"Bliss", in Video Game Form
A review of "Resident Evil 4 (2023)". One of the best remakes of all time from one of my favorite series. Games just don't get much better than this.
This very well may be my favorite “Resident Evil” all told. I don’t think there is a bad part of this game, and playing it 4 times in a row has cemented that for me. What an incredible accomplishment. Somehow they made RE4 even better???
Resident Evil 4 is a masterpiece. The first one, that is. Not only is it considered far and away quality-wise the finest game in the franchise, but it’s also by far the series’ most beloved entry. I adore the original version of the game. The first time I ever played it was on the PS4 around 2018, and just before the Resident Evil 2 remake came out for that generation of consoles. I wanted to see what the fuss was about around the franchise, and as I am wont to do sometimes when I am not sure about a game or a series— I’ll simply jump into what is considered the best one, and go from there, intended order be damned.
What I found was a pitch-perfect game. “Bliss”, in video game form you could call it (as this article’s title suggests). It’s just about as good as the medium gets for me. There is just a special sauce to the particulars of Resident Evil 4 that no other game has topped. It’s a pristine, unadulterated diamond of perfect game design that has been often imitated, and rarely surpassed, if ever. It’s phenomenal.
The systems are the real winner in base Resident Evil 4, and with such a strong foundation, anything you’d do to it for a re-release or remake would have an impeccable basis to improve upon. I remember pre-release people being a bit tepid on the announcement of the remake. After the mild reception to Resident Evil 3’s remake (I liked it…), some folks were worried that a remake of the greatest game in the series with 4 would be lackluster because of the efforts of the last attempt.
How could a perfect game like 4 even be improved upon?? Resident Evil 4 played a bit stiffly, sure— and you still couldn’t freely move and shoot like in other 3rd-person action games inspired by it, but regardless, a lot of people were a bit pessimistic on if Capcom could, for a second time, overhaul a beloved game in the franchise. as they did with Resident Evil 2, which was a huge success for the company. If Capcom could recapture the same success in remaking 4 as they did in 2, that would truly be a feat.
Would you know what?? They did. They fucking nailed it, too. Not only is Resident Evil 4 (2023) better in every conceivable way than the original, it surpasses every metric of success for one of these complete, big-budget remakes. The previous bar of success I had with one of these things was with Dead Space (2023), which was a remake of the first game in its series. In that game, not only did EA Motive (the developer on that remake) accentuate and add to the original game’s particulars— they fixed core design issues with the original effort, crafting a better-paced and executed remake. They fixed the worst parts of that game, made those pain points better, and even made some key changes about how the game flowed end to end. In this remake of 4, Capcom did a similar facelift, updating the cruft of the mid-game sections that people didn’t like (Ashley’s sections), and fixed all the issues with escorting and protecting NPCs (but mainly Ashley) through the game’s missions, making for a much improved campaign experience for players.
I can’t understate how big these changes are. While the original 4 is not a perfect game by any means (in fact, due to its age it can be quite flawed in some fit and finish aspects), reworking core systems for the remake makes the whole thing flow better, as a result. The issues of the first game persist throughout its runtime. The biggest criticism people had about the original was: Ashley’s segments were terrible, and the whole game felt like a souped-up escort mission (which is reductive, I think, but I understand the sentiment). So fixing these key issues makes the game feel even better to play through.
The quality-of-life improvements of this remake extend past its bone structure too; the whole game looks incredible, visually as well. Capcom has been using a proprietary engine colloquially known as the “Reach for the Moon” Engine (RE Engine; the logo is a hand grabbing at a silver moon), ever since Monster Hunter World, and the powerful engine makes every game they make look so, so, so good. One of my favorite things about the game is just how all the characters look in motion. Each main character glides across the screen, with nary a hair out of place. Capcom already made hot characters, but now? Good Lord…
The characters get new, fresher looks, and thanks to the power of the RE Engine, they look more beautiful than ever. I’ll be damned if I can’t almost physically tally the thread-count of Ada Wong’s new, red tactical ‘dress’. It’s that clear of a picture, and just as pretty too. Main character Leon Kennedy is our favorite, sexy, baby-faced special agent, and dammit if Capcom isn’t gonna pull his updated design off with panache. Leon is the main protagonist after all, so he gets extra special treatment. He looks like if Leonardo DiCaprio was a star roughing it in the special forces. The best at what he does, and man does he look good doing it. What?… The man is put together, alright?? I know I am not alone. I’ve seen your search history…
In many ways, Leon is the trend-setter for the tone of this remake, and as he moves and shakes his way from beginning to end, so too do the themes, tones, and atmosphere of this game move in kind. Admittedly, Leon is a big old, blonde-haired goober. He is an impetuous, extremely capable agent of the American government, powered by corny one-liners and pithy quotes, all prepped and ready for any wacky situation he finds himself in; Leon is nothing if prepared for the task at hand. The tone stays unserious and goofy just like the original, albeit with a bit more bite. Original RE4 is more high-grade B-movie schlock than a terrifying descent into purgatory, and the remake carries aspects of the original’s flavor while lending a bit more fright to the experience. It’s a good deal more frightful than the original.
