Resident Evil 4 is one of those games that rarely comes along in gaming history. It was a genre-defining title for both survival horror and action, and remaking it was always going to be a huge task. This is a beloved game that fans care deeply about, so the expectations were high. However, Capcom not only met those expectations but also delivered an excellent remake. It brought the original game’s levels into the modern era with updated visuals and gameplay while expanding several sections. Some content was cut, including certain sections and parts involving some bosses, but the overall experience remains cohesive and deserves its legendary status.
Resident Evil 4 has an iconic opening. Leon is given a mission to find the president’s daughter, who has gone missing in a remote village in Spain, and bring her back. When he arrives, he shows the villagers a picture of the girl, but one of them attacks him. From there, the story begins to unfold. We find ourselves in an unfamiliar place, with little understanding of what is happening and enemies attacking us. The story gradually develops as we explore the village and discover what is going on.
Unlike the previous games, which featured zombies, the T-virus and various mutations, Resident Evil 4 introduces a new type of enemy infected by the Las Plagas parasite. There is also a cult, its leader and the Ganados, all of which play an important role in the story. Once we leave the village, we move into other areas that are a little more open. One thing I particularly liked about Resident Evil 4 is its variety of enemies and the way the game changes as we progress through its different locations.
The game is considerably larger than Resident Evil 2 Remake and Resident Evil 3 Remake, both of which can be completed in under 10 hours. Resident Evil 4 takes around 15 to 20 hours to finish, depending on how you play, and it has plenty of replay value. You can return to the main campaign multiple times, while the Mercenaries mode provides another reason to keep playing.
Mercenaries is a time attack mode in which you kill enemies to build up your score. You can also explore the levels and collect items that extend the countdown timer, giving you more time to keep fighting. There are different characters to unlock, along with additional levels, and each character has their own specific loadout. This gives every character a different feel and makes the mode enjoyable to return to.
The remake also received Separate Ways, a separate story campaign that follows Ada Wong during the events of Resident Evil 4. It covers where she goes and what she does while Leon is dealing with the events of the main story. Although it is additional content, it is substantial enough to take more than five hours to complete, depending on how you play.
The version released on Switch 2 is Resident Evil 4 Gold Edition, which includes Separate Ways alongside the main game. If you have not played the remake or its DLC before, you get both together in one package. The Gold Edition also includes different costumes for Leon and Ashley, various accessories, additional weapons and other in-game items. Overall, it is a complete package for Switch 2 owners, offering the main campaign alongside plenty of additional content.
Technically, Resident Evil 4 is one of the most visually impressive games among Capcom’s recent remakes. Its graphics are excellent, and its levels are less linear than those in the previous games, with some more open areas. However, these visuals and environments also make it a more demanding game to run.
I was generally impressed with the Switch 2 port, and I found its performance considerably better than I remember from the PS4 version, which had its own performance issues. However, the frame rate is not always stable. Drops occasionally occur during action-heavy sequences, particularly when fighting large groups of enemies. There are also some visual flaws, including texture pop-in and enemies that appear slightly jerky because they are rendered at 30 FPS.
Another issue is the hair rendering, which does not always look particularly good. This is something I have noticed in other modern games with impressive visuals as well, as hair can look rough because of its low resolution. Resident Evil 4 has quite a few cutscenes, so the issue becomes more noticeable, particularly if you pay attention to these details.
Image quality is another area where the port could be better. The picture can look somewhat grainy and blurry, especially when playing on a TV. In handheld mode, however, the smaller screen makes these shortcomings less noticeable. The same applies to some of the other visual flaws, which are much more obvious when playing on a television.
Despite these issues, I consider the Switch 2 version an impressive port. Resident Evil 4 is an all-time classic and a masterpiece of third-person survival horror. Whether you are a Resident Evil fan or have never played the original game, there is a lot to appreciate here. The story is good, but the gameplay, level design and animations are equally impressive. Almost every aspect of the game feels like a masterclass in its genre.
I would take a little off the score because of the technical flaws, particularly the occasional performance drops and visual issues. However, these problems do not change how highly I regard the game itself. If you are playing on Switch 2, I think handheld mode is the best way to experience it. The smaller screen makes some of the visual shortcomings less obvious, and the overall experience remains impressive despite its technical limitations.
Game Information
- Game Title: Resident Evil 4 Gold Edition
- Price: $49.99
- Publisher: Capcom
- Developer: Capcom
- Platform: Nintendo Switch 2 (Reviewed)
- Review Code: Provided by the publisher
