Resident Evil 4 Remake Review: A Classic Reborn

Like many gamers, I am a huge fan of Capcom’s action-horror classic from 2005. It’s blend  of intense action and nightmarish horror captivated me in ways only the very best video games can. One of the biggest questions fans had when this remake was announced and a hype train followed over the course of over the year was “Can this remake live up to the original?” In my opinion, it is a resounding yes. 

A staggering survival horror behemoth, Resident Evil 4 Remake not only honors the original but also improves on it in some ways. Puzzles are more complex, combat is more challenging and aggressive, and the story and characters have some much needed added depth.

Like the original game, Resident Evil 4 follows the story of special agent Leon Kennedy as he traverses a gloomy village in Spain to rescue the president’s daughter and fighting infected villagers and variety of monsters along the way. Despite some changes, the story remains mostly the same, with some notable changes in the characters, plot points, and levels. One of the more notable changes is Leon Kennedy’s characterization. In the original, Leon was very much a wisecracking action hero who while not exactly 2-dimensional, felt like that sometimes. In contrast, this remake’s Leon feels more like a human being. We can see and feel his fear, anger, frustrations as well as the trauma from the events of Resident Evil 2 throughout the game.