Which Resident Evil is the best? The answer is pretty simple: Resident Evil 4. It’s not just thought to be one of the best installments of the RE saga or even the greatest of them. It’s often named one of the most incredible video games of all time. We wanted to take a look at what makes RE4 so amazing. Care to join us?

Originally released on January 11, 2005, Resident Evil 4 quickly garnered an extremely positive reception from gamers and reviewers alike. Major gameplay changes, the whole plot, characters and voice acting, as well as the atmosphere, were very well-received, resulting in plenty of GotY awards and 11 million copies sold across all sorts of platforms, including PCs.

So, what’s so amazing about Resident Evil 4? Let’s take a more detailed look at its various aspects.

Story

Yeah, the plot of RE4 is often singled out for praise. As Leon Scott Kennedy, a former rookie cop and now a special US government agent, you need to rescue Ashley Graham, the daughter of the POTUS himself. She’s been kidnapped by a strange cult known as the Los Illuminados and taken to a mysterious Spanish village. The place is crawling with bloodthirsty villagers known as Los Ganados. Infected with a mind-controlling parasite, these poor fellas do their masters’ every bidding. Leon soon gets infected with Las Plagas himself, which means he needs to find a cure for that aside from rescuing Ashley.

All in all, it’s a mixture of fan-favorite characters, some memorable villains and various plot twists that might surprise you. Coupled with all sorts of corny lines (but definitely not “Jill sandwich” corny), this is a fun RE experience.

Gameplay

The true star of Resident Evil 4 is its gameplay, though. This is where it really shines.

First off, it’s a radical departure from the previous installments. The game no longer features tank controls and fixed camera angles, instead switching to an over-the-shoulder perspective typical of third-person shooters. This also shakes things up in the aiming department. You can now use laser sights for more precise shots. Shooting an enemy in the foot impedes their movements, while in the arm causes them to drop the weapon they’re wielding. You can also use that to shoot down anything hurled at you, such as axes.

New additions to the control scheme are the context-sensitive controls. So, depending on the situation you’re in, you can interact with something nearby, dodge an enemy attack or finish off a downed baddie. QTEs are also present in the game, especially during boss fights.

Enemies themselves are also worth discussing. Pretty much every game in the RE series features some memorable monsters, but the primary cannon fodder were classic zombies. Resident Evil 4 ditches them in favor of the above-mentioned Los Ganados. These crazed farmers are far more intelligent and can coordinate their actions, dodge your moves and utilize varied weaponry. Their leaders can even mutate into some hideous monstrosities, courtesy of the parasite they’re infected with. There are of course more foes and challenges that you’ll face over the course of the game.

Finally, the merchant. Yeah, that friendly dude who buys stuff from you and sells stuff to you. Find treasures and other valuable items and trade them for first aid sprays, new weapons and their upgrades, etc.

With that said, the game is more of a third-person shooter rather than survival horror, but it’s scary and atmospheric nevertheless. And it’s quite replayable, too!

The remake

What’s great about Resident Evil 4 is that it has been rebuilt from the ground up, just like the first three games in the series. This means modern visuals and new gameplay features, such as a couple of new moves for Leon to use against the enemies or side missions that you can complete if you feel like it. This is perhaps the best way to either experience Resident Evil 4 for the first time or re-visit it if you played in the past.

The best RE game ever

That’s right: plenty of gameplay changes and interface improvements, a more fleshed-out story with well-defined characters, more focus on action have all made this game so amazing. Resident Evil 4 furthered the evolution of survival horrors and its over-the-shoulder camera perspective has become a staple in subsequent releases – not just in the series, but other spooky games and franchises.