Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil 4 is a 2005 survival horror game developed and published by Capcom for the GameCube. It was ported to Nintendo Switch on May 21, 2019. Players control the special agent Leon S. Kennedy on a mission to rescue the US president’s daughter, Ashley Graham, who has been kidnapped by a religious cult in rural Spain. Leon fights hordes of enemies infected by a mind-controlling parasite and reunites with the spy Ada Wong. In a departure from the fixed camera angles and slower gameplay of previous Resident Evil games, Resident Evil 4 features a dynamic camera system and action-oriented gameplay.

In 2004, U.S. government agent Leon S. Kennedy (Paul Mercier) is on a mission to rescue Ashley Graham (Carolyn Lawrence), the U.S. President’s daughter, who has been abducted by a mysterious cult. He travels to an unnamed rural village in Spain, where he encounters a group of hostile villagers who pledge their lives to Los Iluminados, the cult that kidnapped Ashley. The villagers were once simple farmers until becoming infected by a mind-controlling parasite known as Las Plagas. While in the village, Leon is captured by its chief, Bitores Mendez, and injected with Las Plagas. He finds himself held captive with Luis Sera (Rino Romano), a former police officer in Madrid, and former Los Iluminados researcher.

The two work together to escape, but soon go their separate ways. Leon finds out Ashley is being held in a church and rescues her. They both escape from the church after Osmund Saddler (Michael Gough), leader of the cult, reveals his plan to use the parasite they injected into Ashley to manipulate her into injecting the president of the United States with a “sample” once she returns home, allowing Saddler to begin his conquest of the world. After killing Mendez, Leon and Ashley try to take refuge in a castle but are attacked by more Iluminados under the command of Ramon Salazar (Rene Mujica), another of Saddler’s henchmen who owns the castle, and the two become separated by Salazar’s traps.

Meanwhile, Luis searches for pills that will slow Leon and Ashley’s infection, as well as a sample of Las Plagas. He brings the two items to Leon but is killed by Saddler, who takes the sample, while the pills to suppress the infection remain in Leon’s hands. While in the castle, Leon briefly encounters Ada Wong (Sally Cahill), a woman from his past who supports him during his mission. He battles his way through the castle before killing Salazar. The player controls the protagonist, Leon S. Kennedy, from a third-person perspective. Departing significantly from the series’ previous games, the gameplay focuses on action and shootouts with fewer survival horror elements.

The camera is placed behind Leon and zooms in for an over-the-shoulder view when aiming a weapon, or a first-person view when aiming with a sniper rifle. There is no crosshair for firearms; instead, every firearm has a laser sight. Unlike previous games where players can only shoot straight, up, or down, players have more options. For example, shots to the feet can cause enemies to stumble, and shots to the arms can make them drop their weapons. Players can also shoot down projectiles like thrown axes or scythes. Resident Evil 4 adds context-sensitive controls. Based on the situation, players can interact with the environment: kicking down a ladder, jumping out of a window, dodging an attack or executing a “finishing move” on weakened enemies.

There are also quick time events, in which the player must press buttons indicated on-screen to execute actions such as dodging a falling boulder or wrestling an enemy to stay alive. These are often incorporated into the game’s many boss fights, in which the player must avoid instant-kill attacks. The main enemies are violent villagers referred to as Los Ganados (“The Cattle” in Spanish). They can dodge, wield melee and projectile weapons, and are capable of working collectively and communicating with each other. Once simple farmers until becoming the product of an infestation of Las Plagas (“The Plague” in Spanish), Los Ganados can gain the ability to cause mutated parasites to sprout from their heads.

The inventory system features a grid system, represented by an attaché case, that has each item take up a certain number of spaces. The case can be upgraded several times, allowing for more space. Weapons, ammunition, and healing items are kept in the case, while key items and treasures are kept in a separate menu. Items may be bought from and sold to a merchant that appears in various locations. He sells first aid sprays, weapons, allows for weapons to be upgraded and buys various treasures that Leon finds. The various weapons each have their own advantages and disadvantages.