10 Hidden Secrets In Resident Evil 4 Remake
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VOICE OVER: Aaron Brown
WRITTEN BY: Aaron Brown
Capcom packed a lot of great secrets into the "Resident Evil 4" remake. For this list, we'll be looking at not only hidden details within the RE4 Remake but also callbacks to the original 2005 release fans have loved for almost 2 decades. Our list includes Glitchy Charm, Broken Bridges, King Leon, Sentimental Blade, and more!
Script written by Aaron Brown
Welcome to MojoPlays and today we’ve been infected by Resident Evil 4 as we uncover 10 hidden secrets within this latest remake of a beloved classic. For this list, we’ll be looking at not only hidden details within the RE4 Remake but also callbacks to the original 2005 release fans have loved for almost 2 decades. What was your favorite hidden detail in the latest Resident Evil remake? Are you hoping Capcom remakes RE5 or Code Veronica next? Let us know down in the comments.
Despite the clearly horrific events unfolding around him, and the mission becoming more difficult than he ever could have imagined, Leon never once loses his sense of style. From his bomber jacket to his tight t-shirt and ammo belt combo, Leon makes this look good. Along with outlandish unlockable costumes, looking at the romantic costume in particular, there’s one suit that comes with additional perks that any longtime fan of the entry will be familiar with. Specifically with the Chicago Sweeper but also with other weapons as well, when Leon reloads, he’ll make a show of it, showing off his swagger and style and letting the Ganandos and Zealots know that Tony Lazuto sends his regards.
Resident Evil 4 will always be one of the greatest games of all time but it wouldn’t have the legacy it has even today without its fans, in particular the speedrunning community and one of the most important glitches ever discovered in the game. Nicknamed the “Ditman Glitch” after its discoverer, using the Striker shotgun, if players open their inventory just as they aim and switch to another weapon, Leon’s pace will increase drastically. Capcom paid homage to this discovery with one of the unlockable charms Leon can equip to his attache case which will increase his movement speed by 8%, significantly increasing not only Leon’s overall speed but his dodge window as well.
Ramon Salazar is not only one of the most annoying antagonists in Resident Evil 4, he’s also one of the most difficult boss fights. His disgusting transformation and subsequent enormous health bar make taking him down one of the game’s most difficult challenges. However, there is a way to end this fight quicker than you might think. Once you’re able to down Ramon to get in a quick stab at his fleshy bits, instead of rushing in for the attack, throw a couple golden eggs at him and the fight will be over almost immediately. It’s a great workaround for one of the most challenging opponents in the game and a quick callback to one of the side quests that asks you to deface his portrait with an egg. There’s nothing more satisfying than leaving the tiny tyrant with egg on his face.
Arguably one of the most useful items in Leon’s inventory is his trusty knife. However, what you might not realize if you don’t examine the knife’s description is that players of the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2 are already familiar with this blade. Upon Leon’s arrival at the RPD, he’s given a knife by an injured Marvin Branagh and the knife’s description states he’s had it “since his time at the RPD”. This isn’t the only familiar weapon Leon will come across either. The Merchant has no shortage of new weapons for Leon’s arsenal but a couple of them are callbacks to not only other Capcom titles, but Leon’s namesake as well. One of the weapons Leon can acquire is the Killer7, named after another of original RE4 director’s Shinji Mikami’s works, as well as the Matilda, carrying the moniker of the little girl adopted by a hitman in Leon: The Professional.
While Resident Evil 4 isn’t without its own classic one liners that have made their way into the gaming hall of fame, they’re still nothing compared to some of the zingers the original Resident Evil classic threw out at players. Arguably one of the most famous lines is delivered by the godfather of witticism himself, Barry Burton. Before Jill heads off into Spencer Mansion, Barry sends her off with the classic “Master of Unlocking” quote and much like “Jill Sandwich”, the line has a legacy that continues almost 3 decades later in the Resident Evil 4 Remake. After boosting Ashley through an opening to unlock a door from the other side, Ashley will remark the famous line for all the Jill Valentine fanatics out there.
Admittedly this entry is less of a hidden secret and more of a hidden tactic, but we’re going to include it just to help anyone struggling in these sections. In Chapter 2, you’ll have to work your way around a maze-like area called the Valley to find the Hexagonal Emblem. This area is overflowing with Ganados that can easily overwhelm you but there is a trick to slow their numbers. In the middle of the Valley is a bridge supported by chains and if the bridge takes enough damage, it will collapse along with anyone unfortunate enough to still be standing on it and forcing those remaining to take the long way around. Later in Chapter 14, instead of fighting the Regenerator head on, Leon can make his way back to the bridge Ashley is holding open and will drop the monstrosity into the sludge below, saving Leon in the nick of time.
Although the Remake has been built from the ground up, the developers at Capcom still honored the original by including many of the same shortcuts present for long-time fans. Admittedly some of these are easier on New Game+, but considering the game wants you to replay it multiple times, many of these can be real time savers. In the opening Village, Leon can shoot the bell to end the fight early, you can skip both the dynamite and wrecking ball sections with the Rocket Launcher, and you can completely skip the Gallery Room by chucking a grenade prior to the zealot pulling the lever. The RPG also comes in handy during a couple of the game’s more difficult encounters as landing hits directly between the Garradors and the Giants can put an end to the battle almost instantly.
As we touched on earlier, the 2005 Resident Evil 4 leaned hard into its B-Movie tropes complete with over-the-top one liners delivered regularly by the man, the myth, the legend, Leon Kennedy. While the remake dialed down much of the classic cheesiness, the remake still pays homage to many of Leon’s best quips and one liners in the trophies players can unlock throughout their playthrough. After defeating Menedez and Ramon respectively, their trophies are direct callbacks to lines in the original in which Luis quips that Menedez is the “Big Cheese”, hence the trophy “Grilled Big Cheese” upon his defeat, and Ramon’s “No Thanks, Bro'' is a direct quote from Leon upon meeting Ramon in 2005. Another trophy callback, “Wave Goodbye, Right Hand” after beating Verdugo, is a throwback to Leon’s line questioning Ramon’s ability to remove his right hand.
Some things from the original 2005 game are just too iconic to change and thankfully the developers of the remake understood this all too well. Late in the game, Leon will find Ramon’s elaborate throne room and be given the chance to recreate one of the 2005 original’s most iconic moments. By interacting with the throