New direction might help make Resident Evil 4 remake better than original

According to reports, an official remake of Resident Evil 4 is in the works and will be revealed later this year. While it will differ significantly from the original, the remake was nearly directed by Shinji Mikami, the series' original director.

The upcoming Resident Evil 4 remake was first developed under the supervision of Capcom at M-Two (a team made up mostly of former PlatinumGames developers), according to a report by Fanbyte.

With two outstanding remakes and two well-received sequels, Capcom has enjoyed a great series of back-to-back hits with the Resident Evil franchise. So it's only natural to keep the enthusiasm going and return to one of the most popular games of all time.

Capcom believed that by accepting the project, Mikami would join the game and work alongside PlatinumGames creator Tatsuya Minami.

The former allegedly considered the offer but ultimately turned it down, saying that leaving his own studio, Tango Gameworks (which he created in 2010 and is presently working on Ghostwire: Tokyo), would cause it to fail.

As a result, the Resident Evil 4 remake production went to Capcom's internal development team after the mixed critical reaction to the Resident Evil 3 remake, which M-Two also assisted on.

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Remake of Resident Evil 4 could have darker tone

According to Fanbyte, Capcom has significantly altered the original game, emphasizing the horror components. The title's beginning prologue, in which protagonist Leon S. Kennedy battles his way through the infected Ganado town, will be changed, with most of it now taking place at night.

The production team hopes to lean on its supernatural concepts to generate a scarier tone for the remake, drawing on early demonstrations of the original game left on the cutting room floor.

It will also combine the Assignment: Ada and Separate Ways expansions into a single bundle and restyle some of the original game's side material. In the main title, side characters like Ada Wong will get more prominent roles and greater screen time.

Capcom's attempt to get the game's original director to participate in the revival, on the other hand, is a little unexpected. Resident Evil 2 Remake's popularity was largely dependent on its deviations from the original game.

The fundamental gameplay stayed the same, but the stages, fixed camera, storyline, weaponry, and permanent nemesis, Mr X, were all updated to match current triple-A titles.

It's likely that if Mikami had accepted Capcom's offer to build the remake, even more drastic alterations might have been made. He recently told Newsweek that any future remake of Resident Evil 4 should improve on the original's tale, developed in just two and a half weeks.