Resident Evil 4 Remake: 13 Tips And Tricks To Know Before Jumping In

Capcom’s remake of Resident Evil 4 is finally out, and it’s fantastic (read about why in our review here). There are many returning items and interesting new additions that will keep Resident Evil 4 gamers interested. 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.

Use projectiles

Throughout your journey through the quaint and totally not dangerous at all Spanish country, you’ll encounter hundreds of enemies. You will encounter many people who will attempt to get you killed with standard melee attack and grabs, as well as those that have projectiles. Torches that set you on fire or throw axes at you, Molotov cocktails, Dynamite and other weapons are all available to enemies. You’ll want to avoid getting hit by these projectiles (you can parry the axes!You can do this by killing the enemy before they launch them.

However, that requires some speed, and if you don’t have time to do that, shoot the projectile. This can be dangerous in the cases of dynamite and Molotov cocktails. It will cause an explosion that could damage the projectile thrower as well as other enemy targets. 

Please complete every request (in order to purchase must-have items).

Resident Evil 4’s remake includes requests. These are the blue paper that is usually stuck to walls in Resident Evil 4. To start the request, collect one. 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. Each one should be completed as you will receive special Spindels, which are pink jewels that reward you for completing them. You’ll find some of these throughout the game, but the majority will be collected through requests. They are useful because they can be traded to the Merchant for unique items.

This is where you can trade Spindels to get two very important items, Location Maps or Upgrade Tickets. They only cost five Spindels and are a must-have item. They reveal everything on the map – treasures, blue medallions, items you didn’t pick up, and more. Get them while you still 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.

To purchase the exclusive upgrade you must upgrade all other features of your weapon. The Upgrade Ticket allows you to get this exclusive upgrade earlier, such as a 1.5x power increase for your shotgun or pistol. 

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. 

It is important to learn how 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. Evade can be done in the same way. Certain attacks will prompt Leon to evade, and you’ll need to press Circle/B quickly to execute it correctly. You can see exactly what time to dodge or counterattack on the screen, making it easier for you to learn the timing and execution of defensive moves. 

Don’t Ignore The Shooting Range

Remakes have a different shooting range to the original. A handful of times throughout Resident Evil 4, you’ll see an elevator behind the Merchant. You will find the shooting range by going inside. The Merchant created minigames at the shooting range for you.

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. For a bonus 300 points, aim straight for any pirate cutout that has a token with the silver skull on it. You’ll need to do all this to get the highly coveted S rank. You will receive silver and golden tokens for completing these tasks. These tokens can then be used in an elevator’s machine.

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. 

Stealth!

Resident Evil 4: Leon is now able to stealthily maneuver behind enemy lines and use his knife to instantly kill them. 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. It is especially fun to stealthily take out high-up crossbow user who can be frustrating to work with, while also fighting other enemies. It’s an easy way to kill an enemy, and it’s quiet. It’s worth a try!

Use Flash Grenades

Resident Evil 4 is a game that requires flash grenades. Flash grenades are very important in Resident Evil 4. They not only stun regular enemies but also kill anyone who transforms into the 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 enemies can be difficult to kill and do significant damage. You can spend four shotgun shells against them or throw a flash bomb at them. This will kill them instantly. 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

If you have a lot of green herbs, you may feel compelled to put them in your hands to ease tension. 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. You should keep the herbs you have until you create combinations that can restore your health three times as much as one single green herb. Use the herbs standalone if you have to, but try and combine them when you can. 

Saving Your Jewels if You Can

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. These slots can be filled with jewels to boost the sale price of these items (to the Merchant). 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).

To maximize your selling price, you might try to place four identical color jewels in a tiara that has four slots. This will allow you to make the most of your game profits and enable you to unlock all the upgrades available through the Merchant. Although you may be tempted to sell one or two jewels, it’s best to hold on until they can be used in your treasure. 

Critical Hits Are Tricky But Worth It

Critical hits can sometimes happen by themselves, which is part of the beauty and 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.

If you don’t move your aim for a couple of seconds, the reticle zooms in slightly. You can move the reticle too fast and it will return out. But if your aim is set to zoom in while you are shooting an enemy, you have a better chance of landing a critical hit. 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. 

Use a Killing Blow to finish off your enemies

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!

Collect Crows

This one’s simple but useful throughout your time in Resident Evil 4. Shoot a crow if you spot it. It usually drops 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. However, be cautious not to scare them away with your movements or too close. 

Get any weapon upgraded

Resident Evil 4 offers many different weapons. You’ll discover new pistols and shotguns as you go along. If you are aware of the possibility of purchasing or upgrading more powerful weapons later, it is a good idea to avoid upgrading any of your starter weapons. But don’t be! The Merchant will accept money from you for any weapon you have upgraded and the improvements you made to it. This means that you can freely upgrade weapons and you can return the money spent on them. It feels close to a one-to-1 return on your investment in upgrades, although we haven’t yet determined.

Do you know any Resident Evil 4 tricks and tips? Comment below to let us know your Resident Evil 4 tips and tricks!