this is the last of the new RE remakes i have to play since i had put this off forever from poor word of mouth regarding its length and cut content. i never played the original so there’s no way for me to tell you what’s gone and what has been added but as a base product this is across the board disappointing. i knew playing RE4 remake beforehand probably set too high expectations for the previous game in the remake series but even comparing this to 2 it’s a downgrade by nearly every measure. new additions like the dodge mechanic hardly function and lead to frustration rather than feeling like you just scraped past death, coupled with what felt like significantly worse level design with 50 zombies in each open area that just sort of stand there until you enter their range where they pounce on you into a mashing contest that doesn't seem to do much of anything. the stalker character in this game compared to mr. x in 2 is significantly less imposing even though he is a third larger than his predecessor. there are numerous things that lead his presence to barely registering any tension. firstly, this game is too heavily reliant on scripted linear set pieces that don’t make any of the nemesis' actions feel unpredictable or scary to deal with. In comparison to mr. x who felt like he was his own force to be reckoned with, stalking whatever areas of the map he wanted at any time until he found his prey, nemesis feels like a dog that runs wherever the developers throw the ball. he sort of spawns in whenever it would best fit for another chase sequence and it’s in that predictability that the main anchor of this game fails drastically for me.
nearly all of the scares register as predictable and each one you can see coming from a mile away. what makes matters worse is the absolutely terrible audio which is something i almost never notice. i played on a speaker setup at a loud volume and from what I gather this game uses a directional audio system that only makes things loud when you’re looking directly at the source of the noise, so during dramatic chase sequences with nemesis tailing me with a bazooka, i barely heard any of his thundering footsteps or even his rocket being fired until it hit the ground next to me. i still have PTSD flashbacks hearing mr. x charging towards me with the anger of an abusive father but here i end up only confused with nemesis as he appears out of nowhere due to the inconsistent sound. this could just be a me problem and maybe my setup is botched but my sound issues extended to out of sync jumpscares and bullets that didn’t match up with the screen that ruined the impact of many scripted moments that weren’t already diminished by the game’s overreliance on them. on top of that, the voice acting sounds like it was recorded through a nokia brick a lot of the time despite the actors putting in good work underneath it.
the level design is uncharacteristically simple for the most part, requiring barely any thought process. if the chase sequences didn’t feel dodgy enough with the terrible roll mechanic that barely works as intended, it brings no delight that the map itself hardly makes up for any of this frustration as everything is a clear path forward, with an always convenient barrel or fire blocking every alternate route so that you’re immediately aware of the right way to go to trigger the next cutscene. it feels more like an interactive cutscene akin to the early portions of the game in the opening apartment block set piece than anything capcom would conjure up in RE4 and had already done in RE2 with mr. x, mendez or the black robe. yet again, this is a huge problem of the game since the game’s main crux is your relationship as a player with nemesis being the advertised threat he is. he’s the title screen, he’s the box art and he shoehorns himself into a cutscene every 30 minutes to remind you he still exists since his presence is totally forgettable until you have to laboriously outrun him again or unload thousands of bullets in repeat boss battles.
it sounds like i hate this game but i didn’t. it’s a byproduct of me already playing better entries in this RE engine series of remakes that makes every core decision made here poorer by comparison. briefly aware of this game being a noted rush job and it’s length being an issue for most, which i have to agree with. there just isn't enough meat on the bones of this one. clocking in barely above one half of the split campaign in RE2 which has and will understandably leave people feeling quite robbed of their money for half the game they remember at the full price. on the flipside there is a slight satisfaction in being able to blitz through a game at a constant pace which i will praise the game for (this could be just because i’m feeling some gaming burnout lately but it wasn’t the worst thing in the world to blaze through something short). thankfully, i’m checking this one out on game pass so the sting isn’t quite there for me, but i am walking away from this more let down than i went in so everything does in fact have a price.
the game looks great as does everything the RE engine touches and i love all the characters. nemesis has a fire design despite my complaints with him (until the last third where he becomes the same as every other resident evil glob monster) and i do think the core combat of these games is by default always engaging and fun to some degree so there was never really a point in this game that i was completely bored. the puzzles are alright despite being a bit too on the simple side with a smidge too much hand holding. touching on the visuals, i wasn’t immediately sold on the crossover of the dark, grimy hallways of RE2 with neon signs of the inner-city but after a while it did grow on me a bit more and i think despite my misgivings with the overabundance of scripted content, the much more poppy presentation of this game did amplify the 80s blockbuster action-horror atmosphere it seems to be going for (nemesis is basically a tyrant Terminator). this only goes so far though, since behind the visuals there’s very little going on under the hood. the appeal of this game compared to RE2 and their shared timeline is the change in setting and the grander scale, yet besides more space to run around in there is very little substance hiding away. with most buildings being inaccessible and half of the street always being blocked by convenient rubble leading you straight towards story progression, it begins to feel even more shallow than one floor of the RPD building in 2. this point of comparison is even worse when you’re finally dropped back into the RPD building as carlos and the poor new areas are so much worse in immediate comparison. for me, it’s another nail in the coffin for a game so indebted to RE2 that seems to discard it’s incredible level design in favour of more dazzle than depth.
