Capcom has been front and center of discussion surrounding survival horror games and is certainly doing so with Resident Evil Village's Gold Edition including the Shadows Of Rose DLC, and the highly anticipated Resident Evil 4 Remake in 2023. The two titles are heavily similar and drawn together in terms of comparisons, considering the location it is set within and the way in which the game plays out. As Resident Evil 4's original version stands as a predecessor to Village, many would argue that a large majority of the aspects within the game are taken from this.
Regardless of this, Capcom's plans to provide a new and fresh feel to the game, implies that there will indeed be changes and maintenance of some features, which is why some of Village's successful features should be replicated in the Resident Evil 4 Remake.
5 Castle Design
One of the more obvious inspirations from the original Resident Evil 4, is Resident Evil Village's castle location starring the popular Lady Dimitrescu. From its rooms, enemy types, dungeons, and eerie-quiet corridors, the similarity here is visible. Before the reveal of Resident Evil 4 Remake, many fans had speculated about its existence and how the castle present within Village may be a reference or even an upscaled version of the castle in the original players will be familiar with.
Whilst the recent Resident Evil Showcase gave fans a glimpse of what the Remake's castle will look like along with some of its cultist enemies, some of the resources and textures within Village are very likely to be replicated here and will be plausible to further improve the location.
4 Slow Pace Build-Up
Fans who are familiar with Resident Evil 4's opening sequence, will be aware of its fast pace and instantaneous transition into action within the first enemy encounter. With Village, players are put in a much more tense opening with the feeling of having to tread lightly, as Ethan Winters stumbles upon the Village in search of his daughter.
The opening gameplay segment was shown within the Remake's showcase, and it appears to be slower paced more akin to Village's. If the reveal is anything to go by, it would suggest that the entire opening sequence will follow a larger focus on the game's atmosphere, and ensure that it depicts and lonely, isolated, and mysterious location for players to uncover.
3 Overwhelming Amount Of Enemies
Given the vast difference between Leon S. Kennedy's and Ethan Winters' skill sets and the original Resident Evil 4's various stages of enemy onslaught, seeing this redone would be plausible. Resident Evil Village contained multiple scenarios and sequences including boss fights, that gave players an opportunity to utilize their weapons to their fullest capabilities. This was also due to another feature the game reproduced based on Resident Evil 4, through the Merchant with the exchange and tuning up of equipment.
Capcom has given players a preview of how the same amount of overwhelming wild enemies will behave in the Remake through playing Village, and if they are able to implement this in an extensive and greater manner, it will serve as a massive benefit to the new features that have been showcased specifically within combat.
2 Horror Designated Sections
Despite Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil 4's lowered levels of horror throughout most sequences within the games, there are still areas that are dedicated to giving players a fright. Village's baby fetus encounter is one of the scariest moments in the franchise in the eyes of some fans, considering the heavy presence of survival horror in this particular section.
Whilst it is subjective in regard to Resident Evil 4, there are more areas that left many afraid, more noticeably with the regenerators. With the Remake taking a different direction in terms of its tone, many will be expecting more regions set to surprise and scare players just as Village's fetus monster did.
1 Chase Sequences
The implementation of chase sequences opens up the discussion of Capcom potentially opening the door to stalker enemies being present within the Resident Evil 4 Remake. Both Resident Evil 7 and 8 which are directly connected were reliant on stalker enemies, and so did the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3. Players familiar with Resident Evil 4, will be aware of the multiple amount of enemies in the title which could potentially serve as stalker enemies. From Dr. Salvador as the chainsaw man, Chief Mendez, Salazar's right hand, and the Garradors, the options Capcom have are numerous along with the opportunity to add a new enemy entirely.
This also introduces the discussion of whether this enemy type will be preferred or not by fans, as some may feel as though it has been reused numerous times without any new or unique feature. Expanding on Village's chase scenes and adding an extra level of horror behind this, will be highly beneficial to the Remake. In light of this occurring, it is imperative that Capcom ensures that there are differences and changes to these particular sections to avoid any complaints or disappointments of a copy and paste job.
Resident Evil 4 Remake is set to release on March 24th, 2023 on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.