Those who have playedResident Evil 4and its remake will know how far-removed this fourth mainline entry is from previousResident Evilgames. The horror tone is all-but removed fromResident Evil 4; replaced by high-octane action and bombastic set pieces. The writing is also campier and full of one-liners and outlandish dialogue, most of which comes from returning protagonist Leon S. Kennedy. However, being the latestResident Evilentry meansResident Evil 4remake can’t escape from comparisons to other modern titles.
ComparingRE4to the remakes ofResident Evil 2andResident Evil 3: Nemesisis a given, but players can also look at how theResident Evil 4remake stacks up againstResident Evil 7: Biohazard- the game that started the franchise’s latest renaissance. Most players will find no relation between Leon’s escapade to save Ashley and Ethan Winters' first adventure in Dulvey, Louisiana, but one new document in theResident Evil 4remake points to a connection between Jack Krauser and the Baker family.
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Jack Krauser’s Elite Team of Ex-Soldiers
Upon reaching Chapter 14, players will pass through a research tent on their way to fightJack Krauser: Leon’s former commanding officer. It is no secret at this point that Krauser was working with the Los Iluminados all along; abducting Ashley Graham to get in the cult’s good graces. This specific tent belongs to Krauser and is chock-full of items that pertain to his involvement with the Los Iluminados, as well as his past connections to Leon Kennedy and the U.S. government.
One document found inside the tent, titled “Ashley Graham’s Abduction,” naturally details Krauser’s plan tokidnap Ashley from her college campus. As it turns out, he wasn’t working alone. After abducting Ashley, Krauser escorted her to a getaway vehicle with three of his cohorts waiting inside, one of whom is named “Baker” in the document. The document ends with Krauser’s team transferring Ashley onto a ship bound for the Los Iluminados base of operations while Baker’s team creates a distraction. Another team, helmed by a man called “Henry,” is left to infiltrate a particular organization’s database and disable their network.
The Baker Name Should Be Familiar to Fans of Resident Evil 7
While the other names and objectives in the document are less clear, the name Baker should strike a chord withResident Evilfans. Jack and Joe Baker are brothers who both served in the U.S. Marine Corps prior to the events ofResident Evil 7, and thenJack Baker inherited his family’s ranchwhile Joe became a frontiersman who set up his own shack in the bayou. The two brothers always had their differences, but communication between them ended sometime in 2014 when Jack and his family became infected by Eveline’s Mold.
This document seems to indicate that either Jack or Joe was part of Krauser’s plan to kidnap Ashley in 2004, whenResident Evil 4canonically took place. The timeline is appropriate considering this could be just after their service, meanwhile Jack and Joe are the types to feel resentment toward the U.S. government. It is possible that one of them was angry enough for Krauser to give them an avenue toward revenge. Should Capcom decide toremakeResident Evil 5andResident Evil 6,or make another new title set between 2004 and 2017, it could present even more connective tissue between the disparateResident Eviltitles. Multiple narrative threads have already been established between the latest chronological titles and remakes, so all Capcom needs is a nice bow on top.
TheResident Evil 4remake is now available on PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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