It’s hard to understate just how much of an uphill battle Resident Evil 4 Remake has going for it: it’s a remake of a beloved title that’s been adapted multiple times, while also being the holotype for a whole generation of over-the-shoulder shooters.

We got to try out Resident Evil 4 Remake and the biggest takeaway was just that: How do you capture that same magic that so many old school fans had going into Resident Evil 4 the first time?

If you’re a newer Resident Evil fan, there’s a good chance you don’t understand the massive boots that Remake has to fill. Resident Evil 4 was such a leap forward for survival horror, and many people’s fond memories of 4 are likely tied to that feeling of being free of terrible tank controls and improved shooting.

Following Up Literally One Of The Best Shooters Of All Time

Surprisingly, Capcom’s team decided it didn’t need a dramatic overhaul a la Resident Evil 2 Remake. After all, if the gameplay’s been so solid other games have barely improved on it, why reinvent the wheel? Leon shoots and moves great, and if you’re going from Resident Evil 3’s slow zombies to 4’s weapon-swinging Las Plagas you’ll probably be just as shocked as the first timers of yesteryear when they start chucking axes at you or running at you with a chainsaw.

More Desperate Combat System

That being said, it’s not like you’re just playing an uprezzed copy of the first game, either. While not many, Resident Evil Remake did boast some gameplay changes during our time with it- particularly around the combat knife. Instead of just being a melee weapon, it’s also a sort of burst mechanic- you can sacrifice your knife to get out of enemy grabs, leaving you vulnerable, but thankfully, alive.

It’s a simple design choice, but it adds so much to making Leon’s trip abroad feel all the more desperate. It also does a bit to tune up the silliness of Resident Evil 4 Remake- since the rest of the game looks shades darker and more drab than its original counterpart, having a knifeless Leon proceed to char kick old Spanish women does add some of that Resident Evil je na sais quoi.

There’s also other smaller, more minute changes too- Leon can now run and gun, being able to aim even while moving unlike in the original. Las Plagas in turn have all the coordination of a Jurassic Park Velociraptor, holding our bishie bodyguard still while another one takes a swing at him. Small, minute changes, but all appreciated, mind you.

Leon’s sudden ability to focus on walking and his trigger finger at the same time does detract from the horror elements a little, since you can be more mobile. But on the other hand, Resident Evil 4 Remake is such a solid shooter why wouldn’t you? The game’s still plenty scary even though you’re basically playing a supercop-slash-boyband member. A villager chucked an axe at me and the game allowed me to shoot it out of the sky, as a little voice in my head told me this remake is going to be fine.

I mean, you can even do sick melee takedowns that require you to shoot villagers mid swing Bloodborne style. Some scholars will complain that powerlessness are the hallmarks of good horror game but they’ve clearly never seen how good Capcom are when they’re inserting skill-based mechanics into things.

Couldn’t Come Soon Enough

Admittedly, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the upcoming Resident Evil 4 Remake. For one, its overall darker presentation has some fans worried that it might be trying to shed its camp imagery that makes it so beloved among fans. It’s a valid complaint- there’s parts of the game that legitimately just feel like an expansion to Resident Evil Village moreso than anything else.

That being said, the little we did see showed enough of that Resident Evil charm that I’m pretty sure the only thing darker about Remake is going to be its actual lighting values, and we’re still going to get the campy action shooter everyone fell in love with all those times it got ported to new platforms.

Game previewed on a PS5 at a hands-on session hosted by Capcom