Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
All differences between Resident Evil 4 Original and Remake

All Differences Between the Original and Resident Evil 4 Remake

In broad strokes, the Resident Evil 4 remake (RE4R) is a faithful recreation of the 2005 original. Players who are familiar with both may be surprised at what they remember, such as the villageā€™s layout, the peculiar tram ride in Salazarā€™s castle, and certain specific scares. Despite the many similarities, however, there are some big differences between the original Resident Evil 4 and the remake.

Recommended Videos

Plus Cā€™est La Meme Chose: Whatā€™s Changed and Stayed the Same in the RE4 Remake

Mechanics and Gameplay Changes

Much like the previous remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3, RE4R has kept the overarching elements of the originalā€™s story and gameplay but has cut a few key features. These include:

  • the inexplicable ā€œlava roomā€ in Salazarā€™s castle
  • the fight with the U-3 boss in the mines
  • the famous ā€œlaser hallwayā€ leading up to Salazarā€™s throne room
  • the bonus scenarios Assignment: Ada and Separate Ways
  • Incendiary Grenades
  • most of the quick-time events, such as the rolling boulder ambush in the Village
  • the free rocket launcher in the Castle

The Merchantā€™s bottlecap-collecting minigame has also been totally reworked. Itā€™s now more difficult, with a ā€œgashaponā€ element where you can earn tokens with which to gamble on special charms for Leonā€™s attache case. Since those charms provide gameplay effects, such as more health restoration from herbs or a movement speed increase, thereā€™s more incentive to play the Merchantā€™s minigame than there was in the original Resident Evil 4.

Itā€™s also worth mentioning that none of the puzzles in RE4R are the same as they were. A few are reminiscent of the original ā€” for example, a puzzle Leon has to solve in RE4Rā€™s Church is similar to one that Ada had in the Separate Ways scenario in the original ā€” but theyā€™re new, with new solutions.

Speaking of Separate Ways, Capcom has yet to announce whether the five-chapter bonus scenario will make a return for the remake. Separate Ways was included with RE4ā€™s PlayStation 2 port in late 2005, featuring Ada as she works behind the scenes to make sure Leonā€™s mission is a success.

Adaā€™s relative lack of appearances in RE4R and a couple of incidental shout-outs have convinced fans that Separate Ways is likely to appear as DLC in the future, perhaps alongside Adaā€™s and Weskerā€™s returns as playable characters in the Mercenaries minigame. Weā€™ll have to wait and see on that one.

All different between the original Resident Evil 4 and the remake - Ada tells Leon he hasn't changed.

Story Changes

Much like the RE2 and RE3 remakes, the RE4 remake makes some changes to its supporting cast, some of which have interesting implications for how Capcom might be redeveloping the franchiseā€™s storyline. Spoilers follow for 2023ā€™s RE4 remake.

Luis

Luis is slightly renamed in RE4R, to Luis Serra Navarro. The original RE4 didnā€™t provide many details about Luis, who says that he used to be a cop in Madrid. He later admits to being one of the researchers on Saddlerā€™s team who helped create the current version of the Plaga parasite.

In Luisā€™ Memo 4, Luis claims that his initial fascination with Las Plagas effectively blinded him to Saddlerā€™s intentions. When he tried to find a way out, he ended up working directly with Ada, according to her second report in the Separate Ways bonus scenario.

In RE4R, Luis is a former Umbrella researcher. You can find a photo in his lab in Chapter 16 that establishes Luis was part of Umbrella Europe Laboratory Six, which is a deep lore cut. This means Luis likely worked on the project that created the Nemesis.

Illuminados Cult

RE4R goes into detail about the Illuminados cult, which wasnā€™t really explored in the original. You can find some monuments on the island that establish how Salazarā€™s ancestors banished Saddlerā€™s from the village, whereupon the Saddler family apparently bided their time for generations until Osmund mounted a comeback.

Osmund subsequently enthralled Ramon Salazar, the modern heir of the Salazar family, who was a bad seed from the start according to files found in the Castle. Despite Salazarā€™s servantsā€™ efforts, he and Saddler excavated the caverns below the castle to find the Plagas, which had been sealed there by Salazarā€™s ancestors. Saddlerā€™s plan was to control Ashley into implanting a Plaga into her father, President Graham, although Saddler is less explicit about this in the remake.

Jack Krauser

The most changed character in RE4R is arguably Jack Krauser. In the original RE4, Krauser claimed to be a deep-cover operative in the Illuminados cult, working with Albert Wesker to bring back the Umbrella Corporation. While heā€™d abducted Ashley on Saddlerā€™s behalf, Krauser tells Leon that heā€™d planned to double-cross Saddler in the end.Ā 

In RE4R, Krauser has a much more antagonistic relationship with Leon right from the start and seems to be fully devoted to the Illuminados; Wesker is never mentioned.

All different between the original Resident Evil 4 and the remake - Leon faces Jack Krauser

This effectively seals off a plot hook from the original RE4 that, presumably due to Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami leaving Capcom in 2006, never went anywhere. RE4 2005 seemed to be leading to Wesker leading a revival of Umbrellaā€™s underground activities from behind the scenes. Instead, RE4R is set up to lead more directly into the story from 2009ā€™s Resident Evil 5.

Krauser also talks about Operation Javier in his fight with Leon, which refers to the scenario of the same name in the 2009 rail shooter Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles.

In Darkside, Operation Javier was a mission to track down a drug kingpin in South America, with Leon and Krauser as the only operatives on the ground. In RE4R, Leon apparently wasnā€™t involved with Operation Javier at all; instead, Krauser led a team for the mission, and due to an unspecified betrayal by the U.S. government, was its only survivor. This could potentially be fuel for another remake in the future, or even a DLC scenario for RE4R, which could explore Krauserā€™s decision to turn against the United States.

While some of these details would only be obvious to a long-time, borderline obsessive fan of the Resident Evil series (i.e. me), these mark some of the most significant differences between the original Resident Evil 4 and its 2023 remake.Ā 


The Escapist is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission.Ā Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Thomas Wilde
Thomas Wilde
Thomas Wilde, for his sins, has been writing about video games since 2002. He began as a guides writer for UK magazines before breaking into the U.S. market as a critic and reporter. His work outside of the Escapist can be found on GeekWire, Bloody Disgusting, and GameSkinny, among other places. He also wrote, co-wrote, or edited most of the guides from the late, lamented DoubleJump Books, and was the executive editor during the original print run for Hardcore Gamer magazine. Thomas is from the Chicago area, but currently lives and works in Washington state. He likes bad movies, good fiction, cooking, zombie media, and collecting dozens of blank pocket notebooks for no obvious reason.