Resident Evil 4 remake doesn’t include the original Merchant
"What're ya buying?" While there's plenty of hype for Capcom's upcoming Resident Evil 4 remake, it won't be a straight rehash of the 2005 GameCube classic. To be honest, we've seen so many ports over the years, it's easy to forget what playing the OG Resident Evil 4 was like.
Leon S. Kennedy is back to his brooding best as we head into rural Spain to try and save the President's daughter from an infected crop of doomed villagers. There's plenty that's new, but when it comes to old favourites returning, we hoped to see the OG Merchant.
Resident Evil 4 doesn't include the original Merchant
Click to enlargeEurogamer has done some digging and confirmed the original voice of the Merchant isn't back for the remake. Back in 2005, Paul Mercier voiced the Merchant and was a rare friendly(ish) face that helped Leon on his mission.
Mercier pulled double duty as the voices of both the Merchant and Leon, but with Capcom trying to wrangle the continuity of its remakes, Resident Evil 2's Nick Apostolides is back to voice this Kennedy from the 2019 remake.
Although swapping Leon for Apostolides makes sense, there's no real need for Mercier not to lend his vocals to the Merchant all over again. There was even a Merchant Easter egg in Resident Evil Village, so it's not like Capcom has forgotten about him.
In anything, it looks like the Merchant will have an expanded role in the RE4 remake, as new sidequests are linked to him. For now, we don't know who will be voicing him in 2023.
What's new in the Resident Evil 4 remake?
We've covered plenty of what's new in the RE4 remake, with the maligned Ashley Graham facing some of the biggest changes. As well as giving her a more age-appropriate outfit to make her advances on Leon a little less creepy, we know she'll be easier to save.
Quick-time events are also being overhauled, with Leon and Krauser's knife fight looking different. There's good news that the fan-favourite Luis is getting more of a story, although, don't get too attached to him. Sadly, we won't be getting a revamped chainsaw controller.
At least some of the old Merchant will be there, with Lead Composer Kota Suzuki telling Game Informer, "The save theme, the merchant music; those are arrangements of the original music in the RE4. I want fans of the original to pick up on those and feel happy hearing something familiar."
It's only right that the Merchant is back in some form, and while we're hoping some of the many mysteries surrounding him will be answered, we'll just be glad to hear those gravelly tones. Now, make him the long-lost brother of Village's Duke.
