2020 was a monumental year for video games. Against all odds, as other forms of media and entertainment suffered from the economic downturn, 2020 was a year that set records for videogame sales. While it may be depressing knowing that half those sales probably came from buying Among Us skins or Fortnite emotes, it’s an accomplishment nonetheless. The increase in sales is mainly because of the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, if it weren’t for the coronavirus, I probably would’ve never downloaded steam. After almost a year since the beginning of the pandemic, I have amassed almost 1000 hours on the service. This year, I was bombarded with new video games, old and new that left me sedated and pacified for days on end. But of all the games(single-player experiences) I played this year, one game stuck out to me – Resident Evil 4. Even though the game came out 16 years ago on outdated systems, it is still cemented as one of the greatest games of all time because of three major areas it excels in: gameplay, atmosphere, and level design.
Before I get into the nitty-gritty of RE4’s mechanics, I’d like to give context to its release in 2005. Previously, resident evil games had a formula that they all followed. All of the games prior to Resident Evil 4 contained static camera angles, tank controls, and generally had you explore a large building as you try to escape from all the zombies and monsters. These games, while I may not enjoy them personally, are esteemed as classics that revolutionized horror games at the time. So when Capcom announced that their new resident evil title would be a third-person shooter, action/horror blend, there was skepticism that the resident evil franchise would lose its personality and identity. But after its release, it went on to receive widespread acclaim and went on to inspire other series such as Dead Space. So what made Resident Evil 4 so great? How did this genre mishmash become a classic and widely considered the best horror games when it didn’t even fit the genre?
Resident Evil 4 ditches its clunky controls for smoother and more natural gunplay, allowing for more creativity and fun when it comes to fighting zombies. From beginning to end, each zombie kill is satisfying. Over the course of my playthrough of RE4, I killed roughly 950 zombies. Now compare this to RE1 where there are only 70 zombies and the RE2 remake where there are only 120 zombies! The difference in these games is that RE4 sacrifices part of its horror for fun-filled action. Instead of having to pump two magazines into a single zombie, RE4 lets you take down about 10 zombies with that much ammo. This means zombies become less intimidating, and the game is more enjoyable because it centers around gunning down hordes of monsters and zombies rather than running away from them. Resident Evil 4 balances its lack of consistent horror with a dark, bleak tone and plenty of horrifying monsters. The sound design and music work in tandem with the gameplay. Likewise, because of the new focus on combat, the action becomes more dynamic and liberating because of the increased tools at your disposal. There is now more freedom in taking down zombies because of the increased amount of guns and the new gun leveling system. There also added progression and incremental rewards for entering gunfights because zombies drop items and money, allowing you to buy more upgrades. In most resident evil games, it’s more rewarding to avoid zombies at all costs, but now since zombies drop items, it provides for more dynamic gameplay as you’ll be forced to take on waves of zombies, hoping you’ll find that one first aid spray you desperately need. This Doom Eternal approach to combat encourages the player to go on the offensive, creating more tense and exciting situations. Likewise, the game constantly adds new enemies, scenery, and weapons to push the player forward and maintain the pace of the game, creating one of the most balanced and fun games.
Resident Evil 4 ditches the close corners and claustrophobic atmosphere for an eerie mood. The game has you explore three distinct environments: a desolate forest, a Spanish castle, and a secret research facility. For me, the game is perfect up until the research facility. The game begins throwing longer levels that lack the same creepy tone and instead features a dramatic and epic atmosphere, causing the game to lose part of its charm. The environments and music work to set up the mood while the dialogue and voice acting is filled with over-the-top cheesiness that can sometimes overdo it and ruin the mood. The level design takes a departure from the labyrinth style layouts of the earlier Resident Evil titles for a more linear and expansive set of levels. Because of the new changes, there are tons of environments, all of them unique. Many resident evil games rely on backtracking to pad out the game whereas RE4 cuts off all that unnecessary fat, allowing you to get into the meat and potatoes of the game.
Although resident evil is one of the greatest games of all time, can it be considered a horror game? Or does it even matter? If you were to ask me what game I’d want to replay out of all the Resident Evil games, I’d say Resident Evil 4. If you were to ask me what game I had the most fun playing out of the Resident Evil franchise, once again I’d say Resident Evil 4. It begs the question: does horror as a genre limit gameplay, or does horror as a genre reduce gameplay, making it less fun? The answer is – it’s complicated. For now, I’ll compare the Resident Evil franchise to the horror classic Amnesia the Dark Descent. Amnesia is a terrifying game, but it’s also fun and engaging for one reason. Its gameplay fits its genre. The difference in Amnesia is that you are entirely defenseless. You can’t attack the monsters that chase you as all you can do is run. If you even look at the monsters, your character starts to lose his sanity which makes the environment around you shift, causing the character to see hallucinations, breathe heavily, and lose both movement speed and some vision. The game services horror by making the gameplay as horrifying as possible. When I see a zombie in Resident Evil 2 Remake, it is more of an obstacle as opposed to when I see a monster in amnesia which feels more like a real threat. When I run away from zombies in Resident Evil 2 Remake, it’s because I simply don’t want to fight them because it’s not worth it whereas in Amnesia, I run from the monsters because I can’t fight it, making me terrified. Overall, a game’s worth shouldn’t be determined by how well it “scares” unless that is its goal. But horror itself doesn’t limit gameplay or make a game less fun, that is up to the game. Resident Evil 4 is an action game with horror elements, and if you go into the game seeking an exciting story with clean engaging gameplay, you will find a classic that will have you saying “Why didn’t I play this earlier.”
Resident Evil 4 – (9/10)
