Resident Evil 4 Remake: 6 Changes We LOVE (And 2 We Hate)

Things We Loved...

6. The Atmosphere is Perfectly Balanced

Resident Evil 4 was a massive departure for the franchise back in 2005 in almost every way. It's total gameplay refit from it's predecessors allowed RE4 to blast its way into the mainstream with the appeal of being an approachable action game.

As such, it's fair to say the horror suffered.

Now, it wasn't totally absent by any means. Whether it was hordes of Ganado bearing down on you or the unstoppable march of the horrific Regenerador enemies, RE4 has its moments of knuckle-whitening tenseness. However, it was first and foremost an action game where guns and ammunition were plentiful, enemies were fun to shoot and Leon QTE'd his way out of boulder runs and stomping stone men.

What's remarkable about the remake is that it manages to heighten the scares once more without the action suffering at all. This is not Resident Evil 2 Remake scary and it absolutely shouldn't have been, but RE4R uses darkness to great efficiency and there are moments - whether it's exploring somewhere new or even re-treading old ground - where you'll be on high alert for what could leap out of the shadows.

Furthermore, Leon's roster of enemies are just more frightening to look at thanks to the visual and audio fidelity. The body horror elements in the original are turned way, way up. Ganados charge at you unabated by their broken necks and Plagas latch onto their foes as they scream and struggle.

And so, all the same, it's just as fun or perhaps moreso when you pull off a stunning feat of action heroics to survive a horde of scythe-wielding maniacs.