Resident Evil 4 remake and everything else shown in tonight's RE Showcase
Including Re:Verse early access.
Capcom has given perhaps the best look yet at its highly anticipated Resident Evil 4 remake - and shared a little more on its various other Resident Evil projects - in its latest video showcase, with the remake getting both new gameplay footage and a new story trailer.
On the gameplay front, Capcom shared an action-packed couple of minutes of its RE4 remake, starting with a sequence from early in the game that sees protagonist Leon skulking through the woods before stumbling across a seemingly abandoned barn. It's a suitably atmospheric sequence, showing off the remake's various visual upgrades, and one that segues into a chaotic outdoor battle as Leon is swarmed by Ganado. Inevitably, things come to an end with our old friend chainsaw guy - but Leon somehow manages to keep his head on this time around.
Following its latest gameplay reveal, Capcom discussed the remake in a little more detail, explaining its goal is to "[pay] respect to original game's world while implementing new ideas and state of the art graphics to strengthen the core concepts of the title". This, it say, "will provide a fresh experience with a sense of familiarity if you played the original, that both newcomers and veterans to Resident Evil 4 will enjoy".
Some of those newly implemented ideas include a broader range of attacks for the Ganado, as well as a newly added, and extremely bloody, knife parry manoeuvre for Leon. There's also a new trade mechanic for the Merchant giving players the option to exchange gems they've found on their travels for special items.
As previously announced, the Resident Evil 4 remake will launch for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam on 24th March next year. Capcom has now confirmed players with the PS4 game will be able to upgrade to the PS5 version for free.
It also revealed the various retail editions it's releasing, including a Deluxe Edition - which includes extra costumes, deluxe weapons, a treasure map, sunglasses accessory, and an original soundtrack swap feature - plus a physical-only Collectors Edition, which contains all the above plus a Leon figure, digital soundtrack, artbook, poster, steelbook, and more.
Those that pre-order the standard edition will receive a gold attache case variant and handgun ammo charm for use in-game, while Deluxe and Collectors Edition pre-orders also get the classic attache case and green herb charm. Anyone that pre-orders the Playstation digital version gets a mini soundtrack.
Capcom ended its Resident Evil 4 remake segment with a new trailer, but there was plenty of chatter about its other projects too. Its Resident Evil Village Gold Edition and Winters' Expansion got another airing, for instance, with a little more shared on the latter's "realm of conscience" setting. It also featured the amusing tidbit that - in keeping with the fact Ethan Winters' face has never been seen in-game - it will remain concealed in the expansion's new third-person mode, with Ethan turning his face away whenever players try to adjust the camera.
Anyone wanting to check out the new third-person mode can do so via a new Resident Evil Village demo that launches today on all platforms, offering 60 minutes of play time - which can also be experienced from the original first-person perspective.
We also got more details on the long-delayed multiplayer Re:Verse - now confirmed to support cross-play between different platforms - which is getting a brief early access period for all Resident Evil Village owners starting at 7pm PDT on 23rd October/3am BST on 24th October. Early access ends on 25th October at 23pm PDT/7am BST on 26th October. Capcom also shared its post-launch plans for Re:Verse, promising at least three updates after release.
And finally! Release dates for the various Resident Evil cloud versions coming to Switch. Resident Evil Village arrives on 28th October, with the Winters' Expansion due on 2nd December, and those are followed by the Resident Evil 2 remake on 11th November. Next up is the Resident Evil 3 remake on 18th November, with the cloud version of Resident Evil 7 rounding things off on 16th December.