Following the success of previous remakes of Resident Evil games, Capcom is bringing the remake of Resident Evil 4 with the hope of providing a better experience to players on modern-day platforms. The announcement of the game was initially made public by the creators during the state of play presentation in 2022, which featured a beautiful two-minute long 4k video showing well-known characters like Leon Kennedy, Ashley Graham, Ada Wong, and even the dangerous villagers.
When compared to the original Resident Evil 4, which is hailed as the best in the series, the new version of the game will be coming up with a rewritten storyline, improved graphics, and detailed character designs. Although there are still many surprises in store for Capcom ahead of the game’s release on March 2023, We’re here to compile all the important details you need to know about the much-awaited remake. Read below to know more about the upcoming Resident Evil 4 remake including its launch date, features, pre-order, price, and more.
Story, features, and gameplay of the Resident Evil 4 remake
When compared to the 2005 original, the storyline of the Resident Evil 4 remake will be reimagined and probably include some modifications. According to rumors, the game is set six years following the biological disaster in Racoon city. Leon Kennedy, star of Resident Evil 2, has been hired as a member of the US government’s special task force reporting directly to the president.
With the heroic image he had from his previous missions, Leon is given the responsibility of taking up a dangerous mission to rescue the US president’s kidnapped daughter, Ashley Graham. His search for Ashley takes him to a remote European village where locals are suffering from Las Plagas, a parasite that controls their minds. What follows next will be the blend of survival and horror where Leon has to battle against the villagers in order to bring Ashley back to her home. Although the main premise looks identical to 2005 original, there will be changes in the sequence of some events and we may also experience a few surprises along the way.
Resident Evil 4 is considered one of the path-breaking games in the series that completely changed the perspectives of people towards the action-packed gameplay. It seems like the remake will also be following the same path by retaining the third-person over-the-shoulder action that allows Leon to take down large crowds of dangerous enemies with limited ammo. The game also offers brand-new additions like new control options, new enemy types, an improved menu, and new parry mechanics, which let Leon uses the knife to block sudden attacks from the enemies.
From the recently released gameplay clips, It is clearly shown that the environment itself will be scarier than the original thanks to the tremendous advancements in lighting, which could lead a wide variety of settings to look much creepier and atmospheric. Another pleasant change introduced in the game is that players will be able to move while pointing their rifles which was not possible in the original title. This change appears to be the most important gameplay adjustment that creators are making in order to make things significantly more modern.
The trailer also indicates that there will be many returning characters who will accompany Leon to complete the mission. Apart from that, It is almost clear through the trailer that Leon will be shepherding Ashley (the US President’s daughter) for a major portion of the game’s duration. According to a recent interview about the game, It has been revealed that Ashley will no longer have a health bar of her own, instead, she will enter a downed state if she faces too many injuries from the enemies. It will be your duty to revive her, and if you are unable to do it and she gets injured again while in this state, she will die.
The creators have revealed that the Ganados, the major enemy type present in the game, have been completely reworked to be scarier than the original RE4. As a result, you will have to battle against a wide variety of enemies throughout the villages and castles you travel through. Capcom has also announced that the Mercenaries, a mini-game mode released with the original title, will also be a part of the remake along with the “attach case” inventory management system. Similar to RE4, the game will feature a merchant, who is a person you see if you wish to buy any sort of items or upgrade the existing types of equipment.
Release date and availability of the Resident Evil 4 remake
Capcom announced during the Resident Evil showcase that the much-awaited Resident Evil 4 remake will be released worldwide on March 17, 2023. The game will be made available to all PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC users, with steam managing the computer-based side of things. As it was initially planned, the game will be skipping the Xbox One release and will be among the first triple-A games to be released only on next-gen platforms. Players who are looking to upgrade the game from the PS4 version to PS5 can do it for free.
The trailer also confirms that the remake will support Sony’s newest virtual reality headset, the PSVR2. More details and requirements regarding the PSVR2 release have not been made public by the developers, however, it will not be too challenging for Capcom who has already converted Resident Evil Village into VR for the release of the PSVR2.
Pre-order information
With the release date just about two weeks far, pre-orders of the Resident Evil 4 remake have been made available to the players featuring three editions- the standard, Deluxe, and Collectors editions. Players who pre-order any of these editions will be rewarded with a gold attache case and handgun ammo weapon charm which can both be used to customize your default in-game inventory system, the attache case. The standard edition comes up with only the base game and will be available at $60 for most platforms, including PC. Players who are planning to purchase the game on the PlayStation store will be receiving a copy of the Resident Evil 4 mini soundtrack as an additional bonus.
The Deluxe edition of the game will be available at $70 for all current-gen platforms and for PC users, it just costs $60. In addition to the original game, this version has an extra DLC pack that includes a huge number of in-game items like costumes, accessories, filters for the lead characters, premium weapons, the treasure map expansion, and more. Apart from these, the deluxe edition also comes up with two extras that aren’t available in the standard version, including a classic attache case and a green herb weapon charm.
The Collector’s edition of the game is priced at a whopping $250 and will be available only to those players who purchase the game for their PlayStation and Xbox, not PC. Along with the items mentioned in the deluxe edition, this version comes up with an additional DLC pack product code and also has a number of physical goodies including a steel book, an art book, a collectors’ box, a Leon Kennedy figurine, and special maps.
Conclusion
From rewritten storyline to improved visuals, there are many changes in the game compared to the Original RE4. The fans are very interested to see how these changes will look across the entire duration of the game. Overall, the Resident Evil 4 remake still looks sharp and thrilling that has a high possibility of creating the same magic as its 2005 original.
YouTube: Resident Evil 4 – 3rd Trailer
Photo credit: The media shown in the article are owned by Capcom and were provided as part of a press kit.
