Resident Evil 4's remake is surprisingly bold while reassuringly familiar

It's been a hot topic of late about when a classic game is ripe for a remake, but given how Resident Evil 4 seems to have been rolled out for re-release in one shape or another almost annually since it first appeared in 2005 it feels like a special case. There was a waggle-enhanced Wii version, HD versions for the Xbox 360 and PS3, mobile versions for Android and iOS and VR versions for Oculus Quest - by this point, Capcom's iconic survival horror feels as ubiquitous as Skyrim.

When Capcom announced it was giving Resident Evil 4 the same remake treatment it gave RE2 and RE3 recently, eyebrows were understandably raised. What exactly can a remake bring to make it worth playing through again? Going hands-on with a short section of the forthcoming remake showed there's a fair amount to make it more than worthwhile, and this remake provides an effective remix of some moments we know inside out, refreshing them enough to make it feel like you're playing through this classic for the first time.

Before we get to that, though, there's obviously a fairly hefty visual makeover in effect here. The original Resident Evil 4 has aged admirably and still looks pretty fine today, but it doesn't look quite like this. In keeping with other games that have excellently employed Capcom's RE Engine, this is a proper looker with moody lighting and an incredible *wetness* to the gore. There are some truly disturbing sights here, from fresh corpses of recently ripped apart rabbits to the enhanced horror of seeing a villager tied to the stake in astounding new detail. Perhaps most importantly, there's an extra floppiness to Leon's curtains, and an extra fluffiness to the collar of his famous jacket.

Read more