Resident Evil 4, let's analyze step by step the trailer of the Remake of the State of Play of June 2022

Resident Evil 4

That Resident Evil 4 was in the works was now well known; that we would see it at least in 2023, too. Finding it at the opening of the State of Play in June 2022 was instead unexpected, given the fact that Resident Evil Village is still waiting for the promised DLC (but in the meantime it will enrich the range of experiences for PlayStation VR2).

A pretty good start to the conference, through which we were able to take a first look at the remake of a video game that, in many respects, has contributed more to the videogame panorama in general than to the parent series.

Attention, this does not mean it is negligible for the evolution of Resident Evil: just think that RE4 is the first chapter in which the creatures shown do not refer to zombies. It was evident then, and especially now looking at it in retrospect, the desire to be a moment of rupture, a watershed between past and future: the dates themselves confirm this, since Code: Veronica is always set in 1998 and follows the trend not - dead. Resident Evil 4 instead gains momentum after the War on Terror that was unleashed following the tragedy of 11 September and lays the foundations for the war on bioterrorism on a global scale that from then on would have characterized the Capcom series.

The fourth chapter also marks the beginning of let's call it the "second trilogy" (let's just consider the main vein with the numbered chapters), that is the one characterized by the camera over the shoulder, where Resident Evil 7 is almost for sure the debut of the "third trilogy" or the first person one. We still don't have the slightest news about Resident Evil 9 but there is a rather repeated pattern over the years. function ready (fn) {if (document.readyState! = 'loading') {fn ()} else {document.addEventListener ('DOMContentLoaded', fn)}} ready (function () {window.addEventListener ('message', function (event) {let target_origin = 'https://aff.netaddiction.it'; if (event.origin! == target_origin) return; if (typeof event.data == "object" && event.data.hasOwnProperty ( "type") && event.data.type == "embaff") {let embed_id = event.data.embed_id; if (embed_id == '778') {document.querySelector ('#_ aff_embed_778'). setAttribute ('height ', event.data.embed_size);}}}, false);}) That said, the remake of Resident Evil 4 was essential not so much in terms of gameplay because it still manages to be enjoyable today, but for the construction of the second universe narrative that Capcom started with Resident Evil 2 (2019). The merit and at the same time the defect of the fourth chapter is that from the point of view of the story it does not contribute anything to the narrative universe in general, if not to confirm the fact that Wesker was still alive; information already given, in any case, not only by Code: Veronica but, offscreen, by the miniseries Biohazard Umbrella Chronicles: Prelude to the Fall which in just two volumes proposes Wesker and his meeting with Jill and Chris.

The game is therefore a sketched canvas, if not exactly white, on which it is possible to go and outline more details: not surprisingly, it has been said that the plot of the game will be reworked, without distorting the essence. From the point of view of the narrative continuity of this second timeline it is a big advantage, since it allows to better lay the foundations of what could happen in future remakes; or in any case to make more sense of the actions of some characters and, why not, include those born later as Alex Wesker or Daniel Fabron. The latter does not seem to have who knows what role, being a Mastermind in Resident Evil: Resistance, but being linked to the French division of Umbrella, the only one to have withstood the backlash of the fall of the American branch in 2003, perhaps it will have depth. >
Although he hasn't revealed a lot about himself, there are several details in the State of Play trailer that are worth highlighting even just to speculate on the direction he may take. For this we want to analyze step by step the latest trailer of Resident Evil 4 Remake.

The origins

The logo of Resident Evil 4 Right from the start you can feel the will to dust off the baptized material like Resident Evil 3.5 before the game took another direction: let's forget the patina that turned from yellow to brown in the original game, here we exploit the blue and the fog that refer, in fact, to the old prototype (and this is also noticeable in the Leon's jacket, more like the beta). We move on to a flashback immediately after the confirmation that it is Resident Evil 4, preceded by the words "Condor One to Roost. I've located Baby Eagle": even without dialogue, it is evident that Leon is commissioned by President Graham to rescue the daughter - presumably Baby Eagle, wanting to imagine the eagle as the code name for the president himself.

From the way it is presented, the scene is very reminiscent of Resident Evil 6 when Leon is haunted by the memories of President Benford in which he tells him that he wants to take all responsibility for the events of Raccoon City and beyond . Benford is also Graham's direct successor, so the wink to the future is even more appreciable.

Leon's look in Resident Evil 4 has changed Returning to the scene in the game and considering Graham's role in the CGI Infinite Darkness series (where he has his own well-defined and rendered model), as well as the ending that refers to the Tricell, it is not excluded that in this round there may be more logical connections between events. After all, Albert Wesker collaborates with Tricell since 2003, Resident Evil 4 takes place in 2004 while Infinite Darkness in 2006, halfway between the fourth and fifth chapter: it is plausible to expect some more concrete clues about Wesker's machinations first of all. .

Speaking of machinations, immediately after the flashback we see the unforgettable (but not for merit) Ashley Graham whose model is again based on the Resident Evil 4 beta. She doesn't seem to be a prisoner at all, or at least not as we remember her: when we go to rescue her, in the original game, we find her locked up in a church cell and, later on, it is revealed that it was Jack Krauser who kidnapped her as proof of her "loyalty" to Osmund Saddler. If it is implausible to think that Krauser let Ashley escape after capturing, there is the possibility that this part will be revised too, perhaps eliminating the figure of Krauser - but we hope not given the memorable stabbing fight - or at least giving the Ashley's kidnapping an even darker tone. We'll likely get to play as her well before what happens in the original game, perhaps just as a prelude to what's going on.

