Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 was praised for its Dynamic difficulty system that altered the game based on how easily you are cheesing through the game. With three different difficulties to choose from in the Remake, this begs the question, what difficulty should you choose in the Resident Evil 4 Remake?
You should choose the Standard difficulty for your first playthrough of Resident Evil 4 Remake. It is balanced and has a level of challenge whilst not being supremely difficult or extremely easy.
Difficulties in Resident Evil 4 Remake
There are three difficulties in the Resident Evil 4 Remake, which are available to you immediately after you first boot up the game. Unlike the previous games, a difficulty option isn’t hidden until you beat the game for the first time. They are:
- Assisted
- Standard
- Hardcore
Note: Professional Mode is unlocked after completing the game on Hardcore at least once.
Now, Capcom hasn’t done a great job in labeling these difficulties in accordance with how they actually are throughout your entire playthrough. For instance, Assisted is super easy. You really won’t break a sweat throughout the entire game, and it’ll feel like a tutorial for the most part.
The Standard difficulty feels like how the original Resident Evil 4 was in terms of difficulty. The AI isn’t that stupid now, but it still has its moments. However, the game has the necessary aura of challenge where it needs to have it, especially in boss fights.
Is Hardcore Too Hard in Resident Evil 4 Remake?
Yes, Hardcore is too hard in Resident Evil 4 Remake. The description of the difficulty states that tackling enemies will be slightly harder and that prices of some items will be increased. While the former is true, the latter definitely isn’t.
The AI between Standard and Hardcore remains relatively the same. There are just a few key differences. Firstly, enemies in Hardocre take longer to kill since they require more shots per enemy. Moreover, a headshot doesn’t lead to an immediate stagger and is instead based on chance. So, you may have to hit an enemy 2-3 times before you can roundhouse them.
Moreover, your knife breaks too easily. While I get that’s meant to add to the challenge, it gets a bit annoying when your knife breaks before you even enter the Village sequence of the first chapter. Moreover, since you only have limited ammunition (you get the same in Standard and Hardcore), you’ll have to cheese your way through most of the game.
What do I mean by that? For instance, in the Village sequence, you are bound to have barely enough ammo to survive the encounters. So, if you mess up at any point in time, don’t throw your Grenades or clump up enemies and use your Shotgun; you’ll immediately die.
This experience tends to get quite boring after the first 2-3 deaths as it turns into more of a Soulslike experience than a Capcom one, which is why I wholeheartedly recommend against playing this particular difficulty, at least for your first playthrough.
How to Change Difficulty in Resident Evil 4 Remake?
You cannot change your difficulty in the middle of the game in Resident Evil 4 Remake. if you’ve reached a certain point and saved there, you will need to exit the game and start a new one from the new difficulty you wish to choose.
