Capcom's recent remake of Resident Evil 4 stays incredibly faithful to the original survival shooter, but there are still a few memorable moments missing from the new version of the game. The RE4 remake still sees zombie survivalist Leon S. Kennedy travel to a rural Spanish town to rescue the President's daughter, only to be confronted by hordes of horrific monsters. Still, die-hard fans of the original will immediately notice some iconic moments missing in the remake.
The Resident Evil 4 remake manages to revitalize the 2005 title, bringing its gameplay and presentation in line with the recent remakes of RE2 and RE3 while still capturing the original game's charm and iconic narrative. Leon is now much faster and more mobile in combat, using his knife to parry enemy attacks to create openings for devastating counterattacks. Resident Evil 4's plot has also been slightly rewritten, giving characters like Luis Serra a more meaningful role, though some moments were sadly left behind in this restructuring.
10 U-3 Boss Fight
One of the Resident Evil 4 remake's biggest changes is the absence of U-3, a monstrous boss that combines human, insect and reptilian parts. In the original game this revolting chimera is fought in the island's underground cellars, with U-3 bursting through a wall to ambush Leon in one of the game's biggest jump scare moments. The fight against the creature is incredibly memorable, beginning as a chase through a maze of suspended crates and ending in a climactic arena showdown. U-3 is sadly absent from the Resident Evil 4 remake, though perhaps the boss will be repurposed for a future DLC.
9 The Cable Car
The original Resident Evil 4 caters to a wide range of different gameplay styles, with some sections essentially turning the experience into an on-rails shooter. The title's cable car sequence, which sees Leon and Ashley ride high above the forests on their way to confront Bitores Mendez, is one such example. This gondola sequence from the original RE4 is notable for making the sniper rifle a viable weapon, and for Ashley adorably pumping her fist to celebrate each headshot Leon scores.
The cable car is still alluded to in the Resident Evil 4 remake, with the lift still being seen near Mendez's home. Unfortunately, players never actually get to ride it while gunning down hordes of Ganados with a sniper rifle, to Ashley's amusement.
8 The Dragon Room
Resident Evil 4's iconic village is filled with some truly bizarre architecture, but the castle's Dragon Room is especially notable. Filled with giant fire-breathing lizard statues, this area is memorable for being both visually stunning and frustrating to navigate. The Resident Evil 4 remake still tasks players with hunting down stone animal body parts, but sadly the Dragon Room was omitted in favor of a more grounded level layout.
7 Robo-Salazar Chase
One of the most bizarre and memorable moments in the original Resident Evil 4 is the Salazar Statue Chase, a sequence in which a giant stone statue of antagonist Ramon Salazar inexplicably comes to life and chases Leon. This shocking moment is never really explained, but it serves as an exciting sequence that helps players feel Salazar's presence even underground. The giant statue of Salazar is still present in the Resident Evil 4 remake, and even attempts to kill players by breathing fire at them, though unfortunately it never comes to life and chases them on foot.
6 Boulder QTEs
To the relief of many players, the Resident Evil 4 remake greatly reduces RE4's controversial QTEs by turning them into the more engaging Parry system. While quick-time events have received plenty of criticism, with players bemoaning their removal of player agency, their removal from the RE4 remake sadly leads to the absence of the original game's boulders. Leon is nearly crushed by rolling stones multiple times in the original version of RE4, with the classic Indiana Jones-style traps complementing the game's quirky and adventurous tone.
5 The Laser Hallway
Like the boulder moments, the lack of quick-time events in the Resident Evil 4 remake also leads to the removal of the infamous Laser Hallway moment. The original RE4 pays homage to the 2002 Resident Evil film by trapping Leon in a hallway of deadly lasers, which the veteran survivalist expertly sures using timed button presses and a flurry of acrobatic moves. The Laser Hallway is arguably the most memorable moment in the original Resident Evil 4, but the remake removes it to fit its more grounded tone and lack of QTEs.
4 Ashley's Bulldozer Rampage
Among its various tweaks, the Resident Evil 4 remake's Ashley changes may be its best and most impactful. The President's daughter is now more three-dimensional and self-sufficient, though the remake also sadly removes one of her most triumphant moments. The original RE4 sees Ashley commandeer a bulldozer and use it to rampage through the island, letting her play an essential role in her and Leon's escape. Sadly, this sequence didn't make it into the remake.
3 Ada Ringing The Church Bell
Like the original game, the Resident Evil 4 remake features Ada Wong in a major role. Unfortunately the remake does not include Ada's playable campaign, Separate Ways, which means many of her best moments are absent from the game. The first level in the bonus scenario notably sees Ada fight towards the village bell tower and ring it, saving Leon from a horde of Ganados and tying her adventure into the events of the main campaign. While this moment isn't seen in the remake, perhaps a Separate Ways DLC will eventually let players live out this sequence in the RE Engine.
2 Ada Saving Leon From Kra
While the removal of Separate Ways robs many of Ada's best RE4 moments, one of her other memorable moments is instead given to another character in the remake. The original version of Resident Evil 4 has Ada save Leon from Kra just in the nick of time, shooting the villain's knife right out of his hand. In the RE4 remake this moment is instead given to a dying Luis Serra, which sadly removes one of Ada's best moments but makes the roguish researcher's death even more climactic.
1 Earning The PRL 412
The Resident Evil series is known for its powerful secret weapons, though the best weapon in Resident Evil 4 was sadly removed from the remake. In the original game, players could obtain the PRL 412, a light-based weapon capable of frying Ganados after a short charge, by beating RE4 on the incredibly difficult Professional mode. While it does take up a large space in the attaché case, unlocking and wielding the PRL 412 is one of the most satisfying moments in the original RE4. Sadly, the Resident Evil 4 remake removes this handheld superweapon.
Despite dropping many iconic moments, the Resident Evil 4 remake still remains faithful to the soul of Capcom's original third-person horror shooter. Leon's adventure still follows most of the same beats, and the game's colorful collection of ing characters and villains are all given a chance to shine. Some cut moments like the U-3 boss fight and Ada's Separate Ways campaign are especially disappointing, but perhaps Capcom can restore some of these beloved scenes in a Resident Evil 4 remake expansion down the road.
