Knight Moves

One of the few complaints about the original Resident Evil 4 is that it isn’t as scary as other games in the series. This is mostly due to the copious action and frequent silly moments. The remake keeps the action intact, but also ups the tension and atmosphere. The horror is arguably at its best when the player is put in control of Ashley as she tries to rescue Leon in the castle.

The unarmed character needing to avoid enemies mechanic is not one new to survival horror games or the Resident Evil franchise, but the RE4 remake may do it the best. The use of lighting, shadows, and light itself in this section is brilliantly effective.

The tension ramps up slowly as you creep around the library, avoiding the plaga-possessed knights (known as Armadura) as they walk in fairly predictable patterns. Then all hell breaks loose and there’s nothing to do but run.

It’s possible to briefly stun the knights, but it barely buys you any time. You just gotta run.

After surviving the horror, Ashley announces that she is “done with knights,” only to emerge in another room full of them. However, these knights are still.

This is a brilliantly tense scene because you’re constantly wondering if the knights will attack or not. After creeping around a bit there’s a (misguided) sense of relief and you turn your attention to the puzzle in the room. As soon as you start the puzzle, sure enough, the knights attack.

It’s absolute chaos, trying to solve a puzzle while knights come at you from all directions as the harsh sound of metal on stone echoes throughout the hall. And just like that, the knightmare is over. Surviving this final trial of the section creates an authentic sense of relief, the sign of a truly great horror experience.