An eight-year Resident Evil 4 HD fan project will finally be released in February
The mod is designed to make the game look significantly better than it ever has
A fan-made HD project for Resident Evil 4 which has taken eight years to make is finally ready for release.
Resident Evil 4 HD Project 1.0 was started by Resident Evil fans Cris Morales and Albert Martin eight years ago, and greatly improves many of the textures and 3D models in the game.
The mod was started as a reaction to the Resident Evil 4 Ultimate HD Edition released for PC by Capcom in 2014, which remastered the 2005 classic in HD.
The pair noted that the majority of the textures in Capcom’s release hadn’t been updated, and that since it looked like that was going to be Capcom’s final remaster, they would attempt to make a better one.
The trailer for the new mod can be seen here:
Resident Evil 4 HD Project 1.0 - final trailer
This new remaster requires players to have already purchased Resident Evil 4 on Steam. When the mod is released in February, players will be able to download it from the Resident Evil 4 HD Project website and follow a few steps to install it.
As the trailer shows, the mod replaces almost every texture in the game with new high-resolution textures, and replaces a number of flat objects (such as lamps, candle holders and doors) with new 3D models.
For some of the textures, Martin actually travelled to the same locations in Spain and Wales where Capcom took photography, and took the photos again so he could make higher resolution assets that were as accurate as possible.
“The point of this project is for everyone to enjoy as good-looking a version of the game as possible, while still holding true to the original artistic intent and direction of the creators of the game,” the duo has said.
VGC reported in 2020 that a Resident Evil 4 remake has been in development since 2018, and was originally being led by Osaka-based M-Two, the studio founded by former PlatinumGames head Tatsuya Minami.
further reading
Sources: Capcom has overhauled its plans for a Resident Evil 4 remake
Last year we also reported that the remake had seen a major change of leadership due to disagreements over its direction, according to people with knowledge of the project.
New studio M-Two saw its role on the unannounced project significantly reduced, the sources told VGC, and mainline Resident Evil studio Capcom Division 1 was brought in to lead a new direction.
Resident Evil 4’s original director, Shinji Mikami, was approached to co-found M-Two but turned down the role due to his commitment to Bethesda’s GhostWire: Tokyo.
The veteran designer has since given his blessing to the Resident Evil 4 remake publicly. “As long as it turns out good I have no issues with it,” he told IGN.
