Resident Evil 4 Remake Players Discover Cut Ashley Intro Scene
Believed to be removed to avoid disrupting story pacing
While Resident Evil 4 Remake released in 2023 stayed closer to its original version compared to the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3, that does not mean development went unchanged. Despite its strong reception and the success of the Separate Ways story expansion featuring Ada Wong, some planned content never made it into the final release.
Recently, a player known as Thekempy managed to recover unused files from the game, revealing what appears to be a cut intro sequence featuring Ashley Graham before Leon S. Kennedy arrives in the village. The discovery suggests that Ashley was originally intended to appear much earlier in the story.
The recovered data includes enemy spawn commands, character placement markers, and hidden menu elements. These files indicate that Ashley would have been playable during the opening segment, aligning with early trailers that showed her running through a dark forest.
According to the reconstructed sequence, the cut content may have followed Ashley after she encounters a murdered girl at a ritual site, forcing her to flee through a fishing village while being hunted by Ganados. The gameplay style appears to have focused entirely on stealth, with no combat options available to the player.
CAPCOM has never officially stated why this section was removed, but many fans speculate that the stealth-only gameplay may have slowed down the opening pace of the story. In the final version, Leon already has access to stealth mechanics early on, making the separate Ashley sequence potentially redundant.
Those hoping this discovery could lead to a playable restoration may be disappointed. Much of the original data has already been deleted, leaving only fragmented scripts and system commands, making full reconstruction impossible.
Resident Evil 4 Remake is currently available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, following Leon S. Kennedy as he investigates a mysterious cult while searching for the kidnapped daughter of the US President. The game blends action and survival horror, making it a standout experience for fans across the SEA Region.
