The directors of the upcoming Resident Evil 4 Remake apparently had some big reservations about reimagining the classic Capcom horror game, with the original tale of Leon Kennedy taking on the Las Plagas presenting so little room for improvement, it made the prospect of a new RE4 pretty daunting. Rest assured, though; as we approach the Resident Evil 4 remake release date, the creators say they have found a way to make it work.
With the standard set so high by the original Resident Evil 4, not to mention the superlative remakes of Resident Evil 2 and RE3, Capcom’s co-directors were reportedly uncertain on how to improve on the 2005 classic, saying they were concerned about angering fans.
“Honestly speaking, I didn’t want to do it,” says Resident Evil 4 Remake co-director Yasuhiro Ampo. “Among the RE series and even games in general, the original RE4 has become a legend. I knew that it would be difficult to successfully remake it, and if we made one mistake with any updates we made, we would anger its fans.”
Kazunori Kadoi, another of Resident Evil 4 Remake’s directors, also had reservations, calling the original game a “masterpiece.”
“When I first heard about remaking RE4, my first impression was that since the original is a masterpiece, a remake would be difficult,” says Kadoi, in an interview with Game Informer. “So I didn’t want to do it.”
Nevertheless, the team at Capcom identified various areas where the original Resident Evil 4 could be improved. Combat in the remake has some extra mechanics and dimensions, introducing a new parry system, so Leon can deflect Las Plagas attacks with his knife. Resident Evil 4 Remake will also allow for more tactical and stealthy gameplay, shaking up the straightforward point-and-shoot action of the original.
“Within the confines of fighting, the combat [in the original RE4] is really well done, and the choices you have when fighting are rather varied,” says Ampo. “But outside of that, we felt there wasn’t a lot of choice and thought there was room for updates there.”
Resident Evil 4 Remake will also remove the quick-time event sequences from the original game’s cutscenes, and nerf a pretty useful exploit when you’re upgrading your guns. From the gameplay that we have seen so far, it looks like a tense, scary shooter that builds on all the best aspects of the original. We’ll just have to wait and see when March 24 rolls around.
Take a look at some of the other best upcoming games if you want to know everything on the release schedule for 2023. You might also want to know all the big changes to Resident Evil 4 gameplay compared to the original, or get the full Resident Evil 4 system requirements to make sure your PC is up to the challenge.