With Capcom reimagining older titles in its longtime horror franchise, as the remakes ofResident Evil 2andResident Evil 3make good use of therobust capabilities of the RE Engine, all eyes are set on what comes next. The next mainline entry to receive such a treatment would naturally beResident Evil 4, and with rumors of its development ramping up, fans are excited for what the game could possibly play and look like.
While the series is due for a new game in a matter of months, some worry that the upcomingResident Evil: Villagebeing a cross-gen release will hold it back from what would have been truly possible, had it been exclusively developed for next-gen systems. Considering that the rumoredResident Evil 4remake could still be a few years away, resulting in it being a purely next-gen experience, can bring exciting possibilities for how the horror franchise can evolve.
RELATED:Resident Evil 4 Remake Has Apparently Been in Development for Years
Old Haunting Grounds, New Nightmare
Upon its release,Resident Evil 4was considered to be at the pinnacle of survival horror gaming experiences, with breathtaking visuals and top tier, suspenseful combat. The game was such a success that its approach to blending scares and action became the basis of the series for all following entries over the coming years. Even now, itsinfluence can still be felt, withResident Evil: Villageharkening back to many familiar settings, like derelict villages and hair-raising castles.
Although its influence is unprecedented, even the might ofResident Evil4can fall victim to the passing of time, with some of its now sixteen-year-old gameplay mechanics and graphics looking a little rough around the edges.Improvements that aResident Evil 4remakecould bring to the experience, especially developed exclusively for the capabilities of next-gen consoles, could revamp the franchise in the same way that the original did so many years ago.
Next-Gen Muscle
BothResident Evil 2andResident Evil 3are benchmarks in graphical performance for the PS4/XB1 generation, which makes it more exciting that visual fidelity and technology only improves as time goes on. The current generation of gaming is placing a strong emphasis on not just improving graphics, but also focusing on fast loading times and seamless exploration of in-game environments. Developers are now pushing totake advantage of the SSD inside consoles, to allow for less breaks between gameplay and improving overall game immersion.
Something like this is crucial for a game in the horror genre, that needs to build and maintain a certain level of tension to keep the player on edge. If a swarm of enemies are chasing the player, for example, and then the next area is reached resulting in the game loading a new section and those enemies vanishing, it breaks up the pacing a little bit. Based on thesimilarities betweenResident Evil VillageandRE4, it looks like Capcom is already making progress with an experience that gives a hint of what a remadeResident Evil 4can look and play like.
Much of the narrative inResident Evil 4keeps the action moving forward, as Leon travels from villages, to castles and all the way to factories on distant islands. If the aforementioned capabilities of the SSD can truly be tapped into and taken full advantage of, exploring this entire game world could be completely seamless, with enemies that relentlessly hunt the player in real time.Resident Evil Village aims for no load times, so if Capcom continues to further improve the experience in coming years, theResident Evil 4remake may reap the fruits of that labor.
TheResident Evil 4remake is rumored to be in development for unspecified platforms.
