Resident Evil 4 Makes Big Changes To Protecting Ashley
Urgh, we can hear those never-ending screams of "Leeeeeeeon" from here. While Capcom's upcoming Resident Evil 4 remake looks like a faithful reimagining of 2005's game, that unfortunately means it'll include Ashley Graham.
While the fourth mainline entry in the shuffling Resident Evil series is held by many as its best, that doesn't mean it wasn't without its flaws. As well as quick-time events and the dreaded island section, there was also the President's daughter as the ultimate damsel in distress.
Resident Evil 4 Is Overhauling Ashley
As well as making Ashley look more like her supposed age of 20 instead of a schoolgirl lusting after Leon S. Kennedy, the team at Capcom isn't stopping there with one of the most annoying video game characters of all time.
Game Informer has dived into a hands-on preview of the game, with a tonne of reveals confirming Ashley is getting a much-needed revamp. Although Ashley no longer has a health bar, she'll be downed if she's hit enough times.
Ashley will either stick to Leon or hang back from the fight if you click R3. She won't be able to hide from enemies though, so you'll have to keep an eye on her. Yep, this means you can no longer chuck her in a dumpster... because there aren't any.
A new Resident Evil 4 gameplay video showed off some of these changes, including a tweak to the maligned moments you had to rescue a kidnapped Ashley from infected Ganados. Now, you can stab them in the neck and jump back into the action.
What Else Is Resident Evil Changing?
Ashley isn't the only divisive part of RE4 being revamped for the 21st Century. Arguably the biggest is the introduction of side quests. Side quests appear as blue markers on the map and will involve everything from solving puzzles to putting an infected dog out of its misery.
The other win is that those hated QTEs are being modernised. Game Informer refers to QTEs as "antiquated," and although it's unclear whether they'll all be adapted, the fury of mashing your buttons could be a thing of the past.
Knife fights are no longer reduced to QTEs requiring Leon to actually parry attacks. Be careful though, as just like 2019's Resident Evil 2 remake, knives have a limited lifespan before they break.
Not everyone was a fan of QTEs getting the boot, though. One critic wrote, "No qte's? So what, they just made the Krauser vs Leon knife fight scene just a cutscene? God, I already have a bad feeling."
We're sure Capcom knows what it's doing here, and with EA Motive's Dead Space showing the potential of remakes, Resident Evil 4 is sure to blow us away like a shotgun to an infected villager.