Resident Evil 4's tone could be even darker than the original The fact is that her character has the potential to be more adult, or at least less irritating, than her counterpart from twenty-two years ago. It will also be curious to understand how the couple mechanics will be managed this time: will Ashley still hide or can she have a more active role? Above all, will the mechanics be retained? Will she and Leon meet to the point of forming a stable couple in the game, or will we have to continue to track her down and never really find her, if not at a specific point? There is no shortage of unknowns and the tones that are generally much more disturbing than the original bode well for a less ridiculous direction (because at times it was) than the source material.

The village

The village by Resident Evil 4 After a series of shots in which we see Leon arrive, it is assumed, at the house where he asks for the first time about Ashley, the village (which seems to be the same), skulls because they always make fun and an indefinable figure (Leon?) Behind the bonfire, our Luis Sera enters the scene, holding his trustworthy Red9. For better or worse, the role in the original Resident Evil 4 was well defined and if desired it can be re-proposed identical: his studies on Las Plaga, wanting to betray Saddler and consequently the agreement with Ada - who works for Wesker - in exchange for a sample of Las Plaga. All things that could be re-proposed but also expanded, to offer his character even more depth. There is room to characterize it better.

The different shots of the villagers are very interesting, because they highlight what we already knew about the infected in Las Plaga: they maintain basic human behaviors, as the parasite tries to emulating the guest before he became a guest, but they have almost forgotten the main needs such as caring for themselves. This is particularly noticeable when observing the man who almost certainly represents Leon's first encounter with the Ganados: the unkempt hair, the unkempt beard, the chapped lips, the greasy skin and the bloodshot eyes reflect a total absence of hygiene, almost as if to clearly underline the loss of humanity and the parasite's attempt to emulate its nature. For an in-depth look at Las Plaga and its origins, you can take a look at this special.

Ada

The atmosphere of Resident Evil 4 Ada's presence confirmed, nor could it be otherwise because where Leon is, she is too, this time wearing clothes a little more suited to infiltration and espionage missions - with everything that dress was perfect on her, but the magic of running in high heels let's leave it to 2004. At first sight, even if it is difficult to determine with certainty, it should be found in the castle where it makes its first appearance. The following scene, where Leon loses consciousness on the boat in the middle of the lake, at least confirms that the sequence will be there, but it is not yet known whether the fight will be kept identical (place there). By the way, how many of you have shot several times at the waters of the lake and suffered the consequences?

Bitores Mendez also confirmed, the village chief with one of the most disgusting mutations in the long history of Resident Evil (but also Simmons don't joke). Equipped with a hat like the best Mister X, from the pose in which they show him we do not exclude that he too can chase us exactly like his august predecessors: if so, we cannot say it is an original idea, but it would be curious to understand how they would implement it. Mendez's house is small, like all the houses in the Pueblo, they are not settings that lend themselves well to a probable pursuit. We will see how they intend to play the card, this taking into account that Mendez, although not as tall as Nemesis or Dimitrescu, is still two meters of brute strength and lack of etiquette. Not to mention that, although the buildings are smaller (if we exclude the castle whose rooms are not huge), it is precisely for this reason that its size lends itself well to being threatening.

A glimpse of Resident Evil 4 After a series of other images including Leon starting to suffer the effects of the parasite and a closer look at the Ganado, we come to a very interesting detail: that is the sacrificial altar that shows a new version of the symbol of the Los Illuminados . Although much more sketchy than the symbol of Resident Evil Village, at first glance it remembers it not a little: of course, they could be hands and not wings, but it is difficult not to think of the cult in Romania even just seeing the larger concentric circles, while the small ones are in fact new. At the moment these are only speculations but the choice to remake the symbol and make it similar to that of Resident Evil Village is undoubtedly curious: considering that both games are in a remote European village, a correlation is not so unlikely. We are talking about two different forms of parasite but we cannot even exclude a deepening or partial rewriting of Las Plaga in this sense. Surely it is among the elements that attracts the most attention precisely because there was no particular need to reinvent the symbol.

The end of the trailer

Ashley's new design in RE4 The trailer then closes with Saddler, whose new voice actor convinces a lot with his disturbing and, at the same time, strangely "kind" tone. They do not show it clearly but it can be recognized without particular problems from the silhouette. Finally, a detail that may seem trivial but is not, we drive back to Leon as he reflects on the events in Raccoon City and on the fact that they are still haunting him six years later. We know that Leon thought about suicide several times that night, and that in any case the facts condemned him since his life was devoted to the service of the United States as a key witness of the events - the refusal would have led to his death, without to count that Sherry's life was also at stake, from her point of view. It will be interesting to understand if and how much possible influence these considerations have on the development of the character, who in the original was a bit much caricatured in his sarcastic jokes and in his overly contemptuous attitude.

Overall, this trailer he delivered much more than we expected, without actually saying much explicitly. The details are plentiful and we can't wait to find out what Capcom has in store for what can be a key chapter in the new storyline.

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