It’s no great mystery that I enjoyed the absolute hell out of Resident Evil 4 when it came out earlier this year. It was remastered beautifully and was top-tier bourbon for survival horror fans who needed a fix. Everything about it was in line with the series’ later titles, while still maintaining the sacredness and scares that existed in the original GameCube game. Capcom promised to deliver a polished and perfect game with the remastered RE4, and they came through.
And here we are now a couple of weeks removed from the RE4 VR release for PlayStation 5 users. While it might be perceived as a throwaway gimmick to an already perfect game, it’s nothing of the sort. Playing this game in virtual reality is something special, and a new way for Capcom to deliver a type of terror that even the remastered version of RE4 hasn’t seen.
While this review might be short and sweet, the journey in VR for RE4 certainly isn’t. Let’s talk terror on the PSVR2.
Terror on the PSVR2
Resident Evil 4 on the PSVR2 is delightfully horrifying in every sense of the imagination. Not that you’ll need much imagination to fill in the blanks with this one. What you get with the VR version of RE4 is what you would get with the non-VR version, except this time you’re up close and personal with everything in a first-person, 180-degree perspective. The game doesn’t take long to show you what is in store and how much horror and passion went into the VR version. For example, if you felt creeped out by the shrieking shack at the start of the horrifying adventure, then you’re going to be petrified by how it is presented in VR.
When Leon happens upon the cabin in his plight to find the missing officers that led him into the forest at the start of the game, you’ll feel the spookiness of the dimly lit cabin as you slowly search through its rooms. The first thing you’ll notice about the environment is how accurate the lighting is and how absolutely uncomfortable you’ll quickly become as you search through the creepy cabin. It’s beyond what I visually expected from the PSVR2 and Capcom. There are so many fine details about the environment and enough there to keep you on your toes. Most VR experiences can put you in horror-filled places like this but never dig dirty into the details of accurate lighting and texture of the environments. From the tired and creaky wood you walk over to the shimmering gobs of guts and blood on the floor, you’ll be unsettled from the moment you enter until the moment you leave. I’m not sure how Capcom’s devs did this but this felt like an old, cold house that activated a flight/fight sensation from my brain that was constantly kept on guard, even when I knew what was coming. They got every bit of power from the PS5 and PSVR2 with this game and it showed from the beginning to the end of the experience. I was fascinated by the entire feel of the situation and in awe of how well it translated to VR. It was as breathtaking as it was horrifying.
If you’re familiar with the game, and I hope you are because it’s amazing, you get your first real dip into terror when you meet your first villager occupying the cabin space. The way Capcom brought them out of the darkness and into the light helped perfect the panic button going off in my head. Virtual Reality is a powerful tool to trick your brain into thinking a situation is real, as it takes about five minutes to forget you’re in VR with a good VR experience, and doubly so when the situation looks real. The only way this could have been a more unsettling, yet wonderful experience is if I wore surround sound headphones. And guess what I didn’t do? Can you guess why? My noggin was already freaked out by the situation, and I didn’t want to take it to the next level.
Speaking of the next level, the game’s introduction to the village in the next scene, after you escape the initial cabin stage, was tough to take in with VR. It was beautifully woven, as it carried everything that was introduced in the first part of the VR game, the lighting and uneasy environment. When the village scene shifted from a third-person perspective where you’re being chased and surrounded by people wanting to kill you to a first-person perspective in a 180-degree vision area, it was not the most ideal place you would want to be. It’s a wholly other chase and something I just didn’t expect to get so uncomfortable with so quickly. And that’s before the damn chainsaw man appeared. Running, firing, and hiding (and sometimes climbing) were so real in VR that I felt really exhausted by everything once the church bell ended the scene. Everything was so detailed, so quick, and more importantly, so in your face. It brought out one of the more terrifying VR experiences I have had on the medium.
The VR version of RE4 was so terrifying and yet one of the more immersive and gorgeous experiences I have had with my PSVR2 to date. I think that Capcom put their heart and soul into making this experience impactful and putting the player in the shoes of Leon in every aspect that made the original worthwhile. They created some fine details in the visuals, haunting sounds that could surround and engulf your senses, and made one of the most impressive medium translations to create two very different experiences that are both worthwhile. While I don’t think the VR version is as perfect as the third-person one, it’s one helluva ride when it comes to a new level of horror presented to the gamer. It’s so damn good.
Now, all this gushiness and glow does have some minor blemish to it. Nothing too damning but something you’ll notice.
Controls are feisty at times
The best way to play the VR version of RE4 is standing up. Make room in your living space and prepare for lamps to get knocked down (or poor cats to be nearly smacked – sorry, Daniel (the cat)), because standing is your best bet when playing this experience. The main reason is because of gun and knife play. You will be required to unholster your weapon, change ammo, which you physically must reach for, and unsheathe a knife when you’re on the offensive. When you’re sitting down, this is incredibly difficult, especially if you haven’t set your PSVR2 room settings perfectly.
I can’t tell you how many times I had to panic unholster my weapon before it activated in my hand. I died several times performing an empty motion until I got it right. The crux of the issue was that the PSVR2 couldn’t detect my holster in the sitting position, not easily at least. Same with the knife, as the knife location is the upper-left side of Leon’s body. Both weren’t easily visible from the headset, which meant I had to really look to see them before I could access them. Getting attacked or simply running and doing this motion was nearly an impossibility during my playthrough. Eventually, I did get to the point where I could see my weapons fine, but it was rough in the sitting position. And I had to sit because I live in a tiny house with cats and kids. It was safer for all the beings in the family. And lamps. Anyway, this was the main complaint I had about the RE4 VR experience and standing solved it completely. It rectified a lot of control issues that I ran into, including pushing baddies away and panic-pushing buttons or control movements.
The latter of that bunch was simple in practice. Moving and looking to where you want to go made life in VR easy. Capcom’s forethought in masking environments during movement helped to keep away most of the motion sickness you get from a VR experience as well. For that, I thank them, as it is a consistent problem I have always experienced in VR games.
Anyway, don’t sit. Stand. It’s good for your blood circulation anyway.
On that note, let’s wrap this up.
Conclusion
Resident Evil 4 on the PSVR2 is a wholly other experience from its third-person brethren. The shift to first-person mixed with unrivaled graphical details helps to make this PSVR2 game one of the more real and terrifying experiences in VR to date. While there are blemishes in the game’s polish, it’s still representing the original title very well.
