Resident Evil has gone through a lot of changes throughout the years as it attempts to experiment with the survival horror formula it pioneered in the 90s. More recent entries have attempted to reinvigorate the franchise's horror origins like Resident Evil 7, while Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6 sought to adapt the series into a more action-oriented experience. Resident Evil Village tried to meld the two gameplay designs together into a mixed experience, but it wasn't the first entry to do so. Bringing the franchise into a new console generation, Resident Evil 4 balanced massive set-pieces and high action sequences with a horror atmosphere that many fans praised.
However, the fourth entry wasn't always the campy, action-oriented experience that fans know so well. When Resident Evil 4 was first shown off at Tokyo Game Show back in 2002, there were certainly echoes what the fourth entry would become. However, for the most part, that trailer represented something very different from the final product that released in 2005. In fact, a lot of the footage that was initially revealed for Resident Evil 4 depicted very different scenarios that would change and evolve as time went on. Fans have unofficially come to know this version of the game as "Resident Evil 3.5," and the concepts shown would be interesting for a Resident Evil 4 remake.
Resident Evil 4: The "Fog" Demo
Before the final, official version of the game was revealed in 2004, Capcom had shown off several vastly different demos of Resident Evil 4 in the years prior. Rather than the iconic Resident Evil 4 opening of Leon heading to the village, eliciting the fury of the townspeople, Resident Evil 4 went through three separate revisions before landing on a fourth and final gameplay design.
The first "beta" version of Resident Evil 4 came with the game's first teaser trailer at 2002's Tokyo Game Show. Known as the "fog" or "castle" demo of Resident Evil 4, this initial trailer depicted Leon Kennedy exploring the castle of Spencer, originally planned to be the setting for the fourth entry. Interestingly, this version of the game was planned to dive into the Progenitor virus storyline, a version of the origin story that was eventually tackled in Resident Evil 5. Leon is seen in the trailer fighting what looks like Lost's black smoke, exploring Spencer castle as well as some kind of airship, all while showing off an early design for Resident Evil 4's Leon for the first time.
According to official comments by director Hiroshi Shibata, Leon was supposedly infected with a version of the Progenitor virus, which would've given him some kind of power connected to his left hand. The intended origin of the Progenitor virus was that Leon would discover it was directly linked to the remains of a superhuman who had apparently mutated because of the virus and became ruler of a kingdom in ancient times. Evidently development of the "fog" version of Resident Evil 4 had run into issues with properly rendering the fog monster. Evidently Capcom scrapped the idea, due to the technical limitations of the GameCube at the time, in favor of a new direction.
Resident Evil 4: The "Hook Man" Demo
Resident Evil 4 would eventually return with a new trailer and new demo at E3 2003, and it was far different from the interpretation shown just a year earlier. Known as the "Hook Man" or "paranormal" demo of Resident Evil 4, this trailer and gameplay demo was a much more radical departure compared to the previous demo shown in 2002. This version of Resident Evil 4 involved Leon exploring what is presumably the castle of Spencer once more, but is contending with far more ghostly poltergeist-like enemies. That's because, aside from world-altering shifts into the paranormal, and living dolls attacking the player, Leon had to deal with Spencer castle's "Hook Man."
For those who've played The Evil Within, another Shinji Mikami horror game post-Capcom, this version of Resident Evil 4 may seem mildly familiar. Leon evading the Hook Man plays out a lot like a predecessor to Sebastian Castellanos' encounters with the Anima in The Evil Within 2. The Hook Man follows Leon throughout a portion of the castle indefinitely, and though the footage only shows Leon defeating the hook-wielding monster, the Hook Man was likely an adversary designed to mimic Mr. X from Resident Evil 2. However, instead of a mutated monster or zombie, this creature more closely resembles an ethereal enemy like the Anima, born from Leon's mind.
This was supposed to be spurred on by Leon being inflicted with some kind of unnamed disease, forcing him to hallucinate, represented in game by the blue tinted perspective. Multiple other features in this demo would carry over into the full game, like over-the-shoulder camera and aiming, quick-time events, and utilizing a laser sight for precision aiming. There was one more "Hallucination" scenario penned by Resident Evil 3: Nemesis writer Yasuhisa Kawamura, but apparently due to the ambition of this iteration and the GameCube's limited technical power, this version was scrapped before Shinji Mikami would revise Resident Evil 4 into the version released today.
Ramping Up The Insurmountable Horror In Resident Evil 4
To some extent, dropping or otherwise lessening some of these dedicated horror elements did aid in making Resident Evil 4 one of the most influential action games of all time. Third-person shooters, as a genre, were ultimately refined and perfected thanks to the over-the-shoulder camera innovation that Capcom made with the fourth entry. Various action games would borrow from that third-person camera design, ranging from Gears of War to Batman: Arkham Aslyum. However, that lead to retrospective criticisms of Resident Evil 4 for causing the franchise to wade too far into action instead of horror, which is something a Resident Evil 4 remake could certainly rectify.
Ironically, bringing some of the ideas, concepts, and scenarios back from the various beta versions of Resident Evil 4 into a remake could help address that criticism. These concepts wouldn't necessarily need to replace any of the narrative beats in any fashion, but could certainly complement the experience of Resident Evil 4 well. Resident Evil 4 is relatively scary, with moments like the cabin defense sequence melding action with impending fear to create suspenseful moments. That being said, the game rarely drops the action or suspense in favor of pure inescapable horror, like when players escape as Ashley, or fight Regenerators for the first time.
Both the "fog" and "Hook Man" demos of Resident Evil 4 all toyed with the idea of strictly horror scenarios where the threat against Leon was nearly inescapable. What made Mr. X such an imposing threat and genuinely horrifying in Resident Evil 2 was how he couldn't be truly defeated until towards the end of the game. Same deal with Jack Baker in Resident Evil 7. The fog would seemingly possess and overpower Leon because it was impossible to target its gas-like nature. The Hook Man enemy is probably more easily compared to Mr. X because it only appears during moments of hallucination, forcing Leon to consistently fight it over the course of the game.
Either could serve to make a Resident Evil 4 remake that much more interesting and scary, especially if reports are true that Capcom's remake intends to ramp up the horror. The original Resident Evil 4 has plenty of seemingly insurmountable threats that players need to fight tooth and nail in order to defeat, but none of them are truly unstoppable. As a result, these moments are certainly suspenseful but are only scary enough until players' instinct to fight kicks in, and all they're worried about is surpassing the challenge of a boss/enemy encounter. Adding a degree of vulnerability to Leon's journey to Spain would make it much more horrifying.
A Resident Evil 4 remake is reportedly in development.
