Resident Evil 4 Remake Originally Featured an Opening Chapter with Ashley, Documents Reveal

Resident Evil 4 Remake’s opening could have taken a different turn if Capcom had included a segment known as “Chapter 0,” where players would have stepped into Ashley’s shoes during her abduction by the Los Illuminados. This intriguing detail comes from datamined files uncovered by a keen fan. Using remnants from “Chapter 0,” YouTuber Thekempy has crafted a video that imagines how this lost introduction might have unfolded.

In this alternate scenario, players would control Ashley alone in a dark forest, stumbling upon a Los Illuminados ritual, a scene that briefly appears in a story trailer released in October 2022. After witnessing a sacrifice, Ashley would navigate her way to the village center, possibly relying on her phone’s light to sneak past dangerous foes like the Ganado. As the chapter progressed, her escape would grow increasingly frantic, culminating in a moment where she sees a Ganado abducting another character, Luis Serra.

While the cutscenes for this omitted chapter aren’t present in the game’s files, remnants such as enemy spawn points, scripted event triggers, auto-save locations, and restricted areas provide hints about what this chapter could have entailed. The reason for cutting this opening, which doesn’t exist in the original Resident Evil 4, remains unclear. Thekempy suggests that Capcom may have aimed for better pacing, as an opening focused on Ashley’s stealth could have slowed down the action-packed experience the game is known for.

Capcom isn’t done with remaking Resident Evil titles. There are reports of upcoming remakes for Resident Evil Zero and Code Veronica in the next few years, with the Resident Evil 0 remake expected to delve deeper into character development and plot elements only hinted at in the original. The next mainline entry, Resident Evil Requiem, will see the return of Leon S. Kennedy from Resident Evil 4 and take players back to Raccoon City, the backdrop for many key events from the series’ early games. Resident Evil Requiem is set to launch on February 27 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC.