Following its reveal at the State of Play June 2022 showcase, Resident Evil 4 Remake got a few more seconds of gameplay during Capcom’s latest non-E3 presentation, with some developer commentary interspersed along the way. The brief footage doesn’t show much of anything, but two observations stood out in particular.
For one, the game is bringing back the familiar over-the-shoulder camera style from the original. The second, arguably the biggest change, is that protagonist Leon S. Kennedy will seemingly be able to move while aiming down the sights of his gun, which would mark a departure from the fundamental gameplay of Resident Evil 4.
While the mechanic isn’t new to the recent Resident Evil remakes, the original Resident Evil 4 was notorious for making the player (or Leon) stand still amidst the shooting action. In it, you had to come to a complete stop before pulling out your gun and focusing down the sights, making it impossible to strafe or move with a weapon out. This naturally added a lot of tension to gameplay, because players were forced to pick their fights strategically, and plan for the moment to start engaging the hordes.
The event also offered a better look at Leon, who has been redesigned alongside the rest of the character roster, including Ashley, Luis, and Ada Wang. He doesn’t look all that different, but the enhanced graphics have undeniably spruced him up even further.
In addition to the additional glimpses of Resident Evil 4 remake gameplay, Capcom gave a quick recap of the events leading up to the original game as well. The remake will, however, feature modern gameplay elements and a reimagined story, with a complete redesign of the ganado.
Resident Evil 4 remake wasn’t the only update from the stream. The Resident Evil: Village Gold Edition will include a new DLC titled Shadows of Rose, a third-person-mode, new characters, a new stage, and a Mercenaries mode, while Resident Evil 2 Remake, Resident Evil 3 Remake, and Resident Evil 7 are all getting free next-gen upgrades for PS5 and Xbox Series X | S starting today, 14 June (GMT+8).
The Shadows of Rose add-on is releasing on 28 October 2022 as part of the Winters’ Expansion DLC for Resident Evil: Village, which can help to tide over the wait when the Resident Evil 4 remake launches on 23 March next year. It continues the story of Rose, Ethan Winters’ daughter, as she struggles with her superpowers.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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