If I was asked to name the greatest game of all time, I'd take approximately 0.03 milliseconds to answer, "Resident Evil 4." The 2005 classic holds a special sentimental value to me that almost no other media does. So when plans for a remake were leaked a couple of years ago, I wasn't happy about it, quite honestly. My thought process was this: Capcom, we get it, you had a lot of success remaking the PS1 entries, you want to keep riding the gravy train - but don't mess with perfection. Don't mess with Resident Evil 4.

I unashamedly admit to my cynicism throughout RE4 Remake's development. You see, when a game like Resident Evil 2 or Final Fantasy VII gets a remake, it makes sense because these games - excellent as they are - are retro titles made for outdated hardware. Resident Evil 4, despite being almost 20 years old, is still a modern third-person shooter because it fucking invented the modern third-person shooter. A remake was unnecessary. The first time I watched footage of the game, I felt a bit sad, as it wasn't particularly exciting - it was from the post-church segment of RE4, and the remake's take on it felt subdued. You also have to bear in mind that we were just coming off of Resident Evil 3 Remake, which was decent but disappointing, and Resident Evil Village, which I hated. Then the chainsaw demo came out, and I watched my friend stream it, and finally got excited. It looked faithful to the original, which was my biggest concern.

Now, having played RE4 Remake, my conclusion is this: it's still an unnecessary remake, but a worthy one regardless. This game does not replace or supersede the classic RE4 for me, but it's still an incredibly well-made third-person shooter. It's laden with nods to the original, even in places where it deviates from its parent game - be it for pacing reasons, or to better suit the grittier, grounded tone of this version. Almost all sections from the original that felt too Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider-esque have been excised, as have most quick-time events - a concession to players' changing tastes. Even as I missed the couple of areas that were entirely removed, I didn't mind too much - unlike RE3 Remake, where it felt like laziness, here it felt like a weighted decision to prevent chapters from becoming overlong or exhausting. Even when a section was abbreviated, there still existed some trace of the original that you could recognize.

On the flip side, certain sections have been expanded, modified, and reimagined entirely - with admirable results. Sometimes it felt like these curveballs felt like they were aimed specifically at players like me, who know the original game so well we could play it with our eyes closed. Having the rug pulled out from under me like this kept the game fresh and exciting.

However, there is one area where the changes are not welcome: characterization. While Ashley has been greatly improved in this version, to the point that I prefer her to the original 'HEEEEEELP! LEEEEOOOON!' screamer, the same is not true for the rest of the supporting characters. None of the rivals feel better off for their redesign: Mendez, Salazar, Krauser or Saddler all are less charismatic than their original counterparts. Mendez never shuts the fuck up, even during his boss fight, which robs him of his strong-and-silent menace. Salazar has a worse design and isn't as charmingly cheeky. Krauser has too much backstory and too much emotion, robbing him of his mystique. And Saddler is probably the worst-hit: he believes his own lies in this version, and I feel the Osmund of old, who was openly in it for the money and power, was a more effective villain. He also takes far too long to appear, compared to his early introduction in the 2005 original, which allowed him and Leon to develop a suitable antagonism towards each other.

And Ada, dear God, Ada. Her voice acting in this game is fucking atrocious, and I have no idea why her actress from RE2 Remake wasn't retained. Her new actress has no previous voiceover experience and had an extremely immature response to players criticizing her work, calling them racist. It isn't because you're Asian, Lily, it's because your voice work sucks. Ada's characterization in this game is also a lot colder and less likeable, and a mid-credits scene meant to redeem her would have been better if replaced by nothing.

I should mention that, in a vacuum, it's not like the characters' new motivations and dialogue are bad - indeed, Salazar's revamped boss fight is quite engaging, while the others faithfully recreate their original battles to great effect. It's just that I feel the original game's incarnations were superior.

Finally, there's the dynamic between Leon and Luis - one of the most beloved RE side characters. They take a lot longer to trust each other in this one, but it pays off well. I do feel Luis's character concluded better in the original than in the remake - but in case you've somehow managed to avoid the plot of one of the most popular games of the last 20 years, I won't spoil it for you. Also, Luis is finally playable in Mercenaries mode now! This was something I've wanted since 2005.

Resident Evil 4 Remake looks and controls like a dream. It should, because it runs on the RE Engine. I played through the game on Hardcore difficulty, which is recommended for people who've played the original. Here's a fun anecdote that shows my love, and countless playthroughs, of the original RE4: I kept dying at the first village fight because muscle memory kept kicking in, and I'd try to play this game with the 2005 RE4's controls! But once you're used to it, the gameplay really is super satisfying. Perhaps it's just my rote learning of the original, but I think this version is harder. It was shocking how intelligent and aggressive the enemies were.

RE4 Remake is a thrilling new take on a game I know by heart: when it deviated, I was suitably thrown off-balance, and when it remained faithful, I basked in its familiarity, the beautiful recreations of objects and environments from the original game. The soundtrack similarly defers to the great work of the original - it's a little more downbeat, but reuses musical motifs of the original to stir your memory.

This is the best horror game to come out in years. It already had most of the work done for it, all it had to do was eat at the table that the 2005 game had set. But Capcom made sure to put in the extra love and care that Resident Evil 4 deserves. This is a worthy remake. Not as good as the original - for me at least - but an amazing game in its own right. It would be too big of an ask for it to surpass the original, really. When Resident Evil 4 came out in 2005, there was nothing like it. When Resident Evil 4 came out in 2023, everything was like it. Every game that has an over-the-shoulder camera, every third-person shooter made after 2005, owes something to RE4. That's the level of influence this game has had, and as someone who has such an emotional connection to it, I give this remake my stamp of approval.