Following on from the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3, there is little doubt Capcom is planning to give the same treatment to Resident Evil 4.
The entertainment industry has been obsessed with remakes over the last five or so years. Producers have been going back to their most influential films, stage productions, video games, music, and even books to revamp them for the modern audience.
It is easy to see why because it’s a win-win situation for all involved. Producers get to go back to something they already know is good and make it even better; long-time fans get to experience one of their favourite pieces of media for the first time all over again. New people get introduced to the product.
There is almost no downside unless the remake is done poorly. The backlash is often swift and significant; one only needs to look at Activision/Blizzard’s poor attempt to remake Warcraft 3 as an example of how badly it can go.
Fortunately for fans of the Resident Evil franchise, Capcom has already proven they can do an excellent remake with the modern versions of Resident Evil 2 and 3. Additionally, because the original Resident Evil 4 is considered to be at the pinnacle of what survival horror experiences can be, there is a lot of hype about what a potential remake could bring to the title.
And there are a lot of fans of the Resident Evil franchise. Originally a video game series that encompasses 27 titles, if you include the remakes, the franchise branched out into the film industry, making three action-horror movies so far that have collectively brought in over $1.2-billion at the box office, making it the highest-grossing zombie film series of all time.
On top of all that, there is also a popular board game based on the franchise called Resident Evil 2: The Board Game and a TV series titled Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness set for release later this year. There is even influence in the iGaming industry where players can find a slot game titled Resident Evil 6 that can be played at brands that offer casino free spins, such as Slots Heaven.
You might still be wondering what makes Resident Evil 4 so special. Apart from the fact that Capcom has already proven their remake credentials and the original Resident Evil 4 is still one of the best games they’ve ever made, the other major reason is timing and the production cycle.
We already know the remake won’t be the next game they release; that honour falls upon Resident Evil: Village, which is due in May this year. However, the developers of this game have been slightly hamstrung because it is planned to be a cross-generational launch that will be available to play on old console hardware and new.
This means that we will have to wait at least 18 months for the Resident Evil 4 remake. That means that it can be a release planned and made exclusively for next-generation console hardware, which exponentially increases developers’ technology options. This will prove invaluable in updating the game’s 16-year-old graphics and gameplay mechanics.
The Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes were benchmarks for graphical performance on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, so it stands to reason Capcom will be aiming for similar heights with the Resident Evil 4 remake for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X devices.
While graphics aren’t always crucial for all kinds of gaming, good visuals are essential for a horror game, and the potential for what Resident Evil 4 might look like on next-gen consoles should have gamers from all walks of life drooling at the prospect.