Resident Evil 2 Remake Guide - Essential Tips For Playing The Game

by Goran Damnjanovic, Gaming Columnist

Published in Gaming on 5th February, 2019

Check out these useful tips that won't make you Resident Evil 2 Remake expert but will definitely make the game easier to play.

Resident Evil 2 Remake launched last week and the game is amazing. Capcom managed to perfectly mix old and new and give us potentially the best Resident Evil game of all times (it's debatable whether or not this one is better than Resi IV) and the best remake of all times (this isn't debatable, this remake rules).

best rts games

Excellent gameplay combined with a fresh reimagining of classic locations such as the famous Raccoon City Police Station proved to be the winning formula that will surely put Resident Evil 2 Remake in the run for the best game of 2019. The perfect blend of classic and modern elements is even further improved by the game's excellent pacing and balanced difficulty.

Despite the game's many strengths, first-timers can be a bit overwhelmed with the whole hardcore survival thing, bullet sponge zombies, labyrinthine hallway networks, and the unstoppable Mr. X who will be your worst nightmare for the better part of the game. If you want to get in the know about Resident Evil 2 Remake and find out how to be better at the game read on our guide and discover a bunch of helpful tips that will surely make the journey easier and, more importantly, less stressful.

You can shoot off zombies limbs, use that

For the most situations it is recommended to go for headshots but sometimes that's not the case. We found out through our journey that specific zombies simply cannot be killed, especially those placed in environments that are to be visited on a regular basis.

For instance, the main hallway in the police station that connects the main hall and reception with the offices, or the part in Sewers that is a sort of hub for the whole area. They are filled with the undead that are really undead; they will be left alive even if you shoot half a dozen shotgun slugs in them, so it's better to simply take out your 9mm pistol, aim at their legs (or arms, it's up to you) and blast them off.

This way they will either become practically immobile (in case you blow off their legs) and won't be able to chase you (they will be able to bite you if you walk over them but their range will be severely shorter while crawling without legs) or they won't be able to lunge at you and open doors (in case you take off their arms).

We found that shooting legs off (remember to always aim at their knees and elbows) zombies is the better tactic of the two. Of course, if you have lots of spare ammo, just blow all their limbs off and they will become completely harmless.

Shot corpses in the head to check whether they are actually dead or not

While the game is filled with walking zombies that start attacking you as soon as you enter a room, it is also littered with dead bodies that lay down still while you explore rooms and corridors. But, since this is a zombie game, some of those corpses will bite you if you go near them.

If you really need to walk next to a corpse, shoot their head once (always with your basic weapon, don't spend more valuable ammo for this) in order to make sure they are dead.

best rts games

They will either stay dead or will start getting up, giving you time to kill them before becoming a real threat. This is way better than simply walking next to them and getting bitten, losing health and still spending ammo on killing those fake dead people. And it can be pretty scary too, so we suggest everyone to shoot at corpses before walking next to them.

Make sure to have at least three empty inventory slots before going out to explore, and a couple of other inventory tips

Resident Evil 2 Remake, like all good survival horror games, is all about juggling your inventory. Right until the final act of the game you won't have enough inventory space, especially during exploration of new areas. So, after you arrive at a safe room and before you save and go out again, place a couple of items in your stash before going out, especially if you plan on exploring new rooms.

It's best to stash items that have to be combined with other items (like red herbs, or gunpowder), healing items (one or two healing items in your inventory is more than enough to last you until the next visit to the safe room), or sub-weapons. You can also stash key items if you know you won't use them for this trip. And also, you don't have to carry all weapons around with you.

Whatever you leave, just make sure you have at least three empty slots in your inventory because we had numerous situations where we had to either spend an item or discard it in order to pick up something we found during exploration. And if you have to discard something the best candidates are used knives, wooden planks for reinforcing windows, flash grenades (only if you have a single grenade in your inventory), and 9mm ammo (only if you have less than half a dozen of bullets or so). But whatever you do, do not discard healing items, they are super important.