The original RE4 is “Cornball City” with all the dumb one-liners you want from an 80’s action movie, and the remake is that and even more, with sometimes more ridiculous quotes being uttered. Leon is nothing if not well-timed in his insults, after all. To boot, the villains are big, bombastic, and brash, and Leon saves his best quotes for the baddies he finds himself up against. The remake keeps this core aspect of Leon intact, while making all the situations a bit darker and more high fidelity to add a spookier flair to the proceedings. I love how silly the game can get, and while Leon is playing it straight, you can almost detect a slight hint of damn near imperceptible glee turning the corners of his lips as he throws out rude dialogue during the heat of battle.
Like Leon, the other members of RE4’s cast get a facelift too, with the whole set also getting recast for this new remake. All the new voices are great too, except for Ada, who comes off as a tad flat, for me. I think she is played by a different actress from the RE2 remake, and the change is evident. Not bad, but she is just a bit lacking in personality compared to the previous actress. A highlight of the new cast is also the Merchant, who is a fan-favorite of the original, and interacting with him has never been better. Took me a while to get used to his new voice since I am so used to the original version, but by the time I finished it for the first time, I had totally given myself over to the new direction. He might be the best shopkeeper in gaming. He probably is??
The rest of the cast is spectacularly good, however, with Leon’s voice actor, Nick Apostolides, being a particular bright spot, even amongst a mostly strong cast. In RE4, Leon is a bit older and more seasoned— not quite the burgeoning rookie sweetheart from his first adventure in RE2, and Apostolides deftly infuses the character of Leon with a tad bit more gruffness than his previous outing. Little character decisions like that really shine from game to game, and seeing his performance from entry to entry change with the age of the protagonist is a great little bit of detail added in these remake projects. Apostolides is the lifeblood of the Leon games, and he is a strong, confident presence to inhabit the character. High marks, there.
While tweaks and changes like casting and gameplay have fundamentally changed, the core experience of playing RE4 hasn’t. If it ain’t broke, why change it?? The core formula of balancing resources like ammo, health, currency, and key items in your briefcase returns, and the act of fitting them all like Tetrinimos in storage is just as satisfying as it was all the way back in 2005. You can move a lot quicker and can freely strafe around while aiming your gun, a feature added to the remake, and you can still stagger enemies and use finishers on them— but the biggest addition to the core gameplay mechanics is parrying with your combat knife.
You can parry everything pretty much (within reason). I think I even parried a missile?? Throughout the game, you have many encounters with aggressive enemies, and given your enhanced movement capabilities and added maneuvers like a dodge and parry, the enemies you face also have added moves and mechanics with which to flank and attack you. This is where the knife primarily comes into play; like in RE2 Remake, it’s a “get out of jail free card when you get a little too careless in close quarters, and a zombie takes a bite at you. You can choose to fight off said foe, or use a pip of durability with either your main knife or disposable knife (the main knife can be repaired at the merchant), to get a quick stab into your assailant, freeing you up for a recovery item or a quick escape. It was a good addition in RE2, but adding a knife with which you can parry affords you even more options for Leon when the chips are down. It’s maybe my favorite addition to already an awesome game that feels great to play.
Now that I have beaten it 4 times (once normally, once with an infinite magnum, once with an infinite rocket launcher, and once on hardcore with no extras), I think it’s safe to say I will be doing all the challenges and getting all the trophies one day. The game keeps incentivizing you to return to it, even hours after the initial campaign run. The gameplay loop and feel of the controls are so addicting, it’s just hard to put it down. That’s not even mentioning “The Mercenaries” mode (which is Resident Evil 4’s version of a ‘horde’ mode where you try to get high scores and new rewards) and even the “Separate Ways” DLC for Ada Wong (a returning feature from the original game) to play through once youy’ve done everything in the base game, all of which has their own challenge tiers, and reward tracks to attain as well.
It’s a game with a staggering amount of content, and the hours I’ve spent playing already could even double or triple depending on what I want to accomplish on my return trips to it. It’s the rare game that will keep me coming back for years to come, I imagine. Just because it’s so much fucking fun. In my mind, it is the perfect video game. It’s my ideal video game at the very least. It’s a riotously fun, addictive, single-player action romp with great characters, a fun story, and more than enough replay value to keep you coming back for more. It’s everything I like about video games.
I played this game 4 times back to back to back. Each time doing something new. Initially it wasn’t even for a platinum trophy— it was purely just for the love of the game, if I am honest. I just love it that much. I was already a fan of the original, but this remake has completely taken me over. I adore it. It’s one of my favorite games of all time, I think. Where it ranks, I am not quite sure to be honest, but it’s up there. Definitely in my top 20 favorite video games I’ve ever played. Everyone should play this game, and if you don’t like it, you just hate a good time. Pretty succinct, if you ask me. I highly recommend it, and hell, if I had to score it, it would be a 5 outta 5. I never do that, but people like a number. So yeah, I’ll do it here.
Keep drifting, kemosabes. Thanks for reading.