Resident Evil 4 Leon S. Kennedy was a totally new survival horror protagonist. He arrived in that Spanish village and brought his dry personality that defined a whole era of gaming. Resident Evil 4 has perfected the atmospheric dread and how to make gamers feel like they’re part of an ’80s horror.
One minute you’re running from a villager with a chainsaw, and the next, Leon is treating a very bad situation like a small inconvenience. Resident Evil 4 combines grit and humor, which is why the quotes are still so iconic. The gravelly voice of the Merchant is still chilling, but Leon’s total refusal to take a cult leader seriously is why these lines are now in the hall of fame for the genre.
Inside Resident Evil 4
Leon S. Kennedy shows up in Spain. The president’s daughter has been taken by a cult, and it’s Leon’s job to get her back. Sounds simple, except the village is crawling with people who look normal until they’re not. Ganados, they call them, once villagers, now puppets of some parasite that makes them act like monsters. Every corner hides a new twist, from a chainsaw-wielding maniac to a giant monster that seems ripped from someone’s fever dream. You need to run, hide, and shoot to survive, but Leon’s snarky remarks and the Merchant who pops up from time to time make the survival a little easier.
The dialogue is a very good mix of horror and jokes, said at the perfect time, just enough to make you want to keep going. While you are dragging Ashley through all this chaos, the tension is constant, but the game lets you breathe with little moments and good quotes.
The Best Qotes of Resident Evil 4
“Where’s everyone going? Bingo?” – Leon S. Kennedy says this after the initial village siege. A church bell rings, and the Ganados stop their attack to head to the church.
“Your right hand comes off?” – Leon’s response when Salazar threatens to send his “right hand” (his bodyguard) to kill him.
“Got a selection of good things on sale, stranger!” – the Merchan. Everyone who played the game knows it by heart. This is the greeting when you browse the inventory of the shopkeeper.
“Rain or shine, you’re going home.” – Leon promises Ashley Graham that he will get her back to safety.
“I’ll give you a holy body!” – Bitores Méndez says this during the boss fight with the Village Chief, framing the Plaga parasite as a gift.
“Monsters… I guess after this, there’ll be one less to worry about.” – A darker reflection from Leon at his own infection.
“Well, I see the president’s equipped his daughter with ballistics, too!” – Luis Sera
“How rude. And I don’t think this has anything to do with my figure and standing, who are you?” – Ashley Graham
“Well, if it isn’t the bitch in the red dress.” – Leon S. Kennedy
“¡DETRÁS DE TÍ, INBÉCIL!” – just one of the few of the snarled warnings from the Ganados (the infected villagers) right before they try to drive a pitchfork into your shoulder.
“The names Mike, if you’re looking for firepower, you’ve come to the right place.” – Mike, the attack helicopter pilot.
“I have only one, very important question:… You got a smoke?” – Luis Sera
“Did you send out the invitations? I told you NO MORE THAN FIFTY PEOPLE!” – Ramon Salazar
“Try using a knife next time. Works better for close encounters.” – Leon S. Kennedy
“Oh yeah? Well, I really dont give a damn. Rain or shine, you’re goin’ down.” – Osmund Saddler
“Strangah, what are yer’ needing that for? Goin’ huntin’ an elephant?” – the Merchant
“Not only will you need cash, you’ll need guts to buy that weapon.” – the Merchant
“Leon, help me!” – the sound that haunted the nightmares of every gamer back in 2005. It’s the high-pitched scream of Ashley Graham, Leon’s companion, who was determinedly helpless. Fortunately, Ashley got a lot more useful in the remake.
If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to design stories like this, check out the basics of video game design to see how game creators shape worlds, and what you need to apply to your dream school.
