Resident Evil 4’s remake was originally planned to begin with Ashley rather than Leon. Modder Keff0 has released Chapter 0 Restoration, a free mod that restores the game’s cut Ashley prologue as a playable sequence before Chapter 1.
Where to Get It
Chapter 0 Restoration is available for free on Nexus Mods.
What You Can Confirm Right Now
The mod integrates the prologue to launch after the game’s opening cutscene and before Chapter 1 begins.
What Happens in the Prologue
Ashley walks a nighttime path alone, using a folding phone rather than a flashlight to light her way. She encounters cultists murdering a woman, sees Luis being captured, flees, and eventually becomes a prisoner at the fort herself.
There is no shooting in the prologue. The sequence focuses on atmosphere and mounting tension while gradually introducing the controls, in contrast with the village opening in the released remake.
The murder scene also appears at the start of the final game’s Chapter 1. In the restored prologue, the scene uses the same lighting without the fog overlay.
Earlier Restoration Work
The existence of the episode had been known for some time, with footage of Ashley running through the night forest appearing in the game’s 2022 announcement trailer. In late 2025, YouTuber Thekempy partially restored the level, but that version did not include cutscenes or enemies. The path Ashley followed remained, though much of its detail and collision had been removed.
Chapter 0 Restoration brings the cut prologue back as a playable sequence using material from the game’s files and existing in-game assets.
