Resident Evil 4 Remake Xbox Series X Review

As someone who’s been playing Resident Evil since the very first entry on the Sony PlayStation in the 1990’s, I wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about revisiting Resident Evil 4 – a game that, while revolutionary back in 2005, marked a tonal and gameplay shift that I never fully embraced. That said, Resident Evil 4 Remake floored me. Not just because of nostalgia or familiarity, but because of how bold, polished, and outright terrifying this reimagining turned out to be.

I played the game on Xbox Series X and put nearly 18 hours into my first playthrough, taking my time to explore side quests, upgrade weapons, and soak up the atmosphere. And that’s the thing that hits you right away, this remake is dark. Not just in tone, but in mood and mechanics.

From the moment you step into that cursed Spanish village, there’s a tangible sense of dread that wasn’t nearly as pronounced in the original. This time around, Resident Evil 4 feels like survival horror again, not just action with zombies.

The upgraded visuals are stunning. Lighting effects, especially in enclosed areas like caves and abandoned churches, are some of the best I’ve seen in any RE game. Shadows react naturally, enemies look grotesque and animated, and sound design plays a massive role in the immersion. Echoing footsteps, the clatter of chains, even the groan of a distant cultist all had me double-checking corners. It’s technically and atmospherically the most advanced RE title to date.

Gameplay has been revamped in all the right ways. Combat is faster and more tactical, thanks to a more responsive aiming system and a quick-access weapon wheel that finally eliminates the need to dive into your inventory every five seconds. But what really surprised me was how much I relied on the new knife system. You can parry, stealth kill, even counter chainsaw attacks – yes, chainsaws – with a well-timed block. It’s satisfying as hell.

The only downside? Knives degrade fast. I burned through mine constantly and found myself desperately scrounging for a replacement just to keep the option open. There is an option to repair your knife, but an “infinite knife” option would’ve helped, especially with the increased focus on stealth kills and reactive combat.

Another huge addition is the Merchant Requests, which add proper incentive to explore the world. From shooting blue medallions to taking down a golden-armoured knight in the Castle’s Mausoleum, the Merchant now acts like a quest-giver, doling out Spinels as rewards – currency you can trade for upgrades and rare gear.

This gave me a reason to backtrack and explore, and I found myself actively looking forward to clearing out optional objectives before moving on. It’s not quite open world, but it gives the game a level of freedom that was missing from the original. In total there are 19 requests, so they’ll keep players busy, i know they did me.

The story hits the same beats, but the execution is much better.

Leon S. Kennedy feels like a seasoned professional now, and Ashley is far less annoying than she used to be. Her pathfinding still isn’t perfect, and yes, there were a few facepalm moments where she froze mid-sprint and got grabbed, but at least she no longer screams every 30 seconds.

Ada’s character, however, felt a bit flat. Her voice acting lacked impact and pulled me out of the moment a few times. On the villain front, Osmund Sadler and Ramon Salazar still don’t do much for me – Salazar especially feels like a cartoon villain who stumbled into the wrong game. But it’s hard to hold that against the remake when it’s faithfully keeping to the original material. One villain who does tick all the boxes is Jack Krauser. The fights with him have some meaning, and he’s one of the toughest on the game.

From a design standpoint, the castle section was my favourite. Visually dense, full of traps and twisted cult architecture, it’s everything you want from a horror action game.

The island section near the end goes a bit over the top – turrets, bunkers, searchlights – it started to feel more Call of Duty than Resident Evil, but I powered through. Thankfully, the ridiculous QTEs that plagued the 2005 release are mostly gone, and dynamic difficulty seems to work in the background. Whenever I ran dangerously low on ammo or health, the game would throw me a bone in the form of a drop or crate, which helped keep the momentum going without making it feel cheap.

By the end of my first run, I wasn’t done. Not even close. Resident Evil 4 Remake is built for replayability. New Game+, harder difficulties, and the sheer fun of mastering encounters kept me coming back. There’s even a Separate Ways DLC that came out shortly after, which has new areas to explore in a campaign that focuses on Ada Wong’s character. Albert Wesker is also in it, but that is for another day, as i am only reviewing the main game. As for the main game, I can easily see myself doing multiple runs to try different weapon builds and tackle the challenges I missed.

If comparing it to the Resident Evil 2 and 3 Remakes, it’s a dead-heat with RE2 but it’s clear of RE3 which i found too cinematic and quick to complete.

RE4 Remake will have you solving puzzles for days and killing plenty of enemies along the way. If you’re a RE geek like me, it should take you around 18-19 hours to complete. However, if you’re new to the series and didn’t play the original 2005 entry, then you won’t know how to solve many of the puzzles and it should take your considerably longer. The lifespan of this game is outright unbelievable, and i mean that in a good way.

This was my Resident Evil 4 Remake Xbox Series X Review, if you want to check out the game for yourself, visit the official website using the hyperlink. Please note, we do not include affiliate links and do not earn any commission.