Similar to the Resident Evil 2 remake, the remake of RE4 definitely needed to up its game in regards to the puzzles. The classic game's puzzles were all incredibly easy, often having a solution of less than five steps. They're often mocked in the RE community, like the sliding one, with a solution of a single loop.
The remake definitely delivered, though, as not only are there better puzzles but more of them. Some still have easy solutions, but you're unlikely to figure them out on a first run. Many are similar to puzzles in the original but improved dramatically.
8 Sword Puzzle
This first one is in Chapter Seven, right after beating the first Garrador. It's similar to the sword puzzle in the original, in which you did the good old gold and silver switcheroo. The classic era of the series tended to do that puzzle a lot, and the remake definitely improved it.
In order to get one of the swords, you first need to shoot all the symbols corresponding to the marked door, and this is important as you'll be doing this later on. Then you must look at the four paintings and choose which sword best matches up with one. It's a relatively short puzzle but a nice pace breaker after killing the Garrador.
7 Dining Hall Puzzle
In Chapter Nine, you'll find another puzzle lifted from the classic game, and that's the Dining Hall one. In the 2005 original, you had to read several hints to learn that shooting the red wine bottle is the correct solution. However, a lot of people didn't read the hints at all and simply shot up the painting until it was solved.
The remake's version of this puzzle makes it so that you actually need to pay attention. You have to look at the two paintings to figure out what two table seats are correct. It's quite fun figuring out which seat has the correct arrangement of items, and the puzzle is far superior to the original.
6 Crystal Marble Puzzle
The first puzzle in the original game is the Crystal Marble one located in the chief's house, and it's so easy. You just hit up and left, and that's it. While it is better in the VR version, the remake improves it even more. Instead of hitting four commands, you rotate the whole ball.
You really have to turn it around and get it at just the right angle so it perfectly makes the insignia. It can definitely be tricky at first but feels good once it's solved. The puzzle is still pretty simple but much more fun than the classic game.
5 Cave Shrine Puzzle
Later in the second half of the village, you need to get two stone heads to get the Church Insignia. As such, you must do two cave shrine puzzles in the two head locations. These are really neat. You need to match the various symbols from different places in the environment to figure out what symbols you push into the device.
It's sort of like many puzzles in Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, which are also very fun. One of the shrines has a truckload of enemies in it, which you'll want to dispatch first before doing the puzzle. All around, these are quite fun to do, and this type of puzzle is always enjoyable.
4 Church Puzzle
Another puzzle that's improved from the original game is the Church one. It's actually one of the classic game's best and takes more thought than most others. The remake topped it, though, with the complexity. Instead of making three circular images and combining them into one, they're already put together.
This can make the puzzle quite daunting at first, but you'll learn as you try to solve it. On a first run, this can take a while but feels very satisfying once you complete it and you're almost near to saving Ashley. It will be interesting to see if the reverse Church puzzle from Separate Ways gets brought back in its inevitable DLC.
3 Depraved Idol Puzzle
This is one of the few puzzles that echo the original game because it does have a two-step solution. However, that's only on the easier modes, and you're not likely to realize it on a first run. Hardcore mode starts with the pieces much more mixed up and turns it into an actual tile puzzle.
The second hardest one in the game, this can take a few minutes. You actually have to think and plan your movements here so that all the pieces will fit in their right place at once. It's a relief when you finally solve it, and you get the Depraved Idol treasure as a reward, which is one of the better ones to find in the village section.
2 Salazar Family Puzzle
The RE4 remake introduced side quests, and one of them, near the end of the castle section, requests you to return to Salazar's throne room and deface his portrait. You'll find plenty of goodies inside this room and even a cool Easter egg referencing the original. The problem is you might not know how to deface the portrait.
You might try stabbing it and blasting it with guns, but that's not the solution. The little clue here is one of the treasures you find throughout the room, and that's the golden egg. You must use any type of egg to deface the portrait, which is pretty clever. This is probably the most unique side quest throughout the whole title.
1 Electronic Terminal Puzzle
The island section brings the hardest set of puzzles in the game, and that's the three electronic terminals. On easier modes, these are challenging enough, but Hardcore mode takes it to 11. These are wire-connecting puzzles, and Hardcore mode doesn't solely make them more complex, but significantly more so.
You have to actually think here, as trying to brute force it will take forever. Out of every puzzle in the game, these will take the longest, even more so than the Depraved Idol one. You'll have to try out tons of combinations, but it feels amazing once you solve it. That feeling you simply can't get out of any puzzles in the original game, and that's how much of a step up the remake's puzzles are.