The Pixel Empire
  • Home
    • "Back Issues" >
      • (#51-) July 2018 -
      • (#1-50) May 2012 - June 2018
    • 2025 - April - June
    • 2025 - January - March
    • 2024 - October - December
  • Features Index
    • Pixel Q&A
    • Landmark Levels
    • Pixel Hi-Score Duel
    • Pixel Timeout
    • Pixel Memories
    • Pixel Preview
  • Sony
    • PS5 reviews
    • PS4 reviews
    • PS3 reviews
    • PS2 reviews
    • PS reviews
    • PS Vita reviews
    • PSP reviews
  • SEGA
    • Dreamcast reviews
    • Saturn reviews
    • 32X reviews
    • Mega-CD reviews
    • Mega Drive reviews
    • Master System reviews
    • Game Gear reviews
  • Nintendo
    • Switch reviews
    • Wii U reviews
    • Wii reviews
    • GameCube reviews
    • SNES reviews
    • NES reviews
    • DS reviews
    • Game Boy Advance reviews
    • Game Boy reviews
  • Microsoft
    • Xbox Series X reviews
    • Xbox One reviews
    • Xbox 360 reviews
    • Xbox reviews
  • PC
    • PC (2000-) reviews
    • PC (1980-1999) reviews
  • Other (A-M)
    • Amstrad >
      • GX4000 reviews
      • CPC reviews
    • Atari >
      • Atari ST reviews
      • Atari 2600 reviews
    • Bandai >
      • WonderSwan reviews
    • Commodore >
      • Amiga reviews
      • Commodore 64 reviews
    • Mobile >
      • Android reviews
      • Java reviews
  • Other (N-Z)
    • NEC >
      • PC-FX reviews
      • PC Engine reviews
    • Panasonic >
      • 3DO reviews
    • Panic >
      • Playdate reviews
    • Sinclair >
      • ZX Spectrum Next reviews
      • ZX Spectrum reviews
    • SNK >
      • Neo Geo reviews
      • Neo Geo Pocket reviews
    • Timlex >
      • Mega Duck reviews
    • Watara >
      • Supervision reviews
  • U/O
    • Aftermarket & Unlicensed
    • Net Yaroze
    • Prototypes & Unreleased
  • Pixel Vault
    • Review Archive
    • About
    • Contributors
    • Contact
    • Like Films?

RESIDENT EVIL 4 (GC)

Picture
Publisher: Capcom.
Developer: Capcom Production Studio 4. 
Released: March 2005 (Europe).
Genre: Survival Horror.
Other versions: PS2; PC; WII.

Posted 25th June 2025.
By Tom Clare © 2025


​By the mid-1990s, the image of video gaming was changing not only to reflect its new 3D surrounds, but a user base that was growing up. Whilst just a few years prior, the scene had been awash with bright, colourful platform mascots, the fifth generation would
usher in the likes of Resident Evil, Tomb Raider and Half-Life, grittier experiences with more adult themes
. The times moved quickly, however, and no sooner had Capcom’s horror series established a winning formula than it was facing an identity crisis.

​The survival horror tenets the series helped establish were already starting to fall out of favour by the beginning of the 2000s. Code: Veronica was well-received but added little to the existing formula, whilst the Outbreak games struggled to incorporate modern online elements amidst dated mechanics. The more combat-focused experiences of Onimusha and Devil May Cry wasted no time supplanting them as the new flavour of the week. Greatness often requires a bold new approach, and after numerous abandoned concepts, Shinji Mikami eventually settled on something radical. The result was well worth the wait, and by popularising a from-the-hip third-person perspective subsequently appropriated by an endless slew of action titles (including its own sequels) over the years that followed, RE4’s span of influence is arguably equal to that of the original Resident Evil.
Leon aims down the sights in Resident Evil 4 GameCube
Leon takes aim at villagers in Resident Evil 4 GameCube
RE4's combat plays very differently to its predecessors, but it's perhaps the game's greatest strength
Leon Kennedy, last seen escaping Raccoon City at the end of the second game, returns as the central protagonist. As we join the action, he’s touching down in a remote, rural village in Spain. He aims to rescue Ashley Graham, the U.S. President’s daughter, who has been kidnapped by a cult. What he discovers is a deeply sinister, biological contamination that’s affected everything and everyone in the area. Immediately clear is a significant tonal shift from the previous games. The jump scares and Hammer Horror setups of the original trilogy have morphed into a more nuanced atmosphere of sinister, uncanny goings on. Muted landscapes lend it a similar weight to the Silent Hill games, along with that nagging sense you’re becoming entirely detached from both reality and safety. RE4’s early chapters are dominated by remote, barren landscapes that feel enclosed and claustrophobia-inducing. Paradoxically, they’re mostly outdoors.

Villagers let out guttural cries (which lend the player some handy warnings, if you can understand Spanish) as they move to encircle Leon like a pitchfork mob. Encounters such as these are as stunning as they are heart-stopping, as you come to appreciate how long it takes to reload a gun with a gang of dangerous zealots bearing down on your position. The combat plays a significantly greater role than in previous instalments, but it’s also the game’s greatest strength. Third-person targetting rewards accuracy through headshots, whilst the progress of heavier enemies can also be checked through shots to the knee. Leon can shoot projectiles out of the air or blast dynamite from the hands of foes, dropping the offending explosive at their feet. The bosses are extraordinary, with a breadth of variety normally associated with a Metal Gear Solid outing. Chainsaw-wielding sisters deliver the game’s greatest fright, especially the shocking decapitation of Leon should you let them get too close. During the early chapters, Leon battles an infected lake monster with a harpoon: a thrilling, wholly unexpected and brilliantly realised bit of cinematic gaming. Fending off the seemingly invincible Verdugo for three minutes as you await power to the elevators is nerve-wracking beyond belief: you’ll need to use all your evasive nous and liquid nitrogen lying around to slow the monster’s progress. Krauser, meanwhile, engages in a tense game of cat-and-mouse as Leon attempts to track him amidst the ruins of a castle. The massive Ramon Salazar boss is perhaps the pick of the bunch, though. A classic case of shooting weak points to expose a vulnerable core, Ramon is elevated by his intimidating size and appearance, as well as a host of destructive attacks.

