Hi all! 

Today I am sharing my experience playing Resident Evil 4 (remake) for the first time. I’m currently working my way through all the modern games, including the remakes. Eventually, I will rank them all. I have been a big fan of this franchise for years; having seen many a playthrough on YouTube. However, I had never played them myself. RE4, as mentioned above, was remade in 2023 by Capcom. I played it on casual mode (amateur gamer here!) and these are my thoughts. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

The Story

Set six years later, after the events of the last game, Umbrella is long gone due to a combination of government oversight and subsequent stock value crash. We follow US agent, Leon Kennedy, who must save Ashley Graham, the daughter of the US president, from a mysterious cult in rural Spain.  

Casual Mode/Gameplay 

The biggest strength of RE4 is the adventure. The amount of exploration is unmatched. Leon travels through villages, fishing inlets, caves, churches, mazes, castles, underground mines, islands and more. There isn’t one second wasted. I truly felt like I went on an epic journey. I appreciate how the game is divided into chapters. It enhances the pacing a thousand fold. The puzzles were also fun and inventive, not to mention the target practice sections. I had a blast (pardon the pun) shooting those naughty pirates. Additionally, the sassy Merchant was always a welcome sight. He is such an iconic character in the franchise. I saw so many similarities to Resident Evil Village. It’s obvious where the newer game drew its inspiration from. 

Did I find it difficult on casual mode? A little. RE4 is extremely enemy heavy. Expect waves upon waves of villains. If you aren’t well equipped, you may be in for a bad time. There were moments I had to run due to zero ammunition. Furthemore, there are a lot of boss battles (9 in total), with varying degrees of difficulty. It’s really important you complete the additional blue quests, collect treasures, upgrade your weaponry/armour and continue crafting at every chance you get. You want everything at your disposal. Also, watch out for bear traps!

The Castle

If I had to choose my favourite part of the game, it would definitely be The Castle. There are so many levels to it, including a section where you play as Ashley. That was the scariest moment in my opinion. Not only are you unarmed, you’re navigating mainly in the dark. Furthermore, before entering the grand palace, you have to traverse through a spooky hedge maze. Vicious wolves prowl amidst the rows of green. You don’t know what you’ll see behind every corner. Once you’re inside, it’s a plethora of puzzles, boss battles, lavish architecture, treasure hunting and more. 

Del Lago 

Out of the 9 boss battles, I want to touch on Del Lago. As mentioned above, Moreau from Village was inspired by this sea mutant. It isn’t a difficult fight by any means but I loved how different it was. As Leon, you have to use your boat to move through the lake, hurling harpoons at the gigantic deadly creature. Seeing that enormous mouth coming towards you will never not be terrifying. This was the moment I knew RE4 was operating on another level. It wasn’t afraid to experiment and all of it worked. 

RE4 is practically perfect. It is difficult to critique it. Having said that, Ashley as a character irritated me. I wasn’t a fan of her personality. I know the entire point was to rescue her but having to constantly protect her became tedious. Throughout the game, I kept coming up against hordes of villains to stave off. Babysitting Ashley on top of that was very overwhelming at times. Those particular sections put me off slightly from replaying the game. Finally, I know most fans take issue with the island chapter but I didn’t mind it. It was still fun and thrilling. 

Overall, Resident Evil 4 gets a 9.5/10 total score. It is absolutely worth all the hype it gets. 

Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know your experience playing Resident Evil 4. I will be back in 2027 with my review/breakdown of Resident Evil Veronica (remake of Code Veronica). In the meantime, stay tuned for an RE ranking! 

Peace & Love xoxo