If you’ve played through the game, you’ll have surely noticed that Jack Krauser, Leon’s former-ally-turned-foe, is pretty darn handy with a knife. He’s an agent experienced with all manner of firearms and other weapons, but the simple knife seems to be his favorite. The game’s trying to tell you something here. In the later stages of the game, you’ll engage in a super-dramatic boss battle with Krauser. When he breaks out his trump card, that absurd, mutated, blade-like extend-o-claw of his, you wouldn’t think of falling back on your own knife, but you’d be surprised how very effective it is on him, staggering him and dealing huge damage. It’s tough to pull off, with his range and the cramped area on top of the tower working against you, but you’ll put him down in seconds this way.

  Another thing that  Resident Evil 4  players have surely noticed is that rocket launchers are incredibly effective. You just point the boom-y end at who/whatever you want to take out, and they explode out of existence. They’re in very short supply and don’t come cheap, though, so you’ve got to use them very sparingly (outside of the unlockable one with infinite ammo, naturally). To get the best bang from your buck out of that single shot, you’ll want to save it until your late-game encounter with Verdugo, Salazar’s infamous “right hand man.” Near the end of the castle segment, this lightning-fast and nigh-invulnerable beast attacks you in an area littered with cans of liquid nitrogen. Simply “use” one of the cans when the creature is in range to temporarily freeze it in place. While it’s immobilized, a single hit with the rocket launcher will defeat it.

  When you first gained access to  Resident Evil 4 ’s shooting gallery minigame, you might have wandered in, tried out a round or two, then decided it was more trouble than it was worth and left. It can be a bit of a slog, after all, and the bottlecap figurines you can collect won’t mean much to anyone other than completionists. However, it’s worth sticking with, especially in a new game run when you want to pump every upgrade you can into your favorite weapons. In the menu, you’ll notice that the bottlecap figures you collect are displayed in rows. You’re rewarded a nice cash reward for every row you complete, and while it’s not a huge amount, it’s certainly worth the free money once a playthrough. If you’re a good shot and always go for the bonus Salazar targets, it won’t take long at all!

  The Mercenaries is a bonus mode within the game, an arcade affair that sees you dispatching waves of enemies across familiar  Resident Evil 4  locales (and one that isn’t) for high scores. Each stage is inhabited by a miniboss exclusive to that area, all of whom are very dangerous and can end your run in a flash if you aren’t careful. You probably know that Krauser can one-shot any of them with a simple use of his arm transformation attack. However, you may not be aware that HUNK can do the same thing to the Bella Sisters, the minibosses in the village. All you have to do is stun them with a headshot or flash grenade, then run up and perform your Neckbreaker melee attack. They’re the only miniboss this trick works on, so it’s very niche, but it sure is satisfying!

  So, yes. We’ve already seen that Leon’s humble combat knife really does a number on Krauser. Experienced players will also be aware of the simple, yet effective, handgun shot, melee, knife-knife-knife technique carries you surprisingly far through the game. Only true experts, however, know how to really utilize this to its fullest. Enemy attacks tend to be very telegraphed, meaning that you can easily dodge, dash in to knife them, dodge out again and repeat. It’s absolutely not practical in terms of damage, but you can stagger foes, cause them to drop their weapons and just defeat them outright with this technique most of the time, if you’re patient

In games that take themselves super-seriously sometimes, with their gore, adult content and  nonsensical plotlines,  it’s fun to unlock a costume that’s just a little out there. Leon’s 1930s gangster outfit, complete with fedora? You’d better believe we’re down with that. As a bonus, choosing this costume when starting a new playthrough will also outfit Ashley in a suit of armor. Not only does this look similarly ridiculous, but it also serves a practical purpose in the game! In her armor, Ashley is completely impervious to just about all damage, and she’s too heavy for enemies to carry away. The best part? They still try to do so, which treats the player to a comical animation where they buckle under her weight and drop her. True experts know how to utilize this invincible Ashley as bait to prevent Leon being swarmed.

  Well, yes, this one is a bit of a cheat. You see, the Las Plagas removal laser you can unlock as a weapon is strictly non-canon. That machine Leon and Ashley use to remove their parasites during the game’s climax? This tech is just a little more sophisticated than that. Completing the game on Professional mode grants the player the P.R.L. 412 for subsequent playthroughs on that save file.  It’s a very sci-fi looking weapon  that fires beams of light, in quick bursts or concentrated charged shots. It’s capable of one-shotting just about everything in the game and boasts unlimited ammo (watch its charge level, though).