Moving into the current console generation, both Xbox and PlayStation used a lot of jargon terms to try and convince fans that their respective console was the better option. One of the biggest technical features constantly talked about was lighting, and how new tech like ray-tracing could make modern games feel even more realistic than ever before. While these claims are always to be taken with a pinch of salt, Xbox and PlayStation weren't lying, with modern games like Resident Evil 4 Remake boasting some incredibly immersive lighting systems.
Resident Evil 4 Remake brings a slew of improved features to the 2005 action-horror classic, from fresh cinematics and overhauled gameplay to new puzzles, enemies, and weapons. But by far the most impressive feature is Resident Evil 4 Remake's overhauled visuals. While the remake has retained the same overall designs as the original game, Resident Evil 4 Remake has gone in with a fine-tooth comb and carefully constructed some of the most immersive environments ever seen in a video game, and a lot of that has to do with the game's stellar lighting.
Resident Evil 4 Remake's Improved Lighting Creates a Different Kind of Horror
The original 2005 version of Resident Evil 4 is renowned for its impeccable atmosphere. Every village, castle, and island environment feels suitably grim, lavish, and mysterious, with the game's lighting doing some real heavy lifting. While walking through Resident Evil 4's villages, players are immediately put on edge by the game's dark lighting, allowing the Ganados' torches to be a clear ominous threat in the distance. In the castle hallways, dim lighting allowed the dark-robed cultists to hide in plain sight and lie in wait for an ambush. And the island's gloomy research facility hallways foreshadowed that something horrific was waiting right around the corner.
But while the original Resident Evil 4's lighting served an important purpose, it was a little one-note, with every area being mostly shrouded in darkness. Resident Evil 4 Remake, on the other hand, decides to make a bit of a bold departure from the original in some areas of its lighting, instead choosing to give some locations a much brighter appearance, adding a whole new layer of horror to the experience.
After Resident Evil 4 Remake's thrilling opening sequence, players make their way through the rest of the village, and for a good few hours of gameplay, it's surprisingly bright. The setting sun shines through trees, reflects off the windows of village hamlets, and lights Leon's way pretty clearly. Rather than the immediate darkness that befalls the original's opening hours, and the horror of the unknown that comes from it, Resident Evil 4 Remake's brighter lighting ushers in a new fear, that being how the player is never safe, even in the light. No matter how bright it is outside, there will always be threats waiting to put an end to Leon's journey.
This improved and more realistic lighting also emphasizes Resident Evil 4's Gothic horror roots a little more. Where in the original Salazar's castle felt like an ominous and foreboding place that's been practically abandoned, the remake's castle feels a lot more lived-in, with each room having bright lighting and tons of environmental details that imply that people still use these rooms. In doing this, Resident Evil 4 Remake manages to retain the original's fear of the unknown, but gives it a more Gothic horror spin, repeatedly reminding the player through its lighting and environmental design that this castle is home to many threats.
Resident Evil 4 is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
