simple horror game. It’s an action shooter with horror elements, which means it’s more accessible to a much wider audience. I’m not saying that RE4 isn’t scary at all, but upon its initial release, the game did receive backlash from hardcore horror aficionados who wished it had been less of an action-shooter and more of a thrilling journey through a dark, foreboding mansion like the original resident evil.
Those hardcore fans weren’t completely amused with their complaints. RE4 signaled an action-forward trend for the franchise that continued for years to come; Resident Evil 5 And 6 are often described as the least scary entries of the franchise, leaning more towards boring, repetitive zombie clean-ups and further away from slow, creeping fear. Resident evil 7 was a return to form for many fans, including yours truly (I can barely play it). But let’s go back to RE4a game that is not too scary for me – and probably not for you either.
When you first start up Resident Evil 4, whether you’re playing the 2023 remake or the original game, you may feel like I betrayed you. The first 30 minutes are by far the scariest part of the game. Of course, horror is subjective, as your response to it depends on personal experience and what you’ve become desensitized to. Yet there are some situations that inspire just about every human being to experience discomfort – darkness, tight spaces, jump scares, scarce resources – and the beginnings of RE4 uses all of the above.
Image: Capcom
After a short drive and a little walk through the wilderness around a remote village in Spain, protagonist Leon S. Kennedy comes across a small, dimly lit cabin. Of course he has to go in and investigate. Although he is a special forces officer, he does not assume that every problem can be solved with a gun. (Some can be solved with a well-placed watch gear, for instance.) Leon is first and foremost an investigator, so in this opening sequence he doesn’t draw his gun — nor does he assume that the first person he meets will be aggressive or violent. are. But before you even encounter that first foe, you’ll have to guide Leon through dark hallways, hearing his footsteps across creaking floorboards, all the while aware that some doom is around the next corner. Or maybe the next. What angle will it be? Ugh!
The introduction of Leon’s first enemy is not exactly a shock. It’s a slow, drawn-out reveal. “Don’t open that door,” you might yell at Leon, even as you push the button to open the door yourself and meet your first red-eyed infected villager. However, the man does not immediately attack; he swings on his feet, unresponsive as Leon tries to question him in both English and Spanish. This does not work. In the end, Leon must fight him, after which he must explore the rest of the cottage and clear it of enemies (and loot).
The slow, methodical exploration of a small, dilapidated house is a classic horror trope, and it’s still common to work. The house feels claustrophobic and aimless; there is no rhyme or reason for which doors are locked or unlocked, or which have an enemy behind them, unlike the safety of silence. Although Leon is armed, he hardly has any bullets, so shooting them in panic is not a good option. He needs to be careful and keep all of his senses alert – along with yours – to meet the challenge ahead with limited resources and knowledge of what’s next.
But it doesn’t really feel that way to play RE4. Not all the time. The rest of the game has its moments, but none have prepared you as badly as during this very first part. And after you successfully escape from this cottage, the next enemies you will encounter will be walking through the forest in broad daylight. In other words, you will be able to see and hear them coming with ease.
Image: Capcom
Then you face the first major challenge in the game: an entire village of infected people (one of whom has a very loud and intimidating chainsaw). Yet the challenge of this village is not the same as the one in that first house. At this point you’ve collected more bullets, maybe even some health items. More importantly, this village is sprawling, and in this larger, more open area, you’ll notice just how slow the game’s zombies actually are – and how easy it is to outrun them. You can move to higher ground or even create a choke point for approaching enemies.
The rest of the game will not be so easy. There will be times when RE4 dishing out some of his old horror standbys. But many of the battles Leon faces take place in open areas, with enough light to see what’s to come, and a steadily growing supply of weapons and healing items. Best of all, RE4The remake of the game has autosaves, so dying isn’t as bad as it used to be in the original game.
All this to say, don’t be fooled by the opening scene in RE4‘s cottage. It’s not necessarily indicative of how the rest of the game will feel to play. That doesn’t mean you might not be able to find it RE4 scary, maybe even too scary to play – after all, these judgments are subjective, and what rolls off my back could stick a chainsaw in yours. But it has a lot more open spaces and action-packed moments than its predecessors, and it’s certainly not all dark corridors and creaking doorways. Perhaps most importantly, Leon is very pretty, and that should keep you distracted when all else fails.