Resident Evil 4's remake reimagines a fan favorite that slightly alters the appearances of classic characters. The title’s main protagonist, Leon Kennedy, has seen a massive upgrade graphically not only from the original Resident Evil 4 but also from his new look in Resident Evil 2's remake. Since the remake of the second game, the iconic Resident Evil characters have been modified further to meet current hardware standards. The base version of RE4 was released three console generations ago, meaning some of its characters in the remake have changed quite dramatically.

Resident Evil 4 pioneered the franchise’s third-person survival gameplay. This style of play was repurposed in remaking both RE2 and 3, which were originally under a fixed camera, so when it came to RE4’s remake not as much needed to be done in that regard. Where RE4's remake has been changed the most, however, is its overhauled visuals.