Next, make sure to combine items as soon as you can. For instance, if you carry around gunpowder and you find another one, make some ammo right on the spot. It will make room for other items, and gunpowder simply isn't valuable enough to be carried around. The same goes with herbs; as soon as you find another one just combine it with the one you have in your inventory (if you have some).

Leon's 9mm gun can be upgraded in order to shoot up to three shots with one pull of the trigger. That isn't really helpful. It usually leads to you wasting a bullet or two each time you shoot the gun and also, after you upgrade it the gun take two inventory slots instead of one. So, while it sure has advantages (for instance, three quick headshots can kill some zombies before they reach and grab you) it takes precious inventory space so we think it is better to simply stash the upgrade and don't use it.

Don't use healing items until you're in the red

Okay, this might lead to some unnecessary deaths but can make you save a ton of healing items. Instead of healing up as soon as you get bitten, simply wait to get bitten a couple times more (it will definitely happen sooner or later) and only then use healing items. The good thing is that the game automatically pauses as soon as you open inventory meaning that the enemy who wounded you won't have time to bite you again and kill you before you heal.

best rts games

Now, this rule has some exceptions. First, do not follow when you are in orange and have to move through lots of zombies, just heal before facing them. The same goes for areas with zombie dogs, just heal before facing those. Boss fights are okay because there's just one enemy meaning you can go into red, enter inventory and heal without fearing that another zombie might bite you before the one that's holding you lets you go (this happened to us a couple of times so we started healing before venturing into areas populated with lots of zombies).

Make sure to have two sub-weapons at all times

Knife and grenades are extremely helpful because they can be used to prevent enemies from damaging you. And because of this, it is best to carry at least two sub-weapons with you at all times (if you actually have them). Two flash or regular grenades is the best choice because they stack together and take just one inventory slot, unlike knives. But even having two inventory slots reserved for sub-weapons is better than being prone to attacks.

Explore every room until it turns blue

In Resident Evil 2 Remake rooms can either be colored red or blue. Red means there are still items to be found while blue means you already found all there's to find in that particular room. So make sure to color a room blue before leaving it. Now, sometimes a room (or a corridor) can stay red even when you find all items.

best rts games

This can happen in case there's some secret to unfold (for instance, when you have a mechanism that holds a hidden item left unsolved in a room) or if you haven't cracked open a safe or a locker. But if a room is barren of any mechanisms or if it doesn't have any safe or a locker, search it until it becomes blue.

The good this is that every item you found but didn't pick up will be visible on the map meaning that in case you didn't want to discard anything in order to pick up something you found you will know which items are left inside rooms that are explored but still colored red. And finally, try opening each door you stumble upon because the game will show on the map which keys are needed for opening certain doors, which is also quite handy.

Examine every new item you pick up

Resident Evil 2 Remake is filled with strange items that look like they cannot be used for anything, but those usually hide something within that may unlock a crucial upgrade or offer means to advance the game. So, as soon as you pick up any peculiar item simply click on it and then press the "examine" button.

Rotate the item, zoom in and try finding a secret button or a handle. Once you find it a button prompt will be shown so you'll know when you find one. This can lead to exciting discovery, like finding an item needed for unlocking a cool new weapon and sometimes it can even give you a piece needed to progress further into the game.

best rts games

Also, do not forget that items can be combined one with another, which is required in order to solve some puzzles. If you cannot find a puzzle solution and you already examined all key items you have, place them all up in your inventory and try combining them, one by one.

Save as soon as you see a typewriter

Resident Evil 2 Remake is a great game but its checkpoint save system is broken. Okay, maybe it isn't broken, maybe developers expected for players to save whenever they could so we recommend for all of you to follow this rule. As soon as you see a typewriter in your vicinity save the game. The final score doesn't take account the number of saves so feel free to go wild with manual saves.

In case you don't do it the game won't save for you. Checkpoint saves activate only during important moments during the game meaning it can take up to one hour before the game saves the progress for you so make sure to save all of the time.

Write down safe and lock combinations

Resident Evil 2 Remake has great replay potential. In order to see the game's true ending, you have to play both as Leon and Claire which means your second playthrough will be filled with same moments and environments.

