The plot is slightly different from the other chapters in the saga, indeed it deviates from the classic "Survive the Zombies who invaded Racoon City because of Umbrella," but it puts Leon in the role of a knight who must rescue a sweet maiden from the clutches of the villain on duty. The young woman to be rescued is the daughter of the President of the U.S.A., and the villain this time is the psychopathic leader of a cult that has decided to be born in central Europe. Obviously Leon must hurry to save the daughter of his Head of State, lest these "terrorists" wreak havoc. But from the very first lines of the game he certainly does not receive a warm welcome; in fact, it seems as if they are all pissed off at the tourists. Making our way through the various enemies, which allows us to leave a conspicuous string of corpses along the way.
During the first few chapters we manage to find Ashley Graham (the President's daughter) locked in a kind of church, devoted to the worship of these Plaguas, who will later turn out to be a kind of creature capable of commanding the minds of the Pueblo, the "base" enemies of this chapter, who go on to replace the zombies. Of course, the girl stays with us for a really short time, while we end up in the company of a certain Luis Sera, a former Madrid police officer who is investigating the Plaguas themselves, whom we will meet for a few chapters, but will come to a bad end at the end of the third. After the escape from the church, the loss of Ashley, and the death of the village headman, whose eye we will acquire (after having a not so easy confrontation with him) we arrive at a castle, the manor of one of the most bitchy, obnoxious, and bastard villains in the history of Videogames (in my opinion, that fucking dwarf I hated and still hate him).
The castle is the mansion of a blue-clad stopper named Ramon Salazar, another of the few lieutenants of the main villain, Lord Saddler. The bastard suffers from dwarfism, premature aging, and genetic bitchiness. Despite everything he tries in every possible way to eliminate Leon, failing every time. At the end of the ride we will face him, but he will no longer be so small and helpless, as he will become a huge pulsating mass of something, mutated by the Plaguas (and a couple of his bodyguards). Not a particularly complex confrontation, just place the blows in the right places, and avoid the slaps (far more complex the one with the chieftain in the barn in my opinion). Having torn him to pieces as well, we head together with Ada Wong (whom we will meet a couple of times during the game, and of whom some extra modes featuring her are available) to Lord Saddler's island fortress, launching ourselves into a One Man Army assault worthy of Rambo, to rescue Ashley, take off the plaguas and save the world-in short, an afternoon like any other, or rather a night like any other.
After traversing the fortress, rescuing Ashley, lifting the Plaguas from both of them and meeting an old acquaintance of ours named Jack Krauser, Leon's former comrade and a member of SOCOM, he will be one of the enemies who will make us sweat in a really tough fight. Defeated as well, a couple of marginal bosses will bar our way to our dear Lord Saddler. Having also defeated him eventually, thanks to the help of Ada Wong, we will escape with Ashley at our side, thinking that everything is over.... but is it really so?
Setting
The setting is definitely different from Racoon City. The European setting is very picturesque, starting from the small village to the final fortress. The castle, the mine, make the game varied and well characterized. A very apt setting. Details are not wasted, especially inside the castle, which is really well done. The base on the island is the bleakest setting in the whole game, with lots of shadowy areas, lots of enemies, some spots where you'll get heart attacks the size of a boulder, and escape small corollaries of profanity. In short, the Survival Horror atmosphere is all there.
Characters
Residen Evil is also a saga famous for its ability to make you love each and every character with stratospheric intensity. Each character is well characterized, lingering in the player's soul, making you hope for their salvation, trying to keep them unharmed and hoping for a happy ending. I defy you not to shed a tear for Luis upon his death, to rejoice when Ada helps Leon, or when Leon and Ashley find the cure, saving themselves from the curse of the Plaguas. Leon is certainly the most characterized of all, Ashley at times comes across as more of a ball and chain than a character to be reckoned with, and at times leads us to want her dead, but that is my opinion. Ada is the femme fatale, and as such, one cannot help but love her. The characters to hate are perfectly rendered although I must admit that as an enemy Krauser is the most charismatic, with that supersoldier style that makes him epic. Saddler is the villain everyone dreams of, evil, unscrupulous, mad and exalted. Truly perfect! But the best character, even if he speaks little remains and will remain the Merchant!
As he says Welcome no one says it!
Weapons
Weapons in Resident Evil play an important role, and they are many, of all types, and all upgradeable. The only basic weapon will remain the knife for obvious reasons, while pistols, rifles, machine guns and Magnums (which are more handheld cannons than pistols) will be upgradeable, increasing their firepower, rate of fire, magazine size and stability! Secret weapons will be unlocked in case you finish the game in Expert (which is arduous guys trust me). While Bow and Crossbow will be usable by Krauser in Mercenaries mode and the crossbow by Ada Wong, respectively, in Separated Ways. Some weapons will be more useful than others, so choose well where to spend your pesetas, depending on your play style!
Gameplay: it's a Resident Evil, with faster and smarter enemies (at high difficulties at least!). Good replayability, it's never boring, the puzzles are well done and not too easy, while the shootings will certainly give an extra touch of anxiety, due to the aiming system, which will force us to stay fixed in one spot, rotating only our gaze! Fantastic!
Conclusion:
Resident Evil 4 is a masterpiece of the Videogame landscape. It puts fear when it has to, tension is used as it should, perfect voice acting, sounds are flawless and replayability is high, to unlock all weapons! Unforgettable enemies, perfect storyline, innovative setting, a new horror to defeat! Brave move that gave a worthy follow-up to RE Nemesis! Absolutely a must play!
Review by BloodBullet
