Capcom’s remake of Resident Evil 4 is finally out, and it’s fantastic (read about why in our review here). It features some interesting changes and new additions, sure to keep Resident Evil 4 fans on their toes, and plenty of returning things. Whether you’re new to this game or someone that’s played it a dozen times, here are 13 tips and tricks we think every Resident Evil 4 player should know heading into this remake.
Shoot Projectiles
Throughout your journey through the quaint and totally not dangerous at all Spanish country, you’ll encounter hundreds of enemies. Many will utilize standard melee attacks and grabs to stop you, but almost just as many will have projectiles. Enemies can throw axes, torches that light you on fire, Molotov cocktails, dynamite, and more. You’ll want to avoid getting hit by these projectiles (you can parry the axes!), and one way to do that is to kill the enemy before they throw them.
However, that requires some speed, and if you don’t have time to do that, shoot the projectile. In the case of Molotov cocktails and dynamite, doing this can cause an instant explosion, damaging the projectile thrower and potentially other enemies around them.
Complete Every Request (So You Can Buy Must-Have Items)
New to this remake of Resident Evil 4 are requests, which are blue papers typically stuck to walls throughout the game. Collect one to begin the request. They are usually quick and easy – you’ll find a few that task you with killing a handful of rats in a specific area, usually nearby, or others that ask you to shoot down hanging blue medallions, for example. You should complete every one you find because doing so rewards you with special pink jewels called Spindels. You’ll find some of these throughout the game, but the majority will be collected through requests. These are important because you can trade them to the mysterious Merchant for special items.
Here, you can trade Spindels for two extremely important items: Location Maps and Upgrade Tickets (amongst other things). Location maps are, in my opinion, must-buy items, and they only cost five Spindels. They reveal everything on the map – treasures, blue medallions, items you didn’t pick up, and more. Buy them when you can! Upgrade Tickets cost a lot of Spindels, but they’re worth it because they allow you to apply an exclusive upgrade to a weapon early.
In order to purchase this exclusive upgrade, you need to upgrade every other feature of a weapon. But with the Upgrade Ticket, you can get that exclusive upgrade early, giving you, for example, a 1.5x power boost to your pistol or shotgun.
If You Can’t Find A Treasure, Look Up (And Listen, Too)
If you’ve followed our advice on the above tip, then you might find yourself searching for a treasure marked on your map. And sometimes, you’ll be right on the icon for the treasure on your map but see nothing resembling treasure around you. That’s because it’s likely hanging above you. Listen, and if you hear the sound of metal swinging, that’s your cue to look up. You should spot something that resembles a metal lamp hanging above – shoot it down to reveal the treasure inside.
Learn To Parry (And Evade) As Soon As Possible
For the most part, this remake of Resident Evil 4 is void of the quick-time events from the original game. However, there are button prompts you’ll need to press quickly in combat scenarios. With Leon’s knife or any other knife, like the boot knives scattered about, you can parry any melee attack. You can also hold L1/LB to simply block an attack. But if you press L1/LB right before the enemy’s attack lands, Leon will parry it, which stuns the enemy and leaves them open for a melee attack (read: roundhouse kick) or a takedown kill if you can get behind them quickly enough.
We recommend learning the timing of this parry as soon as possible, and you should practice learning this parry timing on the game’s earlier enemies. The same goes for evade. Certain attacks will prompt Leon to evade, and you’ll need to press Circle/B quickly to execute it correctly. Fortunately, the game tells you exactly when to evade or parry on-screen, so this should make learning the timing of these defensive moves easier.
Don’t Ignore The Shooting Range
The shooting range in this remake is a little different from that of the original game. A handful of times throughout Resident Evil 4, you’ll see an elevator behind the Merchant. Head inside, and it takes you to the shooting range. Here, the Merchant has created unique shooting range minigames for you to complete.
Aim for the highest score by killing every pirate cutout down the range, and be sure not to shoot any sailors or you’ll lose 500 points. Also, if you see a pirate cutout with a silver skull token on it, aim directly for the token for a 300-point bonus. You’ll need to do all this to get the highly coveted S rank. Completing these objectives nets you silver and gold tokens, which can be used in the machine by the elevator.
Like those toy dispensers at your Steak n Shake that nobody probably uses, the Merchant’s dispenser will reward you with special ornaments that can be hung on your Attache Case. You can hang up to three, and each ornament gives you a special bonus, like ammo crafting boosts, knife repair discounts, and more. Using gold tokens in the dispenser increases your chances of getting rarer ornaments, so you’ll want to strive to complete the gold token objectives in the shooting range.
