Resident Evil 4’s helpless companion character Ashley was as soon as deliberate to star in a newly-designed intro made for Capcom’s acclaimed remake.
Everybody is aware of by now how Resident Evil 4 opens: with fan-favorite character Leon S. Kennedy thrown into the motion as he investigates the kidnapping of Ashley Graham, the U.S. president’s daughter. And within the ultimate model of the sensible Resident Evil 4 Remake, that is once more how the sport begins.
However Capcom deliberate — and at the least partially constructed — a brand new introduction sequence dubbed Chapter 0 which might have seen gamers sneak round as Ashley, earlier than she’s lastly dragged off by brainwashed ganados. And now, a recent video displaying a few of the mission has been put collectively.
Ashley’s Chapter 0 would have taken place in an expanded model of the forested space outdoors the sport’s major village, near the place Leon is in the end seen creeping alongside at first of the remake. A snippet of this survived in a trailer for the remake, the place Ashley witnesses a grisly ritual sacrifice previous to getting captured.
The non-combat mission sees Ashley sneak alongside, hiding from a patrolling ganado, and recognizing one other who’s carrying Luis — presumably to the basement the place Leon finds him later. However, in the end, everyone knows Ashley goes to get captured — one thing that, after a short chase sequence, we then see play out.
In the event you’re eager to see the stays of this mission in motion, modder Michael “Thekempy” Kemp has a video of its surviving components — although it looks as if a lot of the mission was unfinished, or faraway from the sport’s ultimate model.
Whereas Resident Evil 4 remake options loads of further sequences not discovered within the unique Resi 4, it is easy to see why this one fell by the wayside. It is laborious to think about anybody being shocked by Ashley’s seize, since that units up the entire recreation, and the character already has her personal quick sections of gameplay afterward.
After which there’s the truth that Ashley is, effectively, not beloved by some Resident Evil followers. The Resi 4 remake goes some solution to making her much less of a damsel in misery, nevertheless it’s maybe unsurprising that Capcom in the end selected to not open the sport along with her, moderately than merely letting gamers leap straight in to Leon’s mission.
“The Resident Evil 4 remake is the collection’ most relentlessly thrilling journey rebuilt, refined, and realised to the total extent of its monumental potential,” IGN wrote in our Resident Evil 4 Remake evaluation, scoring it 10/10.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s Information Editor. You may attain Tom at [email protected] or discover him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social