Back on track on the genre it started.
Capcom promised a change of pace from the usual "Umbrella Corporation and lots of zombies" story, and they are true to their word. The basic dynamics haven’t changed though. It’s still a deliberate, steady crawl through mysterious and creepy locations (this time a village and a castle), while menacing things advance on you, and you pray that you have enough ammo to take care of them all. What’s more, those changes are not there for the sake of being different. They actually make the game better. I am the type that usually prefers a Silent Hill or a Fatal Frame over a Resident Evil, but RE4 finally gave me the bug.
No pun intended.
Despite the changes, it’s still a Resident Evil game all right, and you will bump into more than a few RE characters and concepts. You play as Leon from RE2. You heal yourself with Green Herbs. You save at a typewriter (no searching for ribbons first though, thank God). New concepts have been introduced too, like the ability to horde money and buy and upgrade items at a store. Yes, there’s a friendly merchant hanging around a town full of homicidal citizens. He’s useful, even though he makes precious little sense.
Resident Evil 4 has shelved the fixed camera system that has been done to death by RE, Silent Hill, and a number of other Survival Horror games. Now, the camera is almost always in third person, sitting just behind Leon. You can move the camera with the C-switch. Occasionally you will get action sequences that show an entirely different view, and you have to madly tap a button in order to perform some action, like outrun a boulder, or hack away at a... uh, thing sprouting from a giant’s back. But for the most part you drop into a combat stance by holding the R button, which allows you to aim your weapon. You have a laser dot that will allow you to shoot precisely…just make sure that you aim and get off a shot before your foe gets too close.
And so the fun begins. It’s really cool watching your enemies recoil as you hit them. They will often clutch the injured part, fall over if you hit their legs, or drop weapons if you hit their arms. If you hit them in the head, you will stun them, which may allow you to perform a kick attack if they’re close enough. This interface is much more convenient and interesting, but no less intense. You’ll be in the middle of a big battle with some villagers advancing on you, and then you’ll get hit from behind as you realize with horror that something managed to sneak up on you. You can still feel trapped and claustrophobic in RE4, oh my yes. But now it’s much better because that feeling comes from vicious monsters hunting you down, and not because of a limited camera system.
The game has excellent graphics and sounds, and with that comes an interesting selection of foes. You will get in the habit of shooting them in the head, since that usually does the most damage. However, it may also cause... something to sprout from your foe’s head once you blow it off. Think of a cross between Aliens and Hentai tentacles and you’ve got the idea. You’ll want to shoot these things as badly as you want to stomp a cockroach that just ran across your arm. Weapon sound effects are loud and crisp, making battles très satisfying.
There are still some bumps to smooth out though. When in combat, Leon stands off to the side and not dead centre, so it’s tricky to get the dot on a target that’s off in the distance. Also, Leon’s head can get in the way when things get in close and tight. Most 3rd person action games have the character turn transparent when this happens, but not this one.
Ammunition and healing items are usually plentiful, though I found a few stretches were there were several tough battles in a row, leaving me pretty empty. You can buy First Aid Spray from the merchant, but it’s excessively costly.
None of these things change the fact that I found this to be the most entertaining Resident Evil of them all. It has freaky monsters that pull out new surprises just when you think you’re used to them. It has interesting boss battles. It has vile villains you really want to smack down. It has desperate battles where you’re trapped in flimsy shacks while psychotic villagers break through doors and windows. Horror movie aficionados will get the same George Romero zombie flick thrills, even though there are no zombies in the game. Methinks that Capcom has been watching a few artier, more obscure horror flicks too. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn there had been screenings of The Wicker Man and Quién Puede Matar a un Niño during the game’s production. The atmosphere of the game reminds me of those flicks (look ‘em up on the IMDB and you’ll see what I mean).
But I digress. Fans of the series, don’t panic at the changes. It’s all for the best, and you’ll be pleased with the results. And if you’ve tried Resident Evil before and it didn’t do it for you, it’s time to try it again.