New rumors suggest that the widely acclaimed, Resident Evil 4, is poised for a remake treatment. This does come as quite a bit of a shock as this title has already received numerous ports and even a remaster for current-gen consoles. Many expected that Resident Evil: Code Veronica would be the next to receive a remake from the ground-up as that has not been treated very well by the series. Not only that, but its story follows the events of Resident Evil 2 and 3 which both were just remade. Resident Evil 4 still holds up fairly well so it begs the question, “What makes this deserve a remake?” Of course, Capcom is going to make loads of money off of their series cash cow but there has to be some new aspects of gameplay that make this feel new and modernized. Here are a few possible changes that the entry could experience.
First-Person Perspective
The most radical change Capcom could make to the franchise’s most popular entry is by including a first-person perspective. What made the recent remakes so different was the step away from the traditional tank controls and fixed camera views in favor of a third-person over the shoulder approach. Making a similar drastic change wouldn’t be unheard of and could mean that Resident Evil 4 would look more closely to that of Resident Evil 7. Whether the change is welcome or not is another topic of debate but this could be a possibility. Running around rural Europe in a more closed off view may do wonders. However, it would take away from being able to see Leon Kennedy as now you would be looking at the world through his eyes. What would also contribute to this change is a stronger emphasis on survival-horror rather than action. This would definitely make it similar to that of Resident Evil 7. It’s difficult to determine how much of a change the company is looking to make but if it wants to stand out from the original, this might be the way to do it.
Abandoning Tank Controls
Another drastic change would see Resident Evil 4 play more similar to the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3. In these entries, players did not have to use tank controls for shooting. Instead, these had a third-person control scheme similar to any other game with a similar approach. Tank controls are a tough sell in today’s industry. Many aren’t used to it anymore and could hold a potential remake back from reaching its full potential. This may just be the most likely scenario as both remakes have performed quite well with RE2 even earning some Game of the Year nominations. Seeing Leon Kennedy’s adventure in a similar style to how we saw him in the remake would feel more familiar. Both remakes played smoothly and the control scheme was more accessible while still providing enough survival-horror aspects to feel at home. These games truly felt like modernizations from the original entries which Resident Evil 4 really has to do since it’s already received numerous ports and even a remaster treatment.
Fixed Camera Views
What would really shake things up, and be a bit outlandish, would be if Capcom decided to bring back its traditional style of gameplay. Fixed camera views, pre-rendered backgrounds, tank controls, and everything else reappearing for a Resident Evil 4 Remake would be huge. Fans of the franchise may welcome this departure as Resident Evil HD was a smash hit for the traditionalists. It would also be similar to what the initial vision for Resident Evil 4 was. During its early stage, the developers had intended for it to play similar to the previous entries in the franchise with a few changes such as the over the shoulder perspective. Pre-rendered environments were still going to be included but how the game played changed quite a bit. This time around though, why not go back to its initial stages and maybe include some of the cut sequences like hallucinations and flashbacks to introduce new story sequences? Granted, this would be an insane possibility and highly unlikely but would be interesting enough to warrant a purchase.
These three scenarios are the most likely to occur. A Resident Evil 4 Remake in the style of the previous two remakes seem to be most obvious choices but Capcom might try to shake things up. Being in the style of Resident Evil 7 with a first-person perspective and stronger emphasis on survival horror would be incredibly interesting. A return to its roots similar to the Origins Collection though is a bit far-fetched but may be something to catch audience’s attentions. Either way, if this rumor is true, the game is going to do big numbers and could help add on to the game’s already established legacy.