This IS how you do a DLC.

The changes here, feel drastic, with completely new areas, sequences designed solely for this DLC, and all the cut-out stuff being remixed with different context which makes the storytelling completely original and never feels it's retreading similar territories as that of the base game. And on top of that, none of the story feels contradictory with that of the Leon's campaign too unlike RE2 Remake. It is barely recognizable to it's 2005 counterpart and all for the better.

As a "B" scenario, when coupled with the base game, this is as perfect a remake can get as of yet, and it offers a meaty 5 hour of content that is incredible and immensely fun to play.

There's no video-game like Resident Evil 4 for me, in the way it balances horror, survival mechanics, action, set pieces and a wonderful array of enemies that all gels in a way that it never feels like it's suffering from identity crisis.

The remake not just brings life-quality improvements, but is bold enough to make changes to the combat system, and map. Certain areas from Village, feels expanded with more complex layout, and also gives room for exploration which brings it slightly closer to the classic survival horror, but also being action-packed. Certain encounters being replaced with newer ones, and MOST of them works better here.

The story opts for a more realistic route, and the side characters like Ashley and Luis reaps the benefit of the changes, having stronger dynamic with Leon, and going through their own arcs, which makes both of them more humane as characters. Krauser is a better antagonist this time around with the added backstory, and Saddler despite his minimal screen time feels a lot more menacing as a villain. Leon is more consistent with the RE2 version, but has all the traits that made him "badass" action hero from the original. He too is given more depth, being traumatized by past events which ties to to RE2's story, and has development. One-liners are back, and even more than earlier and a lot of them land. However, I will always have a soft-spot for the original Leon. In the original, where the storytelling felt like it took a backseat to the gameplay, this is the best improvement I can ask for as a die-hard fan.

However, it's bread-and-butter is still the combat which is ridiculously fun. The parrying complements the flow really well, and when pulled at perfect timing, it rewards with a kick, and feels immensely satisfying. The Ganados are more challenging to take down too, they stagger a lot less, and acts even more aggressive as a "mob" which balances out the new mechanics. It coasts through one set pieces after another, and the cinematic presentation gives it a more grander, epic scale. Krauser's boss fight is a BIG highlight, and even I loved the re-designed fight with Bella sisters in a small room, with Ganados pouring in, making it a lot more scarier, and iconic than the original. It feels addicting as hell, that on finishing it for the first time, I immediately hopped back for 2nd run.

Unlike Dead Space (2023) which adds small yet smart changes, that it remains mostly faithful, improves on it, and even replaces the original for me, this works better as a "re-interpretation". It's not perfect, Salazar's more serious persona, his less screen time and his new boss fight doesn't feel as fun as I hoped, and the Castle section feels more memorable as an overall package in the original. One can pick apart small changes, but on a stand-alone basis, it feels distinct enough to feel like a separate title, and yet familiar enough to be called "Resident Evil 4". It's quality stands side by side with the original for me, not replacing it is the reason why for me this is now the gold standard of remakes.

This was phenomenal, something that I had never expected, and managed to blindside me. The biggest improvement here is the gameplay and just smooth everything feels. The controls feel snappier, and shooting feels great. Isaac movements are lot less clunky. However, to compensate that the Necromorphs are also aggressive and take less stun damage. I also faced higher chance of getting ambushed by Necromorphs which just added to the stress of the gameplay, and made it whole lot of fun. I also had to move a lot around, to dodge their attacks, and rely on other weapons on the fly which made the combat more dynamic in that sense. Boss fights are more fun now, and certain fighting sections have been re-designed.

The levels are lot more open-ended which allows for RE-like backtracking, something that I often had to rely on, considering I was always running low-on ammo. While the Ishimura level design isn't as top-tier as that of RE games, it's decent, and works quite well so that it never got annoying for me. The intensity director of the game is also a big factor which makes the backtracking more fun. It will randomly spawn enemies everytime you return to same, change the location's vibe by shutting off lighting and adding fog, which previously were never there, so that it can make the Ishimura as a setting feel alive, claustrophobic and never static. I also was able to feel the scale of the Ishimura as a setting now, like it's vast, and explorable which earlier game wasn't able to nail in my opinion.

Visually the game is marvelous. I wasn't too hooked by the atmosphere at the start, but slowly and gradually grew on me. The sheer lighting, the flickering of it, and the way it often reflects through the fog, created a visual delight, and made the ship feel lonely and isolated. The color palette is more varied now, and everytime the lights go red, or orange it looks fantastic. The earlier game had more monotonous color, with corridors looking very brow, black or white, which made it look dull, however added a certain feeling of bleakness that maybe is missing. Overall I can say, the atmosphere is a very different vibe compared to the OG. The sound design is back too, you can hear the ship groaning when the different machine parts work, but certain Necromorphs sound has been toned down, like the Guardians who no longer sounds as horrifying as the original title. Certain loud creaking noises that were present in the original could've made the entire experience even better.

The storytelling is more clear this time. More side-quests has been added, which involves Nicole, Mercer is more villanous and I cherished every cutscene, and the fact that Isaac talks adds a bit more personal angle. The design is still the same, like doing one task from another, but since every character is interacting, the flow feels a lot better this time. There are more depth added through Isaac's and Nicole's relationship, and I like Hammond's and Kendra more here.

If anything that I felt was a gripe for me, was the initial section. I had already re-played Dead Space OG twice, and I felt that the game was too easy initially. It gave me a whole lot of ammo, and fewer enemies too shoot. However, it re-adjusted itself later on, and I found the game to be fairly challenging on Medium difficulty. Another thing I found was the weapon switching was slow. In intense areas, where you need to switch to other weapons, it can became quite annoying because of that. The game can also feel a bit too long, like the original depending on how much quests you are doing.

I had played Dead Space 2008 back in 2021, and while I liked it a lot, I wasn't able to attach myself to the "classic" nature of it like I did with RE4. However, this remake nearly improves this game, and makes it a much better experience. I always found the lore, and the mystery to be intriguing, but found confusing on how it was delivered through text and audio logs of the original game. This one, also executes that aspect a lot better, and in overall, I think this is the best way to experience the horrors of Ishimura (once again).