What makes a remake good would vary from one developer to another. But with RE4 Remakes' success, the horror game franchise's creator has given his own two cents on what he thinks served as key ingredients that made his original work even better.
Resident Evil Creator Praises RE4 Remake For Its Story Improvements
Fundamental Understanding of The Original Source is Key
Widely regarded as a masterful retelling of its original source among the gamer community, Resident Evil 4 (RE4) Remake continues to receive praises, and now, in a recent interview with IGN, the creator of Capcom's horror game franchise extends more of his. Especially regarding how Capcom took on RE4 Remake, Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami said that what makes video game remakes good and successful requires a "comprehensive and fundamental understanding of what it was that made the original work in the first place."
Mikami explained, "I think the comprehensive and fundamental understanding of what it was that made the original work in the first place is probably the most important point of a good remake." He additionally remarked that building "everything from the ground up" using this philosophy has enabled Capcom to put out fantastic remakes even in "certain series."
Back in 2023, Mikami made it known that he did play the remake and "enjoyed it very much," as he shared on Twitter (X). In his recent interview with IGN, Mikami further noted that RE4 Remake significantly improved on the combat aspects, praising the added nuance and realism to the aiming and shooting aspects of the game. Mikami explained what he also thought was a step up to the original game that he worked on—Resident Evil 4's story that he apparently had written up in just two weeks.
"Another thing I thought was really well done was the way they took the half-as*ed scenario that I just wrote up in two weeks and really built up on that and really fleshed it out," Mikami said. "They showed that they really understood the characters and their interactions. They showed a good understanding of the backbone of each character. And they took not just the scenario itself, but even the dialogue, and they improved all that stuff so that was really great."
RE4 Remake released in March 2023 featuring redesigned visuals and modernized gameplay. The remake received universal acclaim, earning a 93/100 rating on review aggregate site Metacritic. The Resident Evil creator's seal of approval is a testament in and of itself, and if Capcom stays the course, it looks like they'll keep coming out with well-received remakes. Such as with the Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster which sits on a "Very Positive" rating on Steam.
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Resident Evil 4’s Creator Explains What Makes a Good Remake
