Resident Evil 4 remake will ‘betray your expectations while respecting the feel of the original game,’ devs say

After nearly two years since its initial announcement, the Resident Evil 4 remake is set to release in less than a month. Resident Evil 4 is widely regarded by many fans as one of, if not the best Resident Evil game in the franchise, and Resident Evil 4 remake producer Yokiashi Hirobayashi explained how the remake will respectfully tread the line between recreating the original game’s experience and “betraying [our] expectations,” which should make the remake an exciting game for both new fans and old ones alike.

“We want the game to be simultaneously fresh yet familiar,” Hirobayashi said in an interview with Play Magazine. “Our aim is to ‘betray’ your expectations in the best way possible while of course respecting the feel of the original game.”

Hirobayashi added that the controls in the Resident Evil 4 remake will be retooled in similar fashion to the controls in the Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 remakes, although there was a lot of trial and error involved, as elements such as level design and enemy behavior were done “completely from scratch.”

Ashley from the Resident Evil 4 remake/Capcom

“The controls are similar to those in the recent Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes,” Hirobayashi continued, “on top of which we have worked to reproduce the feeling of the original by assembling elements like level design and enemy behavior from scratch. It took a lot of trial and error to get the balance right, as was the case with the original game.”

Hirobayashi specified that sections with Leon and Ashley were modified to be “more enjoyable,” which is notable considering that many fans of the original Resident Evil 4 criticized those portions of the game more than others.

“While there are elements of moving through the game as a pair which differ from how you manage just controlling Leon,” Hirobayashi added, “and introduce a different kind of challenge, I think we have made it so that by having Ashley be a more convincing standalone character, players will come to enjoy these sections.”

What did Hirobayashi mean by the Resident Evil 4 remake “betraying our expectations” exactly? We’ll have to find out when the Resident Evil 4 remake releases for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC platforms on March 24th.