The name “Resident Evil” evokes a spectrum of emotions for fans of the long-running franchise. The game title is almost synonymous with the horror genre it inspired with its original release by Capcom in 1996.

When Capcom announced that it would be releasing a remake of Resident Evil 4, which was originally released on the Nintendo Gamecube in 2005, fans were excited and nervous about what it would change. Thankfully, Capcom is a company players can trust when they release games, and that is true in this case, as well.

Resident Evil 4 is one of the best action shooters in the franchise, known for starting a trend in gaming called “quick-timed events,” where players must push buttons at specific moments during cut-scenes to complete a goal.

We are both huge fans of Resident Evil 4 and the series as a whole. The jokes, the characters, and the story are very well done, so when we heard a remake of the game was on the way our expectations for the game were very high, but fortunately we can say that Capcom has exceeded those expectations. The game has given us so many new things to improve players’ experiences. Resident Evil 4 Remake is what a true remake should be. Everything the original has, but better with so many improvements and quality of life things.

The plot of the story is very simple: Leon Kennedy, after having survived the “Raccoon City Incident,” was recruited by the government and becomes an agent. On a mission, he’s sent out to rescue Ashley Graham, who is the president’s daughter. The game has the two characters go through different areas like a village, a castle, and an island. The inhabitants of these areas are infected with the “plaga,” a parasitic organism that slowly takes control of its host. The plaga also gives inhuman strength and endurance but numbs the host down quite a bit. Leon and Ashley have to fight through these areas and enemies so Leon can get Ashley home safely.

Resident Evil 4 Remake is a really nice-looking game. The RE game engine never fails to impress. The environment and the character models are beautiful to look at. The lighting adds a layer of mystery and fear to the game, and the sound design is well done, with many songs from previous games being remixed to give a fresh take on them. On top of that, the game runs at 60 frames per second at max settings, and no issues were encountered for either of us.

The gameplay is one of the best in the Resident Evil franchise with the new parry system being one of the best additions to the game. We love every second of the parries, which are so exciting to watch, and the new suplex move Leon does adds some new flair to the combat. The game gives players multiple enemies to face and it never gets old, the knife weapon can now parry and break so it’s wise to choose when and how to use it.

There’s a merchant in the game that gives players weapons, and items, in addition to upgrading players’ equipment. The game also offers some easy side quests which reward the player with spinels they can trade for bonus items that are not normally bought with peseta.

Before we dive into our personal reviews, we both wanted to say that this game was amazing and faithful to the original. The changes made were both interesting and entertaining. There are a few road bumps, such as the cutting of U3 and the quality of Ada’s voice actress, but no game is perfect. Adding in side missions is a good way to extend the game time and add some fun challenges while making it feel fresh.

River’s Take: Being a huge fan of the Resident Evil games, I love a lot of what Capcom comes up with and this remake is no different. I absolutely love the original RE4 and the remake just reinforces that. In my opinion, the original has been surpassed in nearly every way. The characters have more backstories and interact with each other in a much better way, in addition to the excellently retold story. The graphics are beautiful and the sound design and music are handled very well. I highly recommend newcomers to play this game if they haven’t already. I understand that not everyone will enjoy the new way to play, and some content being cut like U3 is upsetting, but you cannot deny this game is a masterpiece and will definitely remain in my top 5 games of all time for years to come.

Gabe’s Take: Resident Evil 4 Remake is the best remake, better than Resident Evil 2 Remake. Everything done in the original Resident Evil 4 was made better in the remake. I do miss some corny lines by Leon, but I still enjoyed the corny lines of Leon in the remake. The combat was enjoyable, with it being the best part about playing Resident Evil 4 Remake, and the parry system in the game made it so much better, letting you get into more fights and do some badass moves with Leon.
Overall Resident Evil 4 Remake is very worthwhile to play. This is a true remake of a game and I believe everyone should give this game a try, even if they don’t know about the Resident Evil series, they won’t regret it.