The revolutionary design of Resident Evil 4 changed the survival horror genre forever. The Resident Evil franchise has long been heralded as the flagship example of survival horror dating back to the original Resident Evil in 1996. But as this formula got stale, Resident Evil 4 was charged with revitalizing the series to prevent its cancelation. RE 4 did much more than that: It not only thrilled audiences, but created the template for every third-person shooter to follow.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the original Resident Evil 4 which are likely to feature in Resident Evil 4 Remake]
However, this shift drew criticism from some reviewers: Resident Evil 4 was accused of featuring a story with more action than horror. The action was pure schlock, with Leon giving one-liners, performing amazing feats of athleticism, and even addressing the camera in the opening cutscene. With Leon taking on this sardonic attitude, it’s hard to feel he’s ever in real peril. Some felt these Hollywood B-movie tropes detracted from the RE 4’s scares, and supposedly diluted the survival horror essence of the Resident Evil series and all future survival horror games.
Resident Evil 4 Redefined Survival Horror By Giving The Player Control
Resident Evil 4 director Shinji Mikami views survival horror completely differently than most critics, sidestepping their qualms with the inclusion of action in the game altogether. In the West, consensus opinion holds that survival horror games continuously put the player at a disadvantage to maintain the feeling of helplessness. This is why characters in the best survival horror games are typically weak and relatively cumbersome to control. But Mikami has a different definition of survival horror altogether, seeing it as “a game where fear and the sense of exhilaration coincide” (via Game Informer). With this definition, action is a perfect ingredient to mix with horror.
Resident Evil 4 Improvements Made RE 4 A Standout In Survival Horror
Mikami creates this integration of action by giving the player increased control of the camera. In past Resident Evil games, the camera was fixed in place which not only overcame hardware limitations but lent a cinematic staging to horrific moments. But to keep up with the action-oriented demands of modern players this camera system needed to be replaced. Resident Evil 4 instead adopted an over-the-shoulder perspective, which gave the player greater control over their aim with firearms and allowed them to direct the action. This shift had the added benefit of making Resident Evil’s tank controls more intuitive and hiding enemies out-of-sight behind players for more realistic scares.
Accompanying this shift in perspective, RE 4 gives Leon a greater arsenal to choose from. The increased firepower adds to Mikami’s “sense of exhilaration” through over-the-top violence, but this shift doesn’t just benefit the game’s action. The abundance of resources prompts players to use ammo more often in the short term instead of trying to conserve them for a hypothetical future situation. This increases tension, as the player must act decisively to survive. The opening village sequence is a perfect example of this philosophy, pitting Leon against a swarm of hive-minded enemies and requiring the player to use the limited resources to their best effect.
Resident Evil 4’s over-the-shoulder camera and heightened combat served Mikami’s vision of a then-modern survival horror game. While some detractors feel this increased action emphasis tainted the genre for years to come, there is no doubt that RE 4’s development spun off a great many famous franchises. Devil May Cry is the most notorious example, taking edgy action to its extreme, but Dead Space and The Last of Us also credit RE 4 as an inspiration for their dread-inducing gameplay. Resident Evil 4 demonstrates that genre must be flexible and willing to adapt.
Source: Game Informer, PlayStation/YouTube