Back to back releases of remakes of iconic horror game classics is a great time to be in I tell ya.
This is unfortunately one of those games where I don’t really have much to say for an arbitrary review, this was just a good time all around just like the other REmakes. Admittedly I do wish the remake kept more of the cheesy B movie tone the original had, and while it is still there somewhat (Leon in particular is still filled to the brim with sassy quips and one liners, especially when he lands melee attacks), it’s overall toned down a bit. However, I feel the remake more than makes up for it in terms of sheer atmosphere and mechanical/story changes. A lot of the irritating elements the original had (instant death QTEs, the minecart section) have been either completely reworked or flat out removed. I do still kinda prefer how the original’s aiming mechanics work (I just feel it’s more precise for the kind of game RE4 wants to be) compared to just smacking RE4 mechanics on the typical REmake control scheme, but it still works great regardless and still maintains RE4’s signature frantic panic inducing gameplay, constantly keeping you on your toes as you scramble to deal with like several enemies in a tight room or arena all at once. The ability to straight up parry attacks is amazing and absolutely would’ve fit right at home in the original if they thought of the idea, it’s so ridiculous and over the top but it works (yes of course you can parry chainsaws with a knife, Leon is simply built different). The downside is that for some reason there’s knife durability so now you gotta waste time repairing it when it breaks or when it takes damage. I don’t even understand why they did this as the game throws so many disposable knifes for you to use, I must’ve stockpiled like 5-6 of them on hardcore mode. Other than that, it’s more or less similar to how the original worked mechanically, getting and combining treasures is still satisfying, rearranging items in your attache case is still decent fun to tinker around with, RE4 is still somewhat fresh off my mind so I did have a better frame of reference to make comparisons. Even the dumb trinkets you got from the shooting range now have functional purpose. They didn’t have to do that, but they did and I’m glad they did.
The boss fights are a mixed bag unfortunately. Some are actually vastly improved compared to the original (the Krauser fight especially), others are…more or less the exact same, some ended up being a bit worse. I swear the Ramón boss was so much easier in the original than it was here, idk.
If we’re gonna talk Ashley though then good LORD talk about an improvement. She is so much better than she ever was in the original, both mechanically AND as a character. For starters, Ashley doesn’t have a health bar anymore (unfathomably based), she gets “incapacitated” when she gets hit, the next hit afterwards being a game over, which means you not only have ample amount of time to get her back up on her feet and essentially up to “full health” again, but it also means you no longer need to waste resources into restoring her health or increasing it, it’s all reserved for you. Second, she now has 2 different commands, one where she backs up away from Leon so he can have an easier time taking care of enemies, and one where she sticks close to Leon so she has a better time avoiding enemies, rather than a binary “stop and go” system. Third, it’s basically impossible to accidentally shoot her now, as Leon puts his gun down in front of Ashley and Ashley herself ducks and moves out of the way when you point your weapon in her general proximity. The only time you’re able to shoot her by accident is when she’s getting carried away, and even then I found it way harder to do so than I did in the original. And on top of ALL OF THIS, you’re still able to command her to hide in lockers when there’s a huge arena fight that’s about to break out. She’s so much less of a deadweight handicap than she ever was in the original, and for the first time I actually didn’t mind when Ashley tagged along, instead of dreading every instance of it in the original. Her solo gameplay section in the remake is actually so much better as well, it’s genuinely tense and eerie and heart pounding compared to the OG. And if we’re talking about her in the story, she’s so SO much better here than the constant barrage of “LEOOOON HAAAAAAALP” that permeated the original. I genuinely liked her relationship with Leon as it developed over the course of the game, it was genuinely kinda sweet seeing her getting worried if Leon was hurt, eventually wanting to fight alongside Leon someday, it was great stuff. Luis was really great too. Like, what the story lacks in cheesy campiness, I feel it makes up for it by making these characters feel more like characters, which is nice.
Overall while I do prefer this over the original, I still have no problem with returning to the original any time soon. I really do appreciate how both games offer different enough experiences so that one isn’t seen as a complete upgrade over the other making the other version obsolete (Dead Space remake for example). I still prefer RE2make for the general setting and the incredibly tense nature of a persistent stalker, but RE4make is still incredibly solid nonetheless.
Also the merchant is still the best character. Bro just comes out of nowhere, helps you out, sells you guns, never elaborates, leaves. What a chad.
