By the time Resident Evil 4 was released in 2005, there had actually been 12 games in the series, including various long-forgotten spin-offs and a remake. Shinji Mikami’s stagnant survival horror series desperately needed a shot in the arm, and it got exactly that when Resident Evil 4 shifted the series’ fixed-camera perspective to a view over the player’s shoulder. The Last Of Us, God Of War and Mass Effect are just a few of the games influenced by that momentous decision.

Considering its protracted lineage, it’s perhaps fitting that there have been numerous remakes of Resident Evil 4 itself, including an HD remaster and a slightly truncated version in VR. Now, following the extraordinary success of the Resident Evil 2 remake from 2019, it’s time to return once more to rural Spain and face down the hordes of angry villagers and assorted monsters.

Unlike 2011’s remaster, this is a full remake with new gameplay mechanics, vastly improved graphics and a revamped story. It could really benefit from some tinkering (that ground-breaking camera was locked far too close to the protagonist and it’s a notoriously tough game), so this should, hopefully, finally be the definitive edition of a modern masterpiece. 

Released on PS4, PS5, PC and Xbox Series X/S on Friday 24 March.