Cut Intro From Resident Evil 4 Remake Had You Play As Ashley

A cut prologue from 2023’s Resident Evil 4 remake has been uncovered and restored, showing that gamers almost opened up the game as Ashley Graham before taking control of Leon Kennedy. While it’s not clear exactly why this Resident Evil 4 remake introduction level was removed, seeing it in action is an interesting look at what might have been for the game.

The 2023 remake of Resident Evil 4 had a lot to live up to, given the cult status of the 2005 original. However, the game was met with widespread critical acclaim. As a result, Resident Evil 4 quickly passed some huge sales milestones, and became the fastest-selling game in the series to date. Its praise was in line with previous Resident Evil remakes, all of which found ways to modernize their respective titles while remaining respectful of the original games. Resident Evil 4 received particular praise for how it expanded on Ashley and Leon’s relationship, and how Capcom improved the frustrating Ashley escort missions from the original. And, as it turns out, it almost put a new twist on the game’s introduction, too.

Resident Evil Requiem is an RE4 successor as much as it is a Village sequel

Leon’s action-packed role in Resident Evil Requiem now promises a blend of both RE4 and Village, offering the best of both worlds.

Resident Evil 4 Cut Intro Has Gamers Play As Ashley

YouTuber Thekempy has shared footage of a cut Resident Evil 4 remake introduction, where players would have played as Ashley prior to her capture. The level is composed of leftover files found in the game’s code, and is referred to as “Chapter 0” in this version of Resident Evil 4. Players wouldn’t take part in combat during this level. Instead, it focuses on cinematic sequences in which Ashley attempts to escape the Ganado before the start of the original Resident Evil 4 narrative. The footage takes place entirely in dark woods, with various leftover spawn locations that would have triggered scripted events in the finished introduction.

Unfortunately, Thekempy has been unable to restore the whole sequence, so only a few elements remain. The map itself is available to wander while playing as Ashley in the Resident Evil 4 remake, and there are some unused running animations left over, too. However, the cutscenes that would have played during scripted events are absent here, as are the Ganado that would have appeared. Interestingly, a look back at the Resident Evil 4 remake’s announcement trailer from June 2022 shows footage of Ashley running through the forest that appears in this cut introduction, indicating it was removed from the game relatively late in development. This would explain why traces of it remain in the final game files.

The reason why it was removed remains a mystery. However, Resident Evil 4‘s opening village sequence was iconic, so keeping it intact as the remake’s initial introduction may have been important to Capcom. Player responses to the removal were mixed in the comments on Thekempy’s YouTube video. One player in the comments pointed out that it would explain plenty about the game’s story that would have been handy for players to know, such as why Ashley attacks Leon on sight after her traumatic experience in the cut introduction. They claim that “Narratively, removing this hurt. From a gameplay perspective, it was smart,” as players can get into the action with Leon more quickly without it.

Resident Evil Requiem is set to release next month, bringing back Leon Kennedy as a playable character. The ninth mainline installment of the long-running survival horror franchise is one of the most anticipated games of 2026. Despite fan excitement about the new game, many are hoping to see a remake of Resident Evil 5 in the future, too. Given what a stellar job Capcom has done at reinvigorating the older titles in the series, a potential RE5 remake would be worthy of serious hype.