The Resident Evil 4 remake is finally here and we can say it’s very pleasing. Although it has been revised many times by Capcom in recent years, Shinji Mikami’s masterpiece is now offered in its best light: more than a visual overhaul of current standards, the game is teeming with more or less substantial changes that enhance the experience. It also means that we will have to pay attention to some new parameters as we approach the game.
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Neglecting the blade and counters
Handling your knives properly is essential in this episode and we highly recommend practicing the new counter mechanics. Specifically, any attack that should not be evaded by a QTE can be countered. The timing is quite tricky at times and it’s even harder in pro mode, but these perks in combat are so monstrous that it would be wrong to deprive yourself. Also don’t forget to improve the resistance of your most powerful blade every time you visit the merchant: without a blade it is impossible to perform stealth attacks or fend off enemies easily.
Leaving estimates and requests aside
Every time you are about to change sectors, the trader will warn you: settle all your affairs before proceeding with the scenario. This is a sign that the following chapters will keep you from going back. Open your map, buy the treasure map of the spinel area if possible, then go back and find anything you may have missed in the area. Everything is indicated, from the closed drawer to the smallest object left out. Clearing areas and collecting a lot of money is one of your main long-term goals, so make that little cleanup a priority.
Do not dose the shooting range
The shooting gallery is back and more fun than ever in the remake. Introduced in Chapter 3, it offers a series of 3 events that expand as you progress in Leon’s mission. Each major sector of the game has a special elevator with new challenges (except the last one). Earning tokens gives you the chance to walk away with lucky charms that act as passive stat bonuses. This is a complete extra axis of progress, so it would be a shame not to spend time on it.
Spend your spinels carefree
Completing requests will collect you a nice little bundle of spinels, but beware, this means it’s a limited resource per run, and so you’ll need to spend them wisely in the merchant’s special stash. Your main goal will first be to target the special upgrade tickets, which unlocks the hidden potential of each weapon and develops them to their maximum stats without spending a single peseta. Be careful not to give in to anything, it would be a shame to crush this currency in powder form for crafts or certain weapons that are not necessarily very interesting.
Busy running
It would be a real shame! After completing the game for the first time, you will unlock a very generous New Game Plus, as well as the new professional difficulty, particularly tricky and offers an “old school” game experience. You’ll need to prepare if you’re planning to dose Mercenaries mode, which is set to release on April 7, and completing the list of 200 in-game challenges is a great way to train effectively. In addition to a satisfactory base life, RE4 Remake pays off for replayability with little onions, so you might as well take advantage of it.
