Resident Evil 4 remake hands-off preview: Familiar horrors bathed in bloody, refined design

Resident Evil 4 remake is perhaps the most anticipated game that is set to be released later this month. As a from-the-ground-up recreation of the acclaimed 2004 GameCube survival-horror classic, this new rendition brings the familiar action and terror to a new audience.

Developer Capcom has had a stellar track record when it comes to remaking its older titles. As such, Resident Evil 4 remake will likely share the same brilliant fate.

With the game's launch fairly imminent, fans still don't know about many elements that Capcom has deliberately left under the covers for the right moment. Now that it's time to show off the goods, here's our hands-off demo impression of the remake to one of the best survival horror games ever made.

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Resident Evil 4 remake stays true to its roots while being a bolder experience than ever before

Capcom provided us with B-rolls showcasing a handful of new scenarios throughout the campaign.

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Scene 1: Solo combat around the lake

Threats lurk around every corner (Image via Capcom)

The journey begins with exploring the area around the lake. The gameplay is the familiar, over-the-shoulder third-person affair as it was before. Players explore mostly linear locales while scavenging for resources and contending with hostile mutants.

Leon S. Kennedy, the star of the show, makes his way through a cave area infested with Ganados - humanoids hiding parasitic creatures that lash out with tentacles.

Leon is also armed with a few weapons, including a knife, pistol, and shotgun. Shooting at enemies' weak points, especially legs, disorients them. When stunned enough, a prompt to approach for a melee attack appears above their hand. When transformed, a Ganado will become more lethal and resilient - but thankfully, Leon has a new mechanic to help him out: parrying.

That's right, Leon can parry enemy attacks when timed right using the knife. This will briefly knock them back too, allowing a window to flee or swoop in for the kill. Players can also switch weapons on the fly using the D-Pad on the controller.

All of this hectic action will be interjected with moments of peace as gamers take in their surroundings and interact with the environment. The former includes puzzles waiting to be solved, and for the sake of spoilers, these were not touched upon in the demo. The latter, meanwhile, can be in the form of points of interest, collectibles, and so on.

One of these is seen in the form of a blue request notes in Resident Evil 4 remake. These will have players complete certain objectives. Turning the side mission will reward them with Spinels which, like the previous game, can presumably be sold to the merchant for money.

Speaking of which, the currency in Resident Evil 4 remake is called Pesetas. Players can find some around the world, including inside floating barrels that can be crushed open using the maneuverable boat.

The merchant has everything survivalists need (Images via Capcom)

Gamers will also be able to catch up with the iconic merchant who has a bunch of wares for sale. From healing and recipes to weapon upgrades, they will need to stay stocked up at all times in Resident Evil 4 remake.

Selling weapons is also possible, including upgraded ones, and they will be compensated in cash for most of the fine-tuning they have applied. Any looted treasure can also be stacked to increase its total value.

Of course, it would be criminal to gloss over the iconic grid-based inventory for Leon as well as the typewriter save spot, both of which return from the original Resident Evil 4. Yet again, new surprises rear their heads in the form of charms that offer different perks, like increased health recovery from certain consumables.

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Scene 2: Storming the castle with Ashley

Leon must protect Ashley from various threats (Images via Capcom)

Ashley Graham is one of the key characters of Resident Evil 4. This section of the demo had Leon escort her through the iconic ruined castle while facing off foes. This time around, she can be given two commands: Follow closely or at a distance. Players can keep track of this with icons depicting both behaviors in the bottom-right corner of the screen.

With a variety of Las Plagas mutants roaming the corridors of the castle, they must employ different strategies, from using a sniper against long-range attackers, to blasting away at incoming hordes using live cannons. Interestingly, players can also deflect small projectiles, like incoming arrows.

However, players must also keep an eye out for Ashley at all times. Since she cannot defend herself, enemies can and will try to attack or even abduct her. So players will have to fend off foes. If she does get knocked down, she will need to be revived. This is crucial because when the pace picks up, it can get pretty hectic.

Players can find themselves faced with multiple enemies at once, so keeping track of their positioning as well as inventory and weapon management is important. As a whole, movement looks fast and responsive to supplement the gunplay, and varied takedown animations further aid it.

Curiously, Ashley is not a complete burden in Resident Evil 4 remake. She can help unlock doors to progress further in. The demo takes Leon and Ashley to the castle dungeons, where a face-off against the terrifying Gallador takes place. The hulking mutant with razor-sharp claws is fast yet hits hard, so players must flank it from behind to strike its weak point.

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Scene 3: Face-off against Jack Krauser

Krauser is one of the more challenging bosses in Resident Evil 4 (Images via Capcom)

The demo culminates with a showdown against Major Jack Krauser. Leon is armed with just with the knife, meaning players will need to master parrying if they wish to emerge victorious. QTES also make a comeback, however.

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The Resident Evil 4 remake demo dazzles in more ways than one

Despite its tried-and-true polished gameplay, the atmosphere continues to be the strongest aspect of the Resident Evil 4 remake. From the isolated ambience enhanced by the creeping score to the haunting chants and crunchy weapon sounds, the sound design is immaculate. And that's without even touching on the solid visuals and artstyle.

Running on Capcom's proprietary RE Engine, it is set to offer a blistering 60 FPS frame rate with impressive visuals. To put it simply, the demo does impress in many aspects, and here's hoping the final game does too.

Resident Evil 4 remake will launch on March 24, 2023, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.