Cut content from the Capom’s Resident Evil 4 remake has been uncovered, revealing that it once had a “Chapter 0” featuring Ashley.
According to discoveries made by modders (via Thekempy on YouTube) digging through the game’s files, Capcom originally planned an introductory level called “Chapter 0” that would have featured Ashley Graham as a playable character before Leon S. Kennedy arrived on the scene. Internally labeled as Chapter Zero, this content was never completed and ultimately cut from the Resident Evil 4 remake prior to release. However, enough leftover assets, triggers, and spawn points remain to piece together how it likely would have played out.
The level would have begun with Ashley wandering alone through the woods at night, setting a far more vulnerable and horror-focused tone. During this section, she would stumble upon members of Los Illuminados performing a ritual sacrifice, a moment that briefly appears in the game’s October, 2022, story trailer.
Although the area is inaccessible in the final game, modders have located its position on the map. Much of the environmental detail has been stripped away, but remnants of the original path remain. This route not only leads to the ritual site but also branches toward the village, suggesting Ashley was meant to flee in that direction after witnessing the murder. This is indicated by a leftover player spawn point.
Ashley has no flashlight in this unfinished chapter, making exploration extremely difficult unless the brightness is artificially raised. It’s possible that she may have originally used her mobile phone as a light source, though no such mechanic exists in the final build. Throughout the level, there are multiple leftover triggers for scripted events, including a Ganado patrol Ashley would need to sneak past and several missing cutscenes that cause the game to crash once activated.
The sequence appears to have Ashley climbing into a hut through a window, crawling through a tunnel to escape, and hiding briefly in an alcove. Later triggers change her animations to become more frantic as she spots a Ganado carrying Luis Sera. Enemies then begin descending the hill, forcing Ashley to flee while the camera shifts behind her to highlight the chase sequence. Eventually, she was likely meant to be caught, leading directly into her imprisonment at the church.