This is unfortunately one of those games where I don’t really have much to say for an arbitrary review, this was just a good time all around just like the other REmakes. Admittedly I do wish the remake kept more of the cheesy B movie tone the original had, and while it is still there somewhat (Leon in particular is still filled to the brim with sassy quips and one liners, especially when he lands melee attacks), it’s overall toned down a bit. However, I feel the remake more than makes up for it in terms of sheer atmosphere and mechanical/story changes. A lot of the irritating elements the original had (instant death QTEs, the minecart section) have been either completely reworked or flat out removed. I do still kinda prefer how the original’s aiming mechanics work (I just feel it’s more precise for the kind of game RE4 wants to be) compared to just smacking RE4 mechanics on the typical REmake control scheme, but it still works great regardless and still maintains RE4’s signature frantic panic inducing gameplay, constantly keeping you on your toes as you scramble to deal with like several enemies in a tight room or arena all at once. The ability to straight up parry attacks is amazing and absolutely would’ve fit right at home in the original if they thought of the idea, it’s so ridiculous and over the top but it works (yes of course you can parry chainsaws with a knife, Leon is simply built different). The downside is that for some reason there’s knife durability so now you gotta waste time repairing it when it breaks or when it takes damage. I don’t even understand why they did this as the game throws so many disposable knifes for you to use, I must’ve stockpiled like 5-6 of them on hardcore mode. Other than that, it’s more or less similar to how the original worked mechanically, getting and combining treasures is still satisfying, rearranging items in your attache case is still decent fun to tinker around with, RE4 is still somewhat fresh off my mind so I did have a better frame of reference to make comparisons. Even the dumb trinkets you got from the shooting range now have functional purpose. They didn’t have to do that, but they did and I’m glad they did.
The boss fights are a mixed bag unfortunately. Some are actually vastly improved compared to the original (the Krauser fight especially), others are…more or less the exact same, some ended up being a bit worse. I swear the Ramón boss was so much easier in the original than it was here, idk.
If we’re gonna talk Ashley though then good LORD talk about an improvement. She is so much better than she ever was in the original, both mechanically AND as a character. For starters, Ashley doesn’t have a health bar anymore (unfathomably based), she gets “incapacitated” when she gets hit, the next hit afterwards being a game over, which means you not only have ample amount of time to get her back up on her feet and essentially up to “full health” again, but it also means you no longer need to waste resources into restoring her health or increasing it, it’s all reserved for you. Second, she now has 2 different commands, one where she backs up away from Leon so he can have an easier time taking care of enemies, and one where she sticks close to Leon so she has a better time avoiding enemies, rather than a binary “stop and go” system. Third, it’s basically impossible to accidentally shoot her now, as Leon puts his gun down in front of Ashley and Ashley herself ducks and moves out of the way when you point your weapon in her general proximity. The only time you’re able to shoot her by accident is when she’s getting carried away, and even then I found it way harder to do so than I did in the original. And on top of ALL OF THIS, you’re still able to command her to hide in lockers when there’s a huge arena fight that’s about to break out. She’s so much less of a deadweight handicap than she ever was in the original, and for the first time I actually didn’t mind when Ashley tagged along, instead of dreading every instance of it in the original. Her solo gameplay section in the remake is actually so much better as well, it’s genuinely tense and eerie and heart pounding compared to the OG. And if we’re talking about her in the story, she’s so SO much better here than the constant barrage of “LEOOOON HAAAAAAALP” that permeated the original. I genuinely liked her relationship with Leon as it developed over the course of the game, it was genuinely kinda sweet seeing her getting worried if Leon was hurt, eventually wanting to fight alongside Leon someday, it was great stuff. Luis was really great too. Like, what the story lacks in cheesy campiness, I feel it makes up for it by making these characters feel more like characters, which is nice.
Overall while I do prefer this over the original, I still have no problem with returning to the original any time soon. I really do appreciate how both games offer different enough experiences so that one isn’t seen as a complete upgrade over the other making the other version obsolete (Dead Space remake for example). I still prefer RE2make for the general setting and the incredibly tense nature of a persistent stalker, but RE4make is still incredibly solid nonetheless.
Also the merchant is still the best character. Bro just comes out of nowhere, helps you out, sells you guns, never elaborates, leaves. What a chad.