You can literally count the days until the Resident Evil 4 remake launches. March 24 is coming soon, but you still have time to get in those preorders. If you are wondering what gameplay changes are coming to the reimagining, you’re in luck. IGN, via a cover story by Game Informer, has details on what’s being added and removed from the original title. Surprisingly, quick-time events are out in the Resident Evil 4 remake, but sidequests are in.
Perhaps the biggest alteration is the removal of the quick-time events. The original Resident Evil 4 was full of them. Some were fun. Others were punishment for setting the controller down while watching a cutscene. Breakable knives, first introduced in the Resident Evil 2 remake, make their return, replacing Leon’s permanent one from the original. Meanwhile, the new sidequests will come in the form of blue flyers you can collect, which task you with things like solving puzzles or eliminating a certain enemy. There will be new enemy types, as well.
Another big change is Ashley Graham no longer has a health bar. No more debating if you want to use your yellow herb on your health or hers! She will go into a “downed state” if she takes too much damage, however. If you don’t revive her, she’ll die and it’s game over. Capcom really wants Ashley to “feel more like a natural companion,” meaning she can help you do things like open locked doors through a crawlspace.
I feel pretty accepting of most of these changes. The quick-time events were only really fun on the Wii version of Resident Evil 4, so dumping them for the remake isn’t a huge loss, though I wonder how the first Krauser cutscene will play out. Sidequests are a welcome addition, too. The only thing I will miss is Leon’s permanent knife. It was always helpful to finish off downed enemies, although I guess the breakable knives will make the game more challenging.
The remake of Resident Evil 4 will launch for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X | S, and PC via Steam on March 24, 2023.
