“Survival horror reimagined“
Sony kicked off this afternoon’s State of Play showcase in one of the best ways possible: with a new Resident Evil announcement! We got our first official look at the long-rumored Resident Evil 4 remake, along with a March 24, 2023 release date and confirmation that PlayStation VR2 “content” is currently “in development.” What a way to start!
The first footage of this RE Engine Resident Evil 4 remake looks familiar in some spots and foreign in others. Overall, at least with this specific trailer, it seems like the vibe is more horror-centric. How Capcom will handle some of Resident Evil 4‘s wackier moments remains to be seen and will surely be cause for a lot of speculation, especially after the Resident Evil 3 remake felt trimmed down. I hope it strikes the right balance of new vs. old.
I mean, many of us have lost count of how many times we’ve torn through RE4 in its many, many ported forms. I’m excited to see something fresh, that hits hard in 2023, without straying too far from what made the original game great. It’ll be a steep challenge.
According to Capcom, “many team members from the production of 2019’s [Resident Evil 2 remake] also make their return.”
@destructoid Please keep these iconic lines 🙏 #fyp #fypシ #foru #xyzbca #gamingtiktok #residentevil4 #residentevil #residentevil4remake
A “familiar” vs. “fresh” balancing act
On the PlayStation Blog, promotion producer Edvin Edsö said that the developers at Capcom “aim to make [the Resident Evil 4 remake] feel familiar to fans of the series, while also providing a fresh feeling to it. This is being done by reimagining the storyline of the game while keeping the essence of its direction, modernizing the graphics, and updating the controls to a modern standard.”
PlayStation VR2 content for Resident Evil 4 is fantastic to hear, as Resident Evil 7 did a lot of heavy lifting for Sony’s original VR headset. And as a bonus, the State of Play stream also confirmed that Resident Evil Village will support PlayStation VR2. My wish came true!
Capcom shared more details about Resident Evil Village‘s VR support in a PlayStation Blog article, noting: “you’ll use the PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers to represent each hand in-world. Try guarding using both of your arms and Ethan will guard in the same way; hold up a gun and Ethan will hold up his. You are also now able to execute dynamic actions such as firing your gun while holding a knife with the other hand, or holding a handgun with one hand and a shotgun with the other. These advanced controllers increase the player’s immersion with the game.”
“Release date and pricing” info hasn’t been divulged yet.
Following the State of Play stream, Capcom confirmed that Resident Evil 4 will launch on Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on March 24, 2023 — it’s not cross-gen!
Here are some early RE4 (2023) screenshots, including two of the iconic village:
