Exclusive Resident Evil 4 Remake footage showcases new features and side quests

Resident Evil 4 Remake is getting its fair share of new footage. We see some of the new additions and QoL features being added to the remake.

Capcom recently revealed new footage for the upcoming remake. GameInformer Gets Exclusive Access to Resident Evil 4 Remake Gameplay, although they were not allowed to take home their own footage. As a result, the team was able to play part of the game, specifically Chapter 5, and experience the horror in their own skin.

In this segment, Leon has just met Ashley for the first time, and they are trying to make their daring escape from a not-so-quiet backwater European village.

Classic improvement

Let's get that out of the way before the big stuff: Resident Evil 4 Remake looks absolutely amazing. It was great back in June when we took a closer look at Leon and the mysterious villageand now, 6 months later, it looks even better.

It's not hard to guess that the remake is getting some super-improved visuals. But what really stands out is how bleak everything is compared to the original RE4. The shadows are more detailed, creating a surprisingly tense environment when there are no enemies in close proximity. Darkness can even create mini-fears, as seen in the footage where Leon's flashlight causes a reflection on the porcelain owl, giving the eerie feeling that something was watching him from around the corner.

However, one big thorn in the footage of Resident Evil 4 Remake is the rain effects. This doesn't look convincing, as the rain looks like just a stream of white lines penetrating the screen. There's also too much of it to confuse the eye, but this may be intentional to limit your vision to create tense moments. Rain quality may be poor due to YouTube video compression. This would be disappointing given that RE2 Remake had great rain effects.

Resident Evil 4 Remake Gameplay Additions

Long 12-minute gameplay footage gave us a lot of new information about the game. One of the biggest new features in Resident Evil 4 is the addition of written side quests. Previously, players had access to mini-objectives that were clearly not tracked, such as hunting snake eggs or shooting blue emblems scattered throughout the village. Speaking of which, the blue medallions will definitely be back in the remake!

In the remake, mysterious blue posters appear that serve as contracts to initiate side quests. They will clearly detail your objective, the general area the quest will take place in, and the reward you will earn for completing it. This makes it fairly easy to assess whether a venture is worth your time.

One of the side objectives was for the player to kill "Savage Mutt", a stronger version of the canine enemies present throughout the game. Another side quest tasked Leon with destroying specific gravestone emblems in the graveyard.

Resident Evil 4: Case in point

Additionally, the familiar attaché case inventory system returns in Resident Evil 4 Remake. However, it comes with a new twist. Instead of just being an inventory system, you can customize your case in a variety of ways. Players will be able to carry around specific cases that provide them with nice little bonuses to suit their play style. For example, a Black Case will increase the rate at which resources drop, while a Silver Case will ensure that more handgun ammo will spawn in the world.

To further customize this, players can equip up to three different amulets on their hull. Apart from giving yourself some personal flair, they also provide nice passive effects. The only charm shown so far has been the chicken charm, which doubles the amount of health restored when eating eggs.

Combat Perfection

The original release of Resident Evil 4 was a real gem for the already famous survival-horror series. It was the first RE game to completely change the perspective of gameplay, moving from fixed camera angles to over-the-shoulder view. The fourth main game was also a game that shifted more into action horror than survival horror, making combat more focused.

So Remake doesn't need such drastic changes. The RE2 and RE3 remakes have already moved into a third-person perspective, so the RE4 Remake only reinforces the groundwork put in front of it. Players will appreciate the fact that you can now change weapons in real time, instead of digging through your attaché case while enemies wait patiently for you to grab a gun.

Stealth also looks like it would be quite viable considering you haven't alerted the whole village to your presence. You can instantly kill smaller enemies, thinning out the horde before you end up getting everyone's attention. New button hints also appear on top of the heads of enemies you've stunned, giving you a clear indicator that Leon can perform a roundhouse follow-up attack or similar.

However, Leon's trusty knife has received modifications, for better and for worse. The utility item is much more deadly like in the RE2/RE3 remakes and has the potential to instantly kill enemies or stun primary enemies. However, like the knife in these games, RE4 blades can now break if used too many times. It's good that Leon can carry spare parts.

Adding Flame, Not Cutting

Capcom has also confirmed in other ways that Resident Evil 4 Remake will not have any cut content. The villages, castles, and island areas are securely intact and still as horrific as ever. In fact, the team is actually adding to the game, for example, side quests and the extra customization mentioned above.

They will also make Ashley's accompaniment less routine in the remake. She will be more of a companion and less of a character you need to babysit. Ashley will no longer have an HP bar that the player will have to manage. She can still be placed in a downed state if attacked too hard, which will still eventually result in her death.

If Ashley gets carried away by an enemy for some reason, it will just take Leon to hit the assailant in the head to release Ashley. Outside of combat, she will assist the player by opening doors and the like.

The only thing removed from the game is QTE. Quick Time events, such as those awkward moments where Leon is chased by a Crash Bandicoot-style boulder, are removed. These systems were put in place to add player agency to segments that are essentially cutscenes, and they were a big thing back in the PS2 era. Now not so much.

Return to the village

Resident Evil 4 Remake looks like a pretty good game. Considering everything they add seems to be for the best (barring that damn low-res rain), it should be worth the asking price of $59,99 on March 24 this year.

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