‘Resident Evil 4’ Remake Adds Side Quests & New Enemy, Removes Quick Time Events
Capcom decides the quick time events time has passed. Long live the side quest in the Resident Evil 4 remake.
2023 has been a good time for horror game fans so far. The Dead Space remake is doing so well that it’s considered a perfect remake. Meanwhile, the Resident Evil 4 remake is one of the most anticipated games of the year. Capcom has been incredibly tight-lipped about the story and level of content. And that might be making some fans nervous. After all, the Resident Evil 3 remake suffered from major changes to the story. It removed whole areas, making the game incredibly short compared to the Resident Evil 2 remake.
via Game Informer
Ch-ch-changes: Little Things
Game Informer recently released a digital issue full of information from Capcom. Let’s just say there are some very interesting changes in the upcoming remake. The developers gave Game Informer some hands-on experience with the game and shed a lot of light on what this remake will be like. The smallest changes? Many of the scenes were more faithful and 1:1 than past remakes. This makes a lot of sense since Resident Evil 4 was already a much more cinematic experience and in line with current games than Resident Evil 2 and 3. Changing a lot of the game’s story would severely change the narrative.
Other small changes include knives now being breakable after many uses, and the ability to carry multiple knives now instead of just 1. Players can also change weapons without having to go into their inventory; now it’s a quick change option using the D-Pad. The last little change will allow players to trade jewels with the merchant in exchange for items like yellow herbs, maps, and weapon attachments.
Big Changes in the Resident Evil 4 Remake
The first major change to the latest remake will make protecting Ashley much easier than it was before. The developers wanted protecting the President’s daughter to “feel more like a natural companion and less like a second health bar to babysit.” Ashley will no longer have a health bar and will now just go into a downed state if beaten up too much by enemies. Once “downed” she needs to be revived by the player or she will die once attacked again.
The developers also added a great new function – if Ashley’s being dragged away by a villager, players will be able to just stab them with one of the knives and they’ll drop her. Ashley will also be able to help out with things like locked doors that can only be reached via a crawlspace. The developers definitely wanted to make her more like Elizabeth in Bioshock Infinite, who’s helpful, and less like Baby Mario in Super Mario World 2.
Those Koopas should just take him to be done with it.
Leon Protec
The second big change means that the quick-time events are no longer a major part of the game. For those who don’t know, quick-time events require the player to hit (a) button(s) quickly to progress. They’ll still be around, just not as prominent as they used to be. Quick-time events were all the rage back during the PS2/Gamecube/Xbox era. Developers made gamers feel more engaged during plot events that wouldn’t normally work in a control scheme. These range from exciting moments, to incredibly silly, and in some cases NSFW.
Resident Evil 4 used them a lot throughout the game, and players would have to do this to run, climb, dodge, and fight certain enemies. They’re considered silly now, especially the running sequences; Leon’s movement gets stranger the faster you go.
Run Leon, run.
Resident Evil 4 Remake – The New Stuff
Capcom confirmed a few new additions to the game to Game Informer as well. Well, outside of the new parry mechanic. For instance, now the game will have side quests throughout the areas. Players can find blue flyers on the map with quests like finding specific enemies to kill or solving specific puzzles. Once they’re completed, you can give them to the merchant, who will give you the reward mentioned on the flier.
The blue medallions that were originally in the game will also be considered part of these side quests. Some people would consider this to be padding out the game, but I like that it gives you more chances to buy things from the merchant.
The developers also found themselves thinking that some parts of the game needed more scares than the original. The chainsaw guy was menacing – just a normal person wearing a cowl with a chainsaw. One of the newest enemies is a man with a large hammer wearing a dead cow’s head. You have no idea where they’re looking and why they’re wearing the head. It’s creepy.
The developers explained that if the enemies were just giant monsters, players would just chalk it up to characters from myth. They are scary, sure, but not “guy with a dead animal head as a mask” scary. Developers didn’t let on which areas this guy will be stalking, but some footage given to Game Informer gave us some idea of where he could be.
Every time we get new info on the Resident Evil 4 remake, I get a little more excited. I’ll be buying it on day one. I love the streak Capcom has had with Resident Evil since Resident Evil 7 brought the franchise back. The game releases on March 24th for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Let us know in the comments if you will miss the QTE in the game and what your thoughts are on what we have seen so far from Capcom.
“What’re ya buyin’?” – Resident Evil 4 Merchant
