How Resident Evil 4 Remake Connects With Resident Evil 2

Leon Kennedy will, of course, remain the protagonist of Resident Evil 4 for the game’s upcoming remake, but Capcom is taking a slightly different approach this time around. The studio is more directly connecting Resident Evil 4 to Leon’s first appearance–the Raccoon City Incident in Resident Evil 2.

Speaking to GameSpot, producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi said that Leon will make references to the incident over the course of Resident Evil 4’s remake. At certain points, you may see the game “take him back to the actual incident itself.” Leon suffers from PTSD, having been a brand-new cop when the incident occurred.

It remains to be seen exactly what that entails, but it wouldn’t be the first time that a Resident Evil remake creatively reused elements of past games. Resident Evil 3’s remake, for instance, briefly takes us back to the police station from Resident Evil 2.

Resident Evil 4 is certainly in a unique position compared to the previous two remakes, however. Whereas those games had to undergo massive gameplay changes to switch from the “tank” controls of the ’90s to more modern third-person shooter controls, Resident Evil 4 was already using an over-the-shoulder perspective when it first launched. It could be the smaller tweaks and additions that stand out the most, and given how beloved Resident Evil 4 is, expectations are surely sky-high.

Resident Evil 4 releases on March 24, 2023 for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, PS4, and PC. Both previous remakes are playable on new-gen systems with performance upgrades, as well.