Resident Evil 4’s helpless companion character Ashley was once planned to star in a newly-designed intro made for Capcom’s acclaimed remake.
Everyone knows by now how Resident Evil 4 opens: with fan-favorite character Leon S. Kennedy thrown into the action as he investigates the abduction of Ashley Graham, the U.S. president’s daughter. And in the final version of the brilliant Resident Evil 4 Remake, this is again how the game begins.
But Capcom planned — and at least partially built — a new introduction sequence dubbed Chapter 0 which would have seen players sneak around as Ashley, before she’s finally dragged off by brainwashed ganados. And now, a fresh video showing some of the mission has been put together.
Ashley’s Chapter 0 would have taken place in an expanded version of the forested area outside the game’s main village, close to where Leon is ultimately seen creeping along at the beginning of the remake. A snippet of this survived in a trailer for the remake, where Ashley witnesses a grisly ritual sacrifice prior to getting captured.
The non-combat mission sees Ashley sneak along, hiding from a patrolling ganado, and spotting another who is carrying Luis — presumably to the basement where Leon finds him later. But, ultimately, we all know Ashley is going to get captured — something that, after a brief chase sequence, we then see play out.
If you’re keen to see the remains of this mission in action, modder Michael “Thekempy” Kemp has a video of its surviving elements — though it seems like much of the mission was unfinished, or removed from the game’s final version.
While Resident Evil 4 remake features plenty of extra sequences not found in the original Resi 4, it’s easy to see why this one fell by the wayside. It’s hard to imagine anyone being surprised by Ashley’s capture, since that sets up the whole game, and the character already has her own short sections of gameplay later on.
And then there’s the fact that Ashley is, well, not loved by some Resident Evil fans. The Resi 4 remake goes some way to making her less of a damsel in distress, but it’s perhaps unsurprising that Capcom ultimately chose not to open the game with her, rather than simply letting players jump straight in to Leon’s mission.
“The Resident Evil 4 remake is the series’ most relentlessly exciting adventure rebuilt, refined, and realised to the full extent of its enormous potential,” IGN wrote in our Resident Evil 4 Remake review, scoring it 10/10.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