And while puzzle solutions are different, safe and lock combinations aren't so during your first playthrough make sure to have a pen and a paper near you and write down all safe and lock combinations so when you fire up the second campaign you will be able to unlock all of them as soon as you discover them, instead roaming the area in search for the solution.

Further, having a pen and a paper is also handy because most puzzle solutions in the second part of the game require writing down hints which are scattered through the map. This is something we don't see often in modern games (especially modern AAA mainstream titles which Resident Evil 2 Remake definitely is) and we applaud Capcom for making us feel like kids during the '90s when every good game asked for a notepad and a pen for writing down various hints needed for completing it.

A couple of tips on dealing with Mr. X

Unlike the original, which had Mr. X chasing you during the second run, in Resident Evil 2 Remake you will stumble upon him quite early in the game. Mr. X cannot be killed and cannot be stopped; he follows you wherever you go and he has just one goal - killing you. So, once you stumble upon him and once he starts following you around like some huge bloodthirsty dog around the police station you have a couple of tactics to deal with him.

best rts games

Firstly, don't waste ammo on Mr. X. In most cases, you can simply run away and only shoot bullets in case you're cornered. In that case, we recommend shooting him in the head with a shotgun or Magnum or throwing a grenade at him (both flash and regular are good so use flash because it is less valuable) to stun him and get away. Next, once he discovers you open the map right when you see him and plan an escape route.

The best course of action is selecting a route that leads to a safe room because he cannot follow you there, with one exception. Police station main hall isn't safe; he will follow you there so forget about it being a safe space. And once you reach safe room, make sure to stay in it until his steps fade away.

Next, wear headphones and turn on Binaural Audio option, which is basically a simulated surround audio effect. This is great because with a pair of quality cans you can hear enemies before you meet them and Mr. X has especially loud and thumping steps meaning you'll hear him before you see him and with surround sound turned on you will be able to locate the direction from where he's coming. This way you'll know where not to go and how to avoid this hulking bioengineered brute.

And while waiting in a safe room for him to leave listen to his steps and figure out the direction he's headed and then go the opposite way. That way he'll need more time to locate you again.

And finally, a tip on how to avoid dealing with Mr. X during the second playthrough, at least while you're exploring the police station. But first, spoiler warning; if you don't want to know anything about the second run do not read anything written below.

Okay, now that we settled this, let's begin. The second run places you at the back of the police station with your goal being the same as the first time. But with one huge difference. You see, if you're not careful you can stumble upon Mr. X right at the beginning. Remember that he appears after you leave S.T.A.R.S office, and you can visit the office right away because you can get the red valve during the first ten minutes of the game.

best rts games

So, use the valve and shut down steam but do not visit S.T.A.R.S office. You can visit the office later after you explored the station and picked up all items. If you visit it right away, Mr. X will start chasing you as soon as you close the office doors and that will be highly stressful, believe us. And really, the weapon that's kept there (the magnum for Leon or submachine gun for Claire) isn't really needed during the police station part of the game.

Okay, that was pretty much all. Remember to play the game with headphones on and with lights out. Oh, and one handy bonus for the end. The game offers aim assist along with another option called Reticle Deceleration that's placed right below the Aim Assist option.

While aim assist isn't necessary reticle deceleration is great when playing with a controller because it slows down the aiming reticle once it is over a target. This can make you much more precise and we advise everyone to turn it on. Okay, now that you got equipped with all these helpful tips, go and shoot some zombies because Resident Evil 2 Remake is the best survival horror in years!

Choose A Free Gift Card From Our Prizes Section


free PSN codes
free PayPal money
free Steam Wallet codes
free Bitcoin
free Google Play codes
free Minecraft gift codes
free Robux
free V-Bucks
free iTunes gift card
free Amazon gift card codes
free XBOX Live Gold codes
free Clash of Clans gems
free Nintendo eShop codes
free Star Stable Lifetime Membership codes
free PS Plus codes
free Netflix codes
free Apple gift card
free IMVU credits