Ever since 2005, “Resident Evil 4” has a become a staple horror game that has since influenced many other horror and action games because of its revolutionary game design.
With “Resident Evil 4 (2023),” that same, amazing game has been remade for a new generation of players along with older fans.
Made with the idea of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” in mind, “Resident Evil 4 (2023)” keeps the core gameplay and story of the original.
However, it also adds a few minor changes to modernize and improve specific elements of the game.
For instance, this remake follows the same plot of Leon traveling to Spain to rescue the president’s daughter Ashley from the mysterious Los Ilumados cult that has been infected by the Las Plagas parasite.
However, the exposition cut scene at the beginning of the game not only recaps the events of Leon’s last adventure in “Resident Evil 2” but also displays scenes of Leon’s military training to showcase his development and better bridge the gap between “Resident Evil 2” and “Resident Evil 4.” It also better establishes Leon’s past relationships with characters introduced later in the game like Ada and Jack Krauser.
Along with story changes, Leon is able to do a lot more with an expanded control scheme.

Compared to his stilted controls in the original, Leon is now able to crouch, move while aiming and can also parry attacks with his combat knife. The cherry on top is the fact that Leon is able to do all of this running at 60 frames per second (fps).
In both the old and new game, Leon’s companion Ashley is the player’s responsibility to protect from the Las Plagas, and if the she is taken away in battle, Leon immediately gets a game over.

Luckily, this constant annoyance is made a bit easier in the remake, because Ashley no longer has a health bar, so players can now prioritize using herbs and first aid sprays solely for Leon’s health.
In addition, Leon and Ashley have a lot more chemistry with each other in this version of the game, so instead of just being a constant annoyance, she now has actual character development and depth.
Embracing more of a horror aesthetic, the overall theme and tone of the remake is a bit darker and spookier thanks to its improved environment/texture graphics at a stunning 4K resolution.
Players familiar with the original “Resident Evil 4” are sure to be pleased with publisher Capcom bringing back Leon’s iconically cheesy one-liners along with some fun Easter eggs– like a reference to the dog at the beginning of the original game– spread throughout the game.
It has been a blast re-experiencing all of the crazy yet thrilling events of the game with new quality-of-life improvements, and I, personally, believe this is the definitive way to play “Resident Evil 4.”
I highly suggest this remake to any fan of the “Resident Evil” series or fan of horror games in general.