The Resident Evil 4 Remake is faithful to its source material and does the original justice. If you have played and enjoyed the original it is a must buy as it a great way to revisit Resident Evil 4. The changes and updates will also provide a fresh experience for people who played the original. It is also a great game for new Resident Evil fans to play if they don't want to go back and play an older game, although they should.

The story follows the same as the original as Leon has to save Ashley from the village and get her out safely. Although the story was simple in the original and still remains simple in this remake, there is added character depth. Ashley and Leon remain the same as in the original with a few new added lines to add to their relationship. Luis has more screen time which allows him to have more depth and it makes what happens to him slightly more impactful, but this does make him less mysterious. The same applies to Jack Krauser and Ada Wong. The mystery of the characters and what is happening in the world is lost, but this is a minor flaw. Villains such as Ramon Salazar and Saddler are less menancing here and was slightly disappointing. The campiness from the original is also mostly gone and although I did not like the lack of the campy 2000's vibes, this won't apply for everyone. There is some dialogue that makes up for this though. Most of the changes with characters were great and the couple of minor flaws it had are not too important. Resident Evil 4 never focussed on its story and characters too much anyway, but the majority of changes were great.

Resident Evil 4 Remake's gameplay enhances and completely revamps how the original plays. Level design has also been updated making the game more streamlined and less bloated. Both the level design and gameplay compliment each other by providing a lot of freedom, in mostly enclosed spaces, causing tension. The level design itself changes up at various points, editing iconic levels from the original, adding open areas that offer exploration and other small edits on the original's levels. The design benefits the pacing by making it feel more consistent. The shooting gameplay is much more smooth as the tank controls of the original have been removed and instead it has been replaced by normal 3rd person camera movement. Due to the lack of camera restrictions, AI has been updated to be more aggresive. The enemy variety, enemy weapon variety and enemy designs are just as good as the original. There have also been some new additions in this aspect, whcih I won't spoil. Leon also has many guns, grenades and healing items to choose from, both new and from the original. The core shooting mechanics are smooth and every weapon is useful in any situation. The added mechanic of knife durability adds tension, as you can parry counter and stab with the knife and it is useful in many situations. The merchant returns and the core buying, selling and storing mechanics remain mostly the same with the inclusion of shooitng a number of objects to purchase special items. The shooting range also returns and I believe it to be superior to the original due to it's reward system. There are many iconic setpieces cut out of the remake and replaced with other ones which are great, but not as memorable as the original. The bosses mainly remain the same with some being cut and they are updated for the modern gameplay. There are some boss fights which are much better in the remake, and some are much worse. The overall atmosphere remains simliar to the original, which is another positive. The overall gameplay, levels, mechanics and bosses remain true to the original while adding a new flare.

The Resident Evil Remake is a fantastic game that remains faithful to its source material while updating older elements and making it available for new gamers. Although I do believe the original is a superior game, Resident Evil 4 Remake is a great way to experience the best Resident Evil, without having to compromise for an older game.