During PlayStation’s State of Play digital event today, Capcom announced Resident Evil 4, a remake of the original Resident Evil 4 released in 2005. While fans have been clamoring for this for some time, I have to say that for this RE fan, I’m still just as hyped. Reawakened for 2023, the Resident Evil 4 remake preserves the essence of the original while using Capcom’s proprietary RE Engine to deliver modernized gameplay, a reimagined storyline, and vividly detailed graphics.
As a title that set the standard for the later Resident Evil franchise, the original Resident Evil 4 introduced the Third-Person-Camera to the long-running series, which has shipped over 125 million units worldwide since the first title debuted in 1996. This new perspective brought players into the action and horrors encountered by protagonist Leon S. Kennedy during his daring rescue mission.
Haven’t played it? Well, Resident Evil 4 joins Leon S. Kennedy six years after his hellish experiences in the biological disaster of Raccoon City. His unmatched resolve caused him to be recruited as an agent reporting directly to the president of the United States. With the experience of multiple missions on his back, Leon is dispatched to rescue the president’s recently kidnapped daughter. Leon tracks her to a secluded European village, however after making first contact he discovers a fervor beyond reason grips the local populace.
Capcom promises that this reimagined tale of survival in the face of overwhelming terror will return to deliver a visually stunning modern gaming experience that is true to the promise of the original release. The most exciting bit though, is that many team members from the production of 2019’s top-selling and critically acclaimed Resident Evil 2 are making their return to delve deeper into the essence of Resident Evil 4 for this remake. RE Engine is here to heighten the original’s creative direction to tell a story that is darker and even more unsettling.
Resident Evil 4 is scheduled to release on March 24, 2023 for PlayStation5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam.