Resident Evil 4 remake remains unconfirmed, but rumors about the game's existence keep growing day by day. Several days ago, a new piece of evidence sparked the rumors of a Resident Evil 4 remake when voice actor Nick Apostolides, who provided voice work for Leon Kennedy in the Resident Evil 2 remake, posted a photo of himself in motion capture gear. Interestingly enough, the photo was captioned with a message saying how good it feels to get back to work.
Of course, the project that Apostolides is working could be for another game, but the actor said that he is not at liberty to share more details about it. Whether or not the remake is happening remains to be seen. However, if the Resident Evil 4 remake is indeed in development, then Capcom may have a secret weapon that is hidden in plain sight, and that is the design of the village in Resident Evil 8, which could play a vital role in how the village in the rumored Resident Evil 4 remake will turn out.
Resident Evil 8's Village Design
Ever since the announcement of Resident Evil 8 several months ago, its village setting has found itself at the center of speculation. Some believe that the village in Resident Evil 8 is the same one that Leon barely escaped in Resident Evil 4. Of course, there is no way of knowing if this is true, especially since Capcom is still keeping specific details about the location under wraps. The question now is, how does the village in Resident Evil 8 affect the rumored development of the Resident Evil 4 remake?
In the original Resident Evil 4, which was released in 2005, Capcom started to mix action elements into Resident Evil's traditional survival-horror gameplay. Although Resident Evil 4 still leaned to its roots, it paved the way to the action-oriented Resident Evil that was heavily implemented in the fifth and sixth installments. It's worth noting that before Resident Evil 4, most games in the franchise were mostly set in closed environments that gave a claustrophobic vibe that heightened the horror experience. However, with the village's open environment, Resident Evil 4 became a fast-paced action game, and while many elements contributed to this transition, the setting played a major part.
How Capcom Can Use Resident Evil 8's Village Setting To Improve Resident Evil 4
Now, in previews of Resident Evil 8, it is obvious that Capcom is once again returning to its survival horror roots. With the new game, Capcom has the opportunity to design Resident Evil 8's village in a way that captures the claustrophobic feel of the older Resident Evil titles. The studio could design the village to have a more sinister look, and with a more compact layout, players will feel like they're stuck inside a maze. Capcom should also return puzzles in Resident Evil 8 and scatter them all around the village, which will allow players to feel that they are actually playing a Resident Evil game.
Once this is successfully executed, Capcom can learn from fans' feedback, identify which elements worked, and implement all of the best ones in the Resident Evil 4 remake. Of course, this isn't to say that Capcom should drastically change the village in the remake. Instead, the studio should follow its approach in the Resident Evil 2 remake, which is to remain faithful to the source material while adding elements and features that enhance the overall experience. At the moment, it's difficult to predict just how scary the village setting in Resident Evil 8 will be. However, with more gameplay previews expected to come out in the coming months, it is interesting to see whether Capcom will design the game's setting to heighten horror, similar to classic Resident Evil games.
Resident Evil 4 remake is rumored to be in development.