its standard thrills are all intact from previous entries and most would remain for RE4 with the welcome sanding of its rough edges but it’s a deeply frustrating experience coming back to this game after a real high and wondering how more time in the oven would have fared this one.
nearly all of the scares register as predictable and each one you can see coming from a mile away. what makes matters worse is the absolutely terrible audio which is something i almost never notice. i played on a speaker setup at a loud volume and from what I gather this game uses a directional audio system that only makes things loud when you’re looking directly at the source of the noise, so during dramatic chase sequences with nemesis tailing me with a bazooka, i barely heard any of his thundering footsteps or even his rocket being fired until it hit the ground next to me. i still have PTSD flashbacks hearing mr. x charging towards me with the anger of an abusive father but here i end up only confused with nemesis as he appears out of nowhere due to the inconsistent sound. this could just be a me problem and maybe my setup is botched but my sound issues extended to out of sync jumpscares and bullets that didn’t match up with the screen that ruined the impact of many scripted moments that weren’t already diminished by the game’s overreliance on them. on top of that, the voice acting sounds like it was recorded through a nokia brick a lot of the time despite the actors putting in good work underneath it.
the level design is uncharacteristically simple for the most part, requiring barely any thought process. if the chase sequences didn’t feel dodgy enough with the terrible roll mechanic that barely works as intended, it brings no delight that the map itself hardly makes up for any of this frustration as everything is a clear path forward, with an always convenient barrel or fire blocking every alternate route so that you’re immediately aware of the right way to go to trigger the next cutscene. it feels more like an interactive cutscene akin to the early portions of the game in the opening apartment block set piece than anything capcom would conjure up in RE4 and had already done in RE2 with mr. x, mendez or the black robe. yet again, this is a huge problem of the game since the game’s main crux is your relationship as a player with nemesis being the advertised threat he is. he’s the title screen, he’s the box art and he shoehorns himself into a cutscene every 30 minutes to remind you he still exists since his presence is totally forgettable until you have to laboriously outrun him again or unload thousands of bullets in repeat boss battles.
it sounds like i hate this game but i didn’t. it’s a byproduct of me already playing better entries in this RE engine series of remakes that makes every core decision made here poorer by comparison. briefly aware of this game being a noted rush job and it’s length being an issue for most, which i have to agree with. there just isn't enough meat on the bones of this one. clocking in barely above one half of the split campaign in RE2 which has and will understandably leave people feeling quite robbed of their money for half the game they remember at the full price. on the flipside there is a slight satisfaction in being able to blitz through a game at a constant pace which i will praise the game for (this could be just because i’m feeling some gaming burnout lately but it wasn’t the worst thing in the world to blaze through something short). thankfully, i’m checking this one out on game pass so the sting isn’t quite there for me, but i am walking away from this more let down than i went in so everything does in fact have a price.
the game looks great as does everything the RE engine touches and i love all the characters. nemesis has a fire design despite my complaints with him (until the last third where he becomes the same as every other resident evil glob monster) and i do think the core combat of these games is by default always engaging and fun to some degree so there was never really a point in this game that i was completely bored. the puzzles are alright despite being a bit too on the simple side with a smidge too much hand holding. touching on the visuals, i wasn’t immediately sold on the crossover of the dark, grimy hallways of RE2 with neon signs of the inner-city but after a while it did grow on me a bit more and i think despite my misgivings with the overabundance of scripted content, the much more poppy presentation of this game did amplify the 80s blockbuster action-horror atmosphere it seems to be going for (nemesis is basically a tyrant Terminator). this only goes so far though, since behind the visuals there’s very little going on under the hood. the appeal of this game compared to RE2 and their shared timeline is the change in setting and the grander scale, yet besides more space to run around in there is very little substance hiding away. with most buildings being inaccessible and half of the street always being blocked by convenient rubble leading you straight towards story progression, it begins to feel even more shallow than one floor of the RPD building in 2. this point of comparison is even worse when you’re finally dropped back into the RPD building as carlos and the poor new areas are so much worse in immediate comparison. for me, it’s another nail in the coffin for a game so indebted to RE2 that seems to discard it’s incredible level design in favour of more dazzle than depth.
its standard thrills are all intact from previous entries and most would remain for RE4 with the welcome sanding of its rough edges but it’s a deeply frustrating experience coming back to this game after a real high and wondering how more time in the oven would have fared this one.