It is no secret thatResident Evil 4is one of the franchise’s more corny or cheesy installments. That said, it manages to marry those campy tones with ones of dread and survival-horror in ways that still keep it respectable and endearing. Enemy encounters never lose what make them terrifying, especially when players are up againstRE4’s Garradors or Regeneradors, but characters are still able to crack wise with sassy one-liners and other hysterical interactions throughout.
TheResident Evil 4remake has demonstrated that it will be a decidedly more horrific reimagining, but that it will be keeping a lot of the original’s campy tones as well. The remake has the added benefit of modern graphical fidelity on its side, making pitch black environments even more creepy. In terms of how the remake could be amplifying its campy nature, though, it seems like one of the biggest changes will be how longResident Evil 4’s Luis Serasticks around, and to what extent he will be a part of gameplay.
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Resident Evil 4 Remake Doesn’t Need to Abandon Cheese Entirely
Resident Evil 4features Luis intermittently, but his role in the original is rather small. Luis is notably present in a house ambush encounter where he and Leon barricade themselves inside; however, Luis is eventually killed by Saddler. The original game did not feature in-game codec calls like theResident Evil 4remake will, and therefore Luis is primarily known as an NPC that Leon trades dialogue with before he meets Ashley.
Nearly all the game’s dialogue has some degree of cheese to it, and most commonly while Leon is conversing with antagonists, but Luis stands out as a side character intended to supply his own banter. It has now been revealed that Luis will have a much larger role in the remake than in the original due to him being seen in gameplay sequences where he has not been seen before.
This could suggest that Luis either does not die as early as he does in the original, or he may not die at all during the remake’s narrative.Capcom’s previousResident Evilremakeshave reimagined other story beats, and it would not be wholly surprising to see story beats change in theResident Evil 4remake as a result, but Luis having a greater presence could diminish the game’s tone.
Resident Evil 4 Remake’s Luis Could Be an Annoying Companion
Luis sticking around as an NPC companion for a considerable period of time could actually be counterintuitive if his character is written poorly or if he talks too much in gameplay. Leon’s one-liners will be perfectly capable of supplyingResident Evil 4’s campy undertones on their own without Luis constantly trying to one-up Leon in that department. Leon and Luis were not known for sharing a ton of witty repartee in the original, and trying too hard to make that connection in the remake could be bad for its atmosphere. After how successfulResident Evil’s return to horrorhas been, it would be unfortunate to sully that by making theResident Evil 4remake even more absurd or silly than the original was.
On the other hand, with an amplified emphasis on horror as is suggested, the remake might need to balance that out with a healthy helping of camp, and Luis might be the character chosen to deliver that fully.Leon Kennedy and Luis’ relationshipcould be engaging and interesting this way, which would make for fun gameplay with an NPC companion. Capcom just has to ensure that Luis is not barking irritating quips that reduce any tension or atmosphere the game could have had otherwise.
Resident Evil 4launches March 24 for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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