An extremely frustrating experience from an otherwise exciting and genre-defining franchise. Baroque, self-cannibalizing level design partnered with some disturbingly undercooked enemy interaction cause Resident Evil 4 (2023) to fall far down my ladder of interest. Repetitive stakes and sudden design language shifts imply a lack of identity more than a meticulously crafted mosaic. Some of the more outlandish set pieces allow us to see the game's beautifully rendered, visceral violence absent of the poor level design and conflicting systems. These sequences serve the player up some of the most fulfilling action this wave of remasters has dished out. I can't help but feel like if the rest of the game were similarly identifiable, Resident Evil 4 (2023) would have been my game of the year.