Following Sony’s most recent State of Play event, it’s finally official thatResident Evil 3will be seeing a modern reimagining in early April next year. The iconic game has been the only thing on the minds of franchise veterans since the rampant success of theResident Evil 2remake back in February, and while many forecasted that the game would be a major ways off, it turns out Capcom has its finger on the pulse when delivering the next bigResident Evilexperience.
Of course, while finally revisiting Jill Valentine, Carlos Oliveria, and the utterly horrifyingNemesisis the next big experience for the franchise, it is worth wondering whereResident Evil’snewfound enthusiasm with revisiting its roots will lead following the remake’s release. While many fans are naturally hoping Capcom might return to the likes ofCode Veronicaor even the first game in the series, it’s also worth considering whether the third game’s groundbreaking sequel,Resident Evil 4,would - or more importantly even should - receive a full remake in the same vein asResident Evil 2and3.
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The fourth game is, after all, a staple of video game history. When it dropped back in 2005, it forever changing the landscape of survival horror and launchedResident Evilinto the stratosphere, carving out the franchise’s unwavering spot as one of the most important IP’s in the history of the medium. In many ways,Resident Evil 4is one of the core reasons that the series is still relevant enough to release AAA blockbuster remakes of its earlier games and have them sell like wildfire. In that regard, why isn’t the game already in line for a glitzy, HD reimagining with the budget to match its transcendent legacy?
In truth, there are as many reasons whyResident Evil 4should be the next game to receive a remake from the ground-up as there are counter-arguments as to why it’s absolutely fine as is. Perhaps the biggest point in defense of the latter is that the game doesn’t exactly falter when compared to modern standards. Granted, it might feel more restrictive than later entries in the series, with the game preventing players from moving while aiming and the controls feeling largely more rigid, but thecore innovationsResident Evil 4introducedback in 2005 remain integral to the formula to this day.
When Capcom went back to the drawing board while remakingResident Evil 2,it made complete sense. The original three games revolved around outdated game design, favoring restrictive tank controls and a fixed viewpoint instead of allowing players to pilot both their character and camera with relative ease. Instead of fully altering the world, story, or characters (all the elements which fans loved aboutResident Evil 2),the remake restructures the game’s obsolete design and transforms it into ahorror experience built to thrive in 2019.
Resident Evil 4, while arguably not up to the technical standards of many modern experiences, is far from as obsolete as the franchise’s first handful of entries. The over-the-shoulder camera, third-person aiming, and overall format utilized in the reimagining ofResident Evil 2was, after all, first established throughout4’ssensational rebranding of the series back in 2005. In fact, one of the remake’s mostcritically acclaimed featureswas its faithful resurrection of the systems and mechanics first established in the fourth game, with many citingResident Evil 2’sremakeas a return to form for the franchise’s classic formula. With its design emulatingResident Evil 4so closely, it begs the question of whether a remake would seem unnecessary; almost acting as more of a visual touch up than a full reimagining of the original title.
It’s also worth taking into account thatResident Evil 4isn’t exactly hard to get hold of in 2019, with ports of the sequel making their way to PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Gamecube, Wii, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, theNintendo Switch, PC, and even mobile. If fans want to revisit Leon’s high-octane adventure to rescue the president’s daughter from the clutches of the undead, they don’t even need to dust off their long-forgotten PlayStation 2’s to jump right back in.
Yet, it’s worth remembering thatResident Evil 4is undeniably one of the series' most pivotal entries. The action-centric format that eventually went onto define the later games in the series was done to perfection in4, with the game completely reinventing what it meant to play aResident Eviltitle.It goes without saying that while a remake might not be as utterly transformative as games likeResident Evil 2and the upcoming remake of the third game, there’s still a lot of merit in updatingResident Evil 4’scombat and clunky controls to show just how incredible the game’s core gameplay and set of mechanics were back in the day. Fixing the aiming so players can move while shooting and adding some of the incredible nuances that madeResident Evil 2such an immersive next step for the series would go a long way if added to the fourth game, especially if done so alongsidea major visual overhaul.
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Resident Evil 4also stands as one of the most iconic and popular stories in the series to date, with the return of Leon and the establishment of an entirely new tone for the franchise becoming unanimously celebrated by the fanbase. There’s no denying that the game features some of the best moments in the entire series so far, with Leon’s first encounter with the game’shorrifying villagers, the intense cabin assault, and his battle with the unstoppable Verdugo standing as a mere handful of the game’s biggest highlights. It stands to reason that a tale this iconic in terms of bothResident Eviland gaming as a whole deserves to be touched up and re-released in modern-day, regardless of whether or not its original release still holds up under modern scrutiny.
Taking pros and cons for whether aResident Evil 4remake is necessary to one side, the game would also sell incredibly well for Capcom, which is surely a more corporate reason for the title to get a modern facelift. The fourth game remains a staple of its lineup (hence its constant re-releases on later platforms), meaning that it’s no doubt a big moneymaker for the company and one that would succeed if eventually redesigned for the PlayStation 5 andXbox Series X.
Regardless, whether or not Capcom elects to resurrectResident Evil 4for newer hardware, it must be said that the company’s love for its older games and dedication to seeing them endure the test of time is commendable. For the thousands of players who were too young or missed the boat on getting to experience the beginning of the franchise, this slate of remakes is an excellent way to recapture the essence of the original titles while also refining the series' formula and producing utterly exceptional products.
Whether or not they agree that revisitingResident Evil 4should be the next major step for the series going forward, nobody can deny thatCapcom’s work over the last few years is quickly ushering in an incredibly bright future for the franchise going forward. Here’s to hoping thatResident Evil 3will be yet another stellar stepping stone to more incredibleResident Evilgames in the future, whether that leads to a remake of the fourth game or a new title entirely.
Resident Evil 3is scheduled to be released July 15, 2025, on PC, PS4, and Xbox One
