At this year’s Tokyo Game Show Capcom sure had a lot to show. From Dragon’s Dogma 2 to new Street Fighter 6 content, and everything in between. Among the games they brought to the event, we were invited to try out Resident Evil 4 on PS VR2.
While I love Resident Evil and do enjoy horror games, getting scared is not really in the cards for me. Although, one of my favorite things about horror in VR, is watching other people scream in terror. Let, me tell you, that was the most fun I’ve had with a single game at a media event. I am not sure if it is the lack of people having PS VR2 at home, or if people at other outlets were assigned to play a game they were scared of but, more than halfway through the final media day at TGS, they told me I was the only one to complete the demo.
Do You Currently Own PS VR2 and Resident Evil Village?
If you own a PS VR2 headset it is more than likely you already own Resident Evil Village and have played that in VR. If that is the case, you can stop reading here. Resident Evil 4 in VR, functions the same way. It is not the RE4 VR game on the Meta Quest, it is a first-person VR camera view of the 2023 Resident Evil 4 Remake in its entirety. It plays and looks exactly like Village does in VR. With that, there is almost nothing new I can tell you about this experience.
If you already own this year’s Resident Evil 4 Remake the VR component will be free DLC later this year. With that said, there is a slight visual downgrade on the high-resolution textures which allows the game to be presented in 120hz for VR. If you have ever played Resident Evil 7 on a PS4, you will recall, that some of the hair textures were a little glossy. That is what I am referring to here. When it comes to the exemplary details, the VR version of RE4 is more in line with a PS4 Pro release of the game than it would be the native PS5 version. For the most part, it is really just the glossy hair textures.
If You Are New to Resident Evil on PS VR2
If you have not played Resident Evil Village on PS VR2, you can read all about it here from our coverage of the PS VR2 launch. Essentially what is different here is, that they pop you into a new area before the game starts. A dedicated place where you can practice shooting and stabbing. I am not sure if that space will return for Resident Evil 4, although the mechanics are the same. How the team has transitioned the combat to VR is beyond outstanding, it is one of the most unique gaming experiences you can have inside of your home.
How Resident Evil 4 VR Combat Works on PS VR2
Starting with the stabbing, you will have a knife mounted to the left holster on your chest. You have to physically pull the knife from its holster by holding a trigger down and motioning with your hands. From there Leon will motion as you do with the knife in your hand. You will have to make stabbing motions physically from your living room while you hold a trigger down. When you have finished stabbing your zombie, simply let go of the trigger and the knife will automatically pop back into your vest holster.
Shooting is even more fun. What the team has done here is simultaneously create a better sense of immersion and suspense. To unholster a gun, you have to grab it from where it is mounted. With the pistol, it will be in your right waist holster. With the larger guns, like a shotgun, it will be mounted to your back over your right or left shoulder. Taking a gun out works just like the knife, hold down a trigger and grab for the weapon you want to equip.
To reload you have to hit square to eject the magazine. From there you will physically motion to grab a new magazine from your belt and place it into the gun. Then you motion to grab the slide of the gun while holding down a trigger to pull the hammer back and complete the reload. This physical act of reloading the gun creates a brand new Resident Evil experience. In the standard version of the game, you just press a button to reload.
A Definitive Edition
Now you have a more realistic experience, especially while under duress. Learning that physical reload motion takes a few tries, which is why you want to have that practice space before the game starts. Once you get comfortable with drawing and reloading weapons, you will find that VR is the ultimate way to play Resident Evil 4.
With this year’s Resident Evil 4 Remake, we have a new definitive edition with immeasurably enhanced audio and visuals. Now with the free PS VR2 add-on, we have a version of Resident Evil 4 we can point to and say, that right there is one of the greatest games of all time, it has everything you could ask for and more.
