Resident Evil 4 hands-off preview: Another sparkling update?
Resident Evil 4 being remade was probably inevitable the moment Resident Evil 2's own remake arrived in 2019 to rapturous reviews and solid sales.
In many ways, Resi 4 is still the series' most iconic entry, and just a few weeks before the latest remake arrives, we got a peek behind the curtain courtesy of Capcom. An extended hands-off demo of the game has given us some big hints as to how it'll feel to play on arrival.
Looking impressive
This remake is looking super accomplished, with smart modernisations and a visual overhaul that should make it actually scary again.
Our preview footage of Resident Evil 4 picked things up in Chapter 4 — which is a short way to say that the ratcheting tension of the game's opening hours are only just in the rearview mirror.
Leon, for the majority of what we watched, has already found Ashley and is trying to guide her through a sprawling, labyrinthine maze of castle hallways and caves to escape the island where she was made captive.
Needless to say, the twisted residents don't make that easy, with the Ganados recreated in frightening detail that is only compounded if a kill sees a tentacled menace burst out of their neck.
Even from a fairly concise preview, the tonal balance that the original Resident Evil 4 managed is in evidence — this isn't exactly a tied-down horror story.
While you'll experience real tension and moments of dread, there's so much action here that you'll often have no time to luxuriate in fear.
A brief look at Ramón Salazar confirms that the creepy, boyish castellano is back and has been pretty heavily redesigned to look less like a boy and more like a stunted old man.
That goes for most of the design work that steers Resi 4's story — a lot has been changed, but
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