The original Resident Evil 4 is one of my favourite games of all time – if not my number one. I remember soaking in every detail before its release, with magazines chronicling its troubled development alongside Capcom’s shaky promise of GameCube exclusivity. When it launched in 2005, it devoured my every waking moment for the rest of the year, and I still regularly play it.
For a long time, I was of the opinion that it simply didn’t need a remake. It still looks good, it plays great, and I couldn’t imagine how Capcom could possibly do it justice. When my older brother, however, picked up the original for the first time a few years back, he dropped it almost immediately, repulsed by the ageing controls and mechanics. Was I wrong?
No…but also yes. I still maintain that the original RE4 is a masterpiece of game design, but I also recognise that newcomers might not take to it in the same way. Thankfully, Capcom did do it justice with its 2023 remake. Resident Evil 4 Gold Edition on Switch 2 is a marvel. It faithfully interprets the original and introduces a boatload of modern improvements, while including the Separate Ways campaign alongside the all-consuming Mercenaries arcade mode.
For those unfamiliar, RE4 moves away from the iconic Raccoon City to the rural landscape of Western Europe. Leon Kennedy, now a U.S. government agent, has been assigned to locate and rescue the President’s missing daughter, Ashley Graham. His mission quickly descends into chaos, however, when it turns out that Ashley is in the hands of the Los Illuminados, a cult that’s been collectively infected by a parasite known as Las Plagas.
The remake doesn’t deviate from the story too much, but rather tweaks it where necessary to bring it up to modern standards. Leon, once a wise-cracking doofus, is a touch more stoic, haunted by the events of the Raccoon City incident. His portrayal feels like a more natural evolution from RE2 while also serving as a solid precursor to Requiem. It helps, of course, that we now have a consistently great voice actor in Nick Apostolides, and Leon still has a few hilarious one-liners up his sleeve.
In addition to the story, the main beats of the campaign remain familiar yet pleasingly fresh. The village siege, the lake battle, the island infiltration – all present and correct, yet the improved enemy AI and revamped environments breathe new life into iconic scenarios.
I don’t know how many times I’ve played through the original’s village sequence at this point, but I could probably do it with my eyes closed. The villagers — including the terrifying Chainsaw Man — are significantly more numerous and aggressive in the remake, to the point where it’s necessary to stay on the move at all times, cherry-picking your shots as you go. It’s so tense, and the action is bolstered by a wonderfully chaotic musical score that almost sounds like the revving of a chainsaw.
The combat itself is improved, too. Leon still moves at a brisk pace, but pulling off shots and melee moves feels weightier than before, acting as a nice trade-off to the much-needed ability to move and shoot at the same time (and unlike RE2 or RE3, gyro controls are also available here). There’s an increased focus on stealth, as well, adding the ability to crouch and sneak up on your enemies, plunging your knife into their necks to kill them instantly.
The knife is given a lot of love in the remake in general. In addition to poking unsuspecting enemies, you can also parry their attacks with a tap of ‘L’ right before you’re hit. Doing so will negatively affect your knife’s integrity to the point that it will eventually require repair, and of course, that’s where the famous “whaddayabuyin’?” Merchant comes in.
The Merchant crops up throughout the campaign once again, offering new weapons, items, and storage upgrades. Specific tasks will also be provided in exchange for special items like the laser sight, including shooting blue medallions, taking out rare enemies, collecting gold chicken eggs, and more.
Shooting galleries make a welcome return, letting you practice with a variety of weapons to win special tokens. You can then exchange these tokens for attaché case charms, the rarity of which brings more useful perks like increased money or resource drops. Much like the original, RE4 balances more comedic elements like the Merchant and shooting galleries with the narrative’s darker beats with ease. It’s wonderful stuff.
All of it looks absolutely spectacular, with completely revamped visuals across the board. Every environment is dripping with atmosphere and it’s chock full of details that will stop you in your tracks at every turn. It’s comfortably the most stunning REmake so far, helped along by the strong variety of locations from start to finish.
The downside to this is that RE4 does struggle a little more than its predecessors on Switch 2. The difference is thankfully minimal — it still runs at a reasonably consistent 60fps — but the resolution definitely takes a hit, and the application of DLSS can make certain elements (such as hair) appear more aliased than others. Similarly, I noticed some instances of texture pop-in with the environment, but this was pretty rare.
Don’t let this put you off, though. RE4 is still a gorgeous game that runs very well for the most part. Clocking in at around 15-20 hours for your first playthrough, it’s one of the lengthier RE games on the market, yet it charges along at such a brisk pace that you’ll be begging for respite at every opportunity.
Once you’re finally done, you can dive into Ada Wong’s Separate Ways campaign and The Mercenaries mode. The former showcases what Ada is up to when she’s not playfully taunting Leon, and it makes for a fun couple of hours or so. What’s nice is that it includes scenarios that I thought were originally cut from the main campaign, so it’s definitely worth playing.
The Mercenaries, meanwhile, is a blast. It includes several unlockable characters and sees you take on hordes of enemies across several locations featured in the main campaign. As the clock ticks down, it forces you to be as aggressive as possible to maintain your kill combo, making it an incredibly addictive mode.
Needless to say, there’s plenty of content in RE4 to keep you coming back, but really, the sheer quality of the campaign alone will make it impossible to stay away for long.
Resident Evil 4 Gold Edition is the gold standard for modern remakes. It updates the original beautifully, remaining faithful yet improving upon almost every element. The combat feels weighty and satisfying, the locations have all been expanded upon without feeling bloated, and there’s enough content here to keep you coming back for years.
It’s easily the prettiest of the RE Engine remakes, but this does unfortunately result in more noticeable visual blemishes on Switch 2. This, however, is a minor issue in light of its accomplishments. I had my doubts that Capcom could pull off remaking one of the greatest games of all time, but man, the team did a stellar job.
