Spooky season is here! It is October, meaning Halloween is upon us. A favorite holiday. I love costumes, parties, copious amounts of candy, and of course horror movies and games galore. I thought I would kick off the Fall season with a classic I have only seen bits and pieces of: Resident Evil 4. Originally released in 2005 on the Nintendo GameCube by Capcom, it has since been ported onto about every system imaginable, with a VR version in development now. It is easy to see why this game has prevailed for seventeen years. A marvelously well-crafted classic.
The Nintendo Switch seemed like the fitting place to try RE4. And I would say that decision was ultimately a good one. I enjoyed it mainly docked on the TV, but in portable mode too. I got the game for $20 in the Nintendo online store, and I feel like I got my money’s worth. There is a lot to revisit in this game, should you choose to go back and play again after beating the campaign. And you will indeed want to revisit. While the control system felt odd and dated at first, I quickly settled into the over-the-shoulder tank controls for a high-action shooter game with horror elements.
That is an accurate description of RE4’s genre. It is an action game first, horror game second. You will often forget it even is a horror game, with how caught up in combat you become. Fights can be overwhelming or involve puzzles that in context make them a thrill. There are other horror elements, like visual style and thematic bits, but there is no denying this set a tone apart from the first three Resident Evil games. This is not a bad thing, at all, because Capcom did so excellently to create something special.
When I first set out in RE4, I was welcomed by a rural European village, also in Autumn. The washed-out tones deceive you with a simple look, which is also dreary and bleak. Playing as super-cop Leon Kennedy, my mission to save the United States President’s daughter. Simple things become difficult as you struggle to protect Ashley Graham. You are met by hostile villagers, at first, but as the plot unfolds new enemy varieties are brilliantly introduced. Besides basic enemies, bosses are cool. Bosses offer unique challenges you will be stymied to overcome.
The game has much more to offer visually than a simple palette laid out in the beginning of the game. The castle stages are intricately detailed and adorned with rich artwork and features. There is a clear progression of scenery as chapters progress. Audio design is both gnarly and satisfying. The burst of a head after a well-placed headshot, the distant respiration of a terrifyingly formidable foe, or the solid voice acting are all examples of good sound design.
I do have complaints about RE4. The biggest, some may not find too terrible. That is, it is almost impossible to play this game without some sort of guide. Most of the puzzles are solvable, with one exception I spent too long trying to figure out. But some of the fights were so near unwinnable it is ridiculous. The fight with Krauser I had basically nothing to fight him with, but a handful of pistol bullets. Thankfully, there is a community for this game online that found a cheese technique that I was able to use to finally beat him after trying with nothing forever. I came so close to stopping the game during this sequence, but it was so near the end I am glad I found a way.
Playing with a guide is nothing new to a lot of gamers, but I like to beat a game and know that I beat it. That being said, I don’t think playing with a guide impacted my experience too dramatically. Most of this game is the combat, with which I used no help outside of the few times I was forced to, as described before. These handful of times take points away from the game due to their nature of being situations where I just had no options. Still, there were a lot of things I learned for myself that I could apply if I were to start a new game.
Resident Evil 4 took me about thirteen hours to complete on Normal difficulty, between Easy and Normal starting difficulties, with Professional added later. I would suspect you would finish in around the same time, however you play. There are a lot of options on play style. Shopping at the merchant means choosing which guns to buy, modify and upgrade. Randomness will play a big part in what goes down. The game has a difficulty adjustment system, which adjusts aspects of the game like items and enemy aggression, based on how well, or how poorly, you’re playing.
Although I can’t really call it a fully fledged horror game, Resident Evil 4 was the perfect way to start the season. I’ve long heard this a fan favorite, not only among Resident Evil fans, but just generally among gamers; this game is typically held very highly. I can finally see why. When RE4 aims at its mark, it finds it. There may be moments it feels dated, but it still holds up unbelievably. Especially for a game that is as old as this one.
Pick up Resident Evil 4 on whatever platform you have, and I’m sure you will have an experience much like mine. Horror and action in a blend that came be a tremendous inspiration to future Resident Evil projects, and other games. I have only played one other Resident Evil, RE6, which I did enjoy. After this game, I am much more inclined to continue digging through the series. There are a bevy of them to choose from, modern and old-school. Looking forward to choosing my next game to help me get into the Halloween spirit!
Credit: Resident Evil 4. Screenshots by me.
HereticDerek 