FOCAL POINT: THERE'S ALWAYS MORE STUFF TO SHOOT

Ada strikes a pose on the title screen for Assignment Ada in Resident Evil 4 GameCube
Ada spies enemies in a laboratory in Resident Evil 4 GameCube
This being Resident Evil, the action doesn’t relent with the rolling of the credits. Beating the story unlocks a waves-like evolution of the Mercenaries mini-game from Nemesis, as well as Assignment Ada, a short extra level starring Ada Wong. Here, the mysterious agent tackles an action-intensive section from the main game, collecting five Plaga samples whilst taking down hordes of tricky foes. Whilst her playable role would be expanded for the PS2 port, it remains an enjoyable distraction, and beating it makes available a Tommy Gun in the main game.

With all this combat, a steady supply of weapons would be handy. Step forward the enigma that is the Merchant. One or perhaps several identical-looking individuals, the Merchant(s?) has a welcome habit of setting up shop in the remotest, most inhospitable locations imaginable. Without question, the funniest sees “rrrrare things on sale” in a pit located directly beneath an antagonist’s deadly trap door. Despite the unpromising surroundings, the Merchant’s ready for commerce, seemingly unfazed by the proximity (and volume) of previous victims’ corpses. Or who knows, perhaps they were non-paying customers? Either way, red eyes, claws, pirate-drawl and flasher-esque stock reveals add up to a singularly quaint, but now somewhat fabled, entity. Just don’t, whatever you do, shoot him. He’ll buy unwanted goods, sell new weapons, or upgrade your existing armoury. This is a key facet to surviving Resident Evil 4 and, like the organising of your inventory space, immensely satisfying.

The Merchant also buys treasure, and this leads into another area RE4 feels a little different to the earlier entries. Whilst there is the odd key to find and occasional switch-flicking sequences, it’s a more streamlined experience than its predecessors, with far fewer puzzles. Whilst purists may not appreciate the move towards action and away from cerebral pursuits, the reduction in riddles and backtracking does lead to more consistent pacing and a steadier sense of progression. For fans of the older games, the treasures are a lifeline, rewarding players for combing over trees, archways, fountains and crates, where the tell-tale flash of light indicates a potentially valuable curio. With upgrades increasingly necessary, these come to feel crucial.
The infamous laser room in Resident Evil 4 GameCube
Ashley lights the way with a torch in Resident Evil 4 GameCube
Never less than gripping, you're never sure what the game has in store for you next
Resident Evil 4 looks incredible. Mid-generation jumps have become less prevalent in recent times, but when RE4 was released, its visuals and super-smooth frame rate went far beyond that of its competitors and represented a huge leap from the Outbreak games. The animations are superb, everything from the sway of Leon’s hair as he runs, to the eerie way the enemies move, the incredibly detailed, elaborate buildings and little environmental effects like the swirling of dust and sand, or Leon’s torchlight. The only complaint I have is with the bordered, forced-widescreen effect. I appreciate it’s a cinematic flourish and may also have helped the running of the game slightly, but on 4:3 TVs of the time, it felt quite restrictive.

There are very few negatives, just a few caveats. Before they became the staple of lazy development, RE4 offered up a handful of QTE-driven action sequences. They look fantastic but add little to the gameplay, save to get you killed unexpectedly when you’ve let your guard down to follow the dialogue. Both the overarching story and the voicing see a big step forward from the earlier games, with Leon’s in particular delivered with action-hero swagger, but the scripting is very hammy at times. RE4 is often criticised for the AI of Ashley, though I feel this is a little unfair, as whilst you will have to instruct her to safe spots occasionally or provide cover fire, she’s nothing like as haphazard as, for example, Eileen from Silent Hill 4: The Room, who constantly wanders into trouble.
Enemy on fire in Resident Evil 4 GameCube
Large Black Bass & inventory in Resident Evil 4 GameCube
Set across two discs, the first run will easily yield 12-15 hours of play for those wanting to glean everything from the environments. Additional difficulties, weapons, modes and unlockable outfits mean there’s every incentive to come back and relive the countless exciting moments the game has to offer. All told, it’s a remarkable accomplishment. A successful overhaul of the series that’s elevated by its strong atmosphere, world-class visual design and challenging, enjoyable shooting, Resident Evil 4 will be remembered as a triumphant survival horror/action evolution.

The title screen from Resident Evil 4 GameCube

VERDICT

"Great games require bold design and Resident Evil 4 is as good as it is different. Outstanding visuals, game-changing mechanics and joyous, unpredictable action make for one of the most satisfying, compelling games of its time."

​

​

OVERALL: 9/10

 

OTHER FROM-THE-HIP ACTION GAMES REVIEWED

Picture
Dead Space (2008, PlayStation 3)
Picture
Shadows of the Damned (2011, PlayStation 3)

Home

YouTube

Facebook

BlueSky

Copyright © The Pixel Empire 2025