Even after 17 years, the 2005 survival horror third-person shooter 2023 remake. Despite having a tumultuous development history, the game popularized the over-the-shoulder third-person view and changed the survival horror genre forever.
Since this title plays such a significant role in gaming history, it's not surprising that many games followed in its footsteps. Some of these games, such as Dead Space, were inspired either indirectly or directly by Resident Evil 4.
Save Room - Organization Puzzle (2022)
Inspired by the inventory system in Resident Evil 4, Save Room - Organization Puzzle is a relaxing puzzle game that was released earlier this year. During each level, the player must fit all available items into inventory's limited space by either moving or using the items.
Certain levels will require the player to complete tasks such as combining gunpowder to make ammo, reloading the weapons, combining herbs to make healing items, and healing the in-game character. Players can also examine the inventory items to see all of their unique descriptions, which gives some extra depth to the experience.
Haunting Ground (2005)
During Resident Evil 4's development, at least four different versions of the game were created and then discarded. Out of these early builds, two of them were re-purposed for entirely new games. In the "Hallucination" version, which was co-written by Clock Tower 3's writer Noboru Sugimura and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis's writer Yasuhisa Kawamura, the game had a stronger horror focus and featured a sub-plot about a girl and a Bio Organic Weapon (B.O.W.) dog.
While Resident Evil 4 kept one short scene with the dog, the rejected premise was also used as a basis for the 2005 survival horror game Haunting Ground, which is considered a spiritual successor to the Clock Tower franchise. The game follows an 18-year-old woman named Fiona Belli who explores a dangerous castle, avoids enemies, and solves puzzles with her animal sidekick Hewie.
God Hand (2006)
Created by some of the team that worked on Resident Evil 4, God Hand is a 2006 comedic action beat 'em up released by Clover Studio, which was a short-lived studio within Capcom that also produced the Viewtiful Joe series and Ōkami. This cult-classic follows a 23-year-old martial artist named Gene whose right arm is severed while trying to protect a young woman named Olivia from bandits trying to steal the titular God Hand.
After Olivia attaches the God Hand to his severed arm, Gene is sent on a quest to stop various demons from trying to resurrect the Demon King Angra. With plenty of great humor and challenging gameplay, God Hand is a unique and unforgettable experience.
Uncharted Series (2007-present)
Uncharted is an ongoing Indiana Jones-inspired action adventure franchise that follows treasure hunters as they uncover various historical mysteries across the globe. Although almost all the entries have primarily followed Nathan Drake and his companions, the latest installment, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, instead centers on Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross.
Besides the obvious film influences, the development team was also inspired by the atmospheric storytelling from Resident Evil 4. Naughty Dog wanted to use triggered events and other ways of integrating the story into the game so that players could engage with the plot directly without the gameplay being interrupted.
Dead Space Series (2008-present)
While there are plenty of horror games that take place in space, one of the most influential is the Dead Space franchise, which is currently a trilogy of third-person over-the-shoulder shooters. After loosing with his girlfriend Nicole Brennan, who's the USG Ishimura's senior medical officer, the protagonist Isaac Clarke travels to the spaceship to discover what happened to her, fight strange creatures known as "Necromorphs," and uncover the truths behind the mysterious artifacts called "Red Markers."
Without Resident Evil 4, however, this multimedia franchise would not exist. Although the first game was originally supposed to be System Shock 3, the developers decided to create their own original series after playing RE4. This first installment is receiving a remake that's scheduled to release in 2023.
Modern Resident Evil Entries (2007-present)
Besides impacting other games and franchises, Resident Evil 4 also influenced the Resident Evil franchise itself. Popularized by the original 1996 Resident Evil, the survival horror genre was mostly characterized by tense item management mechanics, emphasized horror elements, puzzle-focused gameplay, pre-rendered backgrounds, and fixed camera angles.This all changed with the release of RE4, which took the genre into a new action-focused era.
Resident Evil 5, Resident Evil 6, and plenty of other titles followed in RE4's footsteps, which was divisive for fans since some preferred the traditional horror and puzzles. Although Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Resident Evil Village, and the Resident Evil 1, 2, and 3 remakes all bring back some original survival horror concepts, the intense action gameplay, fully 3D environments, and atmospheric storytelling still remain.
Gears of War/ Gears Series (2006-present)
Another beloved franchise that was created because of Resident Evil 4 is the Gears of War, also known as Gears, series. Taking place on the world of Sera, this franchise follows squads of soldiers known as "Gears" as they battle against subterranean creatures called the Locust Horde, their mutated counterparts called the Lambent, and eventually their new iteration called the Swarm in order to save humanity.
Originally, the first Gears of War was supposed to be a multiplayer arena game within the Unreal franchise titled Unreal Warfare. After seeing Resident Evil 4, however, the game's lead director, Cliff Bleszinski, wanted to create a similar horror-based shooter that utilized the same over-the-shoulder perspective and pacing.
Devil May Cry Series (2001-present)
Along with Haunting Ground, another game that was created from an early build of Resident Evil 4 was the original 2001 action adventure game Devil May Cry. For the earliest version of RE4, director Hideki Kamiya and writer Noboru Sugimura, who had both previously helped to create Resident Evil 2, tried to make a "stylish" action game that fit within the Resident Evil universe.
This game would've centered around a protagonist named Tony who would slowly discover that his body's mysterious superhuman abilities were caused by biotechnology. Since the producer, Shinji Mikami, thought this version strayed too far from Resident Evil's roots, this build was re-purposed into a new franchise about a cocky half-demon named Dante who protects humanity from armies of demons.
God of War (2018)
Released in 2018, God of War is an action adventure game and a soft reboot of the God of War franchise. Focusing on Norse mythology rather than Greek mythology, the game follows the returning protagonist Kratos and his son Atreus as they go on a journey to spread the cremated ashes of Faye, the second wife of Kratos and the mother of Atreus, at the highest peak of the Nine Realms.
While God of War was influenced by several excellent games such as Dark Souls and Bloodborne, one of the biggest inspirations was Resident Evil 4. Unlike previous installments that had a fixed cinematic camera, this game utilizes an over-the-shoulder free camera, which is even presented as a continuous shot. Both this camera perspective and the game's increased focus on exploration were influenced by RE4.
BioShock (2007)
Considered a spiritual successor to the System Shock series, BioShock is a 2007 horror FPS that follows a young man named Jack who is the sole survivor of a plane crash. As he leaves behind the wreckage in the Atlantic Ocean, he finds an underwater city known as Rapture that rapidly declined after the discovery of a gene-altering substance called ADAM. While exploring the ruined city and fighting against enemies, he slowly uncovers the truths behind what happened and his own past.
According to BioShock's lead level designer Bill Gardner during an interview with Den of Geek, Resident Evil 4 impacted almost every level of BioShock's gameplay, which included the environments, items, and combat elements. For Gardner and other developers, RE4 proved that players wanted more complex gameplay mechanics that acknowledged their intellect and capabilities.
