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Of Resident Evil 4’s remake in less than a few months, fans have been wondering how faithful it will be to the original game.
In the case of one divisive mechanic, not so much. The Resident Evil 4 remake, which launches on March 24 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, completely ditches the fast-paced events of the original release. In an exclusive with Game informant (opens in new tab)Capcom confirmed that in their place will be more substantial gameplay elements such as side quests and new enemy types.
These side missions will be scattered around the environment as collectible flyers, encouraging exploration. They offer different objectives such as killing certain enemies or solving various puzzles and riddles. The few side missions the original game had, such as shooting a set of blue medallions, will also return.
New enemy types will make their debut in Resident Evil 4, too, including a portly villager donning the disembodied head of an ox. And I imagine the village won’t be the only location to host all-new enemy variants. The fanatical forces of the castle and the militaristic islanders will hopefully also gain new supporters.
The Resident Evil 4 remake doesn’t stray far from its gameplay roots, however, for better or for worse. It looks like Ashley’s role in the game will remain largely the same. At least in regards to Leon who has to protect her from the chasing hordes.
A strong hint of things to come
Quick-time events were a substantial part of the original Resident Evil 4, and in many cases weren’t just cheap substitutes for more meaningful gameplay. In fact, their absence from the remake is a strong indication that certain encounters may turn out very differently.
Take the intense knife fight scene with Krauser. In the original game, it is a cutscene where the player has to enter various button commands under very strict time limits. Failure means you have to start the whole scene over again.
Now, obviously that’s not going to play out the same way given the removal of quick-time events. This could mean that the encounter has been reworked into a more involved boss fight, or (and I hope not) scrapped entirely. Their absence also hints at other encounters that need to change for the remake.
Take, for example, the scenes where Leon has to sprint away from a boulder. Or dodging the swift tail flicks of the xenomorph-like Verdugo boss. Such instances will likely change in the remake, and hopefully for the better.
I am also very curious what kind of variation Capcom brings Resident Evil 4’s world with the new side missions. There aren’t many to talk about in the original game, besides the aforementioned medallion collection and the shooting galleries. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of challenges the remake throws at us.