Try Stealth
Something new in this remake of Resident Evil 4 is that Leon can now stealth his way behind enemies and, using his knife, kill them instantly. Many of the combat encounters in this game simply don’t give you the room for that, as you’ll be amidst a dozen or so enemies intent on killing you. However, if you realize enemies don’t know you’re there, crouch with Circle/B and try to get the jump on them. I especially like to find the high-up crossbow users who will be annoying to deal with while fighting others and take them out stealthily. It’s an easy way to kill an enemy, and it’s quiet. Give it a go!
Use Flash Grenades
Flash grenades are very important in Resident Evil 4. Not only do they stun regular enemies, lining them up for a quick and easy stealth kill or a roundhouse kick melee stun, but they also instantly kill any enemy who has transformed into their Las Plagas-version. Sometimes after killing an enemy, or sometimes even before, the enemy’s head will burst open, and a disgustingly gory tentacle arm eyeball thing will shoot out of their neck.
These variants of enemies are tough to take down and deal a lot of damage. Sure, you can waste four precious shotgun shells on them, or you can just toss a flash grenade their way, which will instantly kill them. Now, it’s important to note that flash grenades aren’t super abundant in the game (although you can craft more), so we recommend using them on groups of two or more of these special enemies if you can help it.
Don’t Use Herbs Before Combining Them
As you collect green (restore health), red (boost the effects of other herbs), and yellow herbs (increase maximum health), you might find yourself tempted to use them to heal in tense situations. That’s totally okay and understandable, but if you can help it, maybe use that First Aid Spray you’ve been holding onto instead.
That’s because herbs in Resident Evil 4 are significantly more potent when combined. Ideally, you hold onto herbs until you can create concoctions that restore three times the health as a standalone green herb while also raising your maximum health or something like that. Use the herbs standalone if you have to, but try and combine them when you can.
Save Your Jewels If You Can Help It
Throughout Resident Evil 4, you’ll find yourself collecting various jewels and treasures. You’ll find some treasures, like chalices and tiaras, that have empty slots. You can place jewels in these slots to increase the selling price (to the Merchant) for these items with a special boost. And even better, if you can embed same-color jewels into the slots, you’ll get an additional special boost on top of the selling price (there's bonuses for different color jewels as well).
For example, if you have a tiara with four jewel slots, aim to embed four of the same color jewel into these slots to maximize the selling price. This is a great way to maximize your profits throughout the game, which in turn makes it so that you can unlock as many upgrades as possible through the Merchant. Of course, in a pinch, sell a jewel or two, but ideally, hold onto them until you can embed them into a treasure for that special bonus.
Critical Hits Are Tricky But Worth It
Sometimes, critical hits happen on their own, as is the nature of critical hits. It’s why you should always aim for the head of most enemies. But there’s a way to increase your chances of getting one. When aiming, your reticle will be slightly wide, but it’s effective enough to nail shots.
However, wait a few seconds without moving your aim, and the reticle will zoom in just a bit. If you move too much, the reticle will zoom back out, but if you shoot an enemy while the reticle is zoomed in, your chances of landing a critical hit go way up. This is hard to pull off when fighting multiple enemies, but if you’ve got the jump on a few and want to take one out quickly, give this reticle zoom tactic a try.
Finish Your Enemies Off With A Killing Blow
The best way to know that an enemy is down for good is that they’ll drop an item for you to pick up, indicated by a faint yellow, red, green, or blue light that shoots up out of their body on the ground. If you see that, you’re safe – that enemy is completely dead. But if you don’t see that, that enemy is either going to get back up or transform into a deadlier Las Plagas creature.
This is why it’s important to fully kill every enemy. Sometimes, after an enemy goes down, they’ll begin to writhe on the ground – if you see this, quickly run up to them and press R2/RT to stab a knife into their throat. What you’ve just done is prevent them from transforming into a deadlier variant of an enemy. Yay, Leon!
Shoot Crows
This one’s simple but useful throughout your time in Resident Evil 4. If you see a crow, shoot it. It will usually drop around 300 Pesetas. Do this throughout the game, and you’ll have collected thousands of Pesetas, making upgrading Leon’s kit even easier. You’ll know crows are nearby because you can hear them. Be careful, though, because you can scare them off with too much movement or if you get too close.
Upgrade Any Weapons You Want
There are all kinds of weapons in Resident Evil 4 and as you play through the game, you'll find different versions of pistols, shotguns, and more. You might be wary of upgrading some of your starting weapons, especially if you're aware that more powerful ones can be obtained or purchased later. But don't be! If you upgrade a weapon and then sell it to the Merchant, they will give you money for the weapon and for the upgrades you put into it. Because of this, you should upgrade whatever weapons you want freely, and when you're ready to part ways with a weapon, you'll get the money you spent on an upgrade back. We haven't determined yet if it's a one-to-one return on your upgrade investment, but it feels pretty close!
What Resident Evil 4 tips and tricks do you have? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: Game Informer
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