Celebrating Two Decades of Resident Evil 4: A Masterpiece of Gaming Evolution

It may seem amusing to ponder this now, but during the early days of Resident Evil – when decaying zombies ruled the scene and Raccoon City was the top apocalyptic getaway – the idea that the series would transport itself to the tranquil outskirts of Europe, where you combat rather than singularly ominous foes, seemed completely ludicrous.

That is precisely what Resident Evil 4 became, however – ludicrous. While the series has always had its own charming touch of absurdity mixed with gritty survival horror elements, RE4 elevated this with its entirely outrageous plot and gameplay.

Where once we navigated through the fiery streets of Raccoon City, now we find ourselves bounding through the corridors of a vast castle, shooting down enigmatic blue medallions, trading with a charming pirate-like vendor, executing suplexes on cult members, incinerating enormous parasites, and slashing conveniently placed pots and barrels. It was insane and, in many respects, it didn’t feel entirely like Resident Evil. But you know what? It revitalized the franchise.

It is not an exaggeration to say that RE4 ranks among the most challenging video games ever. It was an absolute joy to play back in 2005, and it remains just as enjoyable today, two decades later, even with the remake available. It demonstrated just how successful a game can be when developers choose to take risks and guide their franchises in innovative and captivating directions. In a time when inflated budgets make publishers more cautious than ever, this is something we genuinely don’t see enough of anymore.

You only need to look at the extensive list of ports RE4 has received since its inaugural launch to understand just how significant a game it truly is. One of the most intriguing (and perhaps more overlooked) was the Wii Edition, which brought