An official Resident Evil 4 remake is in the works and is expected to be revealed later this year. While it makes significant changes to the original game, the remake was almost led by original director Shinji Mikami.
According to a report by fanbyte, the upcoming Resident 4 remake was first developed at M-Two (a studio made up primarily of former PlatinumGames developers) under the auspices of Capcom. By agreeing to the project, Capcom hoped to entice Mikami to join the game and work alongside PlatinumGames founder Tatsuya Minami.
Although Mikami considered the offer, he eventually declined, believing that his own studio, Tango Gameworks (which he founded in 2010 and is currently developing Ghostwire: Tokyo) would collapse if he left.
Consequently, work on the Resident Evil 4 remake continued without Mikami and passed to Capcom’s in-house development team after Resident Evil 3 remakewhich M-Two also helped, received a mixed critical reception.
Fanbyte claims that Capcom is making substantial changes to the original game, building on its horror elements. Several segments of the game will be altered, with much of the game taking place at night, including the much-loved introductory sequence in which protagonist Leon S. Kennedy fights the infected village of Ganado.
Based on the first demos of the original game that were left on the cutting room floor, the development team intends to leverage their supernatural insights to set a scarier tone for the remake.
It will also restyle some of the side content from the original game, combining the Assignment: Ada and Separate Ways expansions into one package. Minor characters such as Ada Wong will also receive “bigger roles and more screen time” in the main game.
a change of direction
Since the commercial and critically successful launch of Resident Evil 2 remake In 2019, rumors that a similar remake of Resident Evil 4 is in the works are circulating widely in the game’s community. Generally ranked as the best in the series, and often considered one of the best games of all time, Resident Evil 4 has a huge following and its remake has a lot to do.
Capcom’s attempt to entice its original director to contribute to this reboot, however, is somewhat surprising. Much of Resident Evil 2 Remake’s success relied on its base game changes. The core gameplay remained, but its levels, fixed camera, storyline, weapons, and persistent antagonist Mr. X were all changed to bring the game in line with modern triple-A titles.
The fact that Capcom wants to bring Mikami back might suggest that it originally wanted to keep the upcoming Resident Evil 4 remake closer to the original. This isn’t entirely unexpected, as it was released in 2005 (seven years after Resident Evil 2), it established several mechanics that are now considered staples of the series, and it’s closer to modern games.
Had Mikami accepted Capcom’s offer to develop the remake, it is possible that even greater changes would have been made. In a recent interview with newsweekMikami said he expects an eventual remake of Resident Evil 4 improves the story of the originalthat was only written in two and a half weeks.
Of course, the Resident Evil 4 remake has yet to be officially confirmed. Fanbyte reports that Capcom expects to reveal the game earlier this year.
