The Resident Evil franchise has always put challenge at its forefront. In a horror game, it's often tempting for the developer to give the player very few resources to defend themselves, but in an action game players are usually given an abundance of ways to avoid death. As an action-horror game, Resident Evil 4 Remake strikes the perfect balance of both, giving players just enough ammo to get through an encounter by the skin of their teeth. It doesn't always work out perfectly, but for the most part, Resident Evil 4 is a fair and balanced experience.
However, fans might not want an entirely fair or balanced experience. Sometimes fans want to be challenged, and the Resident Evil 4 remake has a few dedicated difficulty modes that can give fans exactly the type of challenge they're looking for. But new players should be warned, Resident Evil 4's higher difficulties are not for the faint of heart.
Long-Time Fans Need to Play Resident Evil 4 Remake on Hardcore
Upon booting up Resident Evil 4 Remake for the first time, players will notice that they have three different difficulty options to choose from. The first option, Assisted, is for those very new to the franchise and genre, offering features like aim assist and extra ammo. Standard mode offers a solid level of challenge, making it ideal for those wanting a more action-focused experience. But for any long-time Resident Evil fan, especially those that have played the original 2005 version of Resident Evil 4, Hardcore mode is the best option, at least for a first playthrough.
While finding ammo in Resident Evil 4's Standard mode is no easy task, it becomes truly scarce on Hardcore. Players will need to make sure that they're constantly monitoring their ammo levels, and that they're landing each shot as accurately as possible. Enemies are quite a bit tougher to take down on Hardcore, and with very little ammo at the player's disposal, just one bullet could mean the difference between life and death, leading to some incredibly intense and anxious encounters.
This lack of ammo and increased enemy hitpoints also leads to more engaging boss encounters. Those that have played the original Resident Evil 4 naturally have the upper hand when it comes to fighting Resident Evil 4 remake's gallery of monstrous bosses, with their weak spots remaining largely unchanged. But while players will know all the tips and tricks to take down these bosses, actually doing so will be a more lengthy, intense process, capturing that same sense of fear and excitement that those fans once had when playing through the original for the very first time.
But Resident Evil 4 Remake's hardest challenge doesn't lie with its Hardcore mode. Once players beat Resident Evil 4 on Hardcore, they'll unlock a brand-new difficulty tier called Professional mode. This mode strips away the game's autosave feature, and only allows the player to use perfect parries. Completing Resident Evil 4 will also give the player access to New Game+ mode, where they can hop straight back into the horror with all of their upgraded weapons and find even tougher foes. While Hardcore will give long-time Resident Evil fans the ideal first playthrough of the remake, New Game+ and Professional mode are both great ways to keep the challenge going after credits roll for the first time.
Resident Evil 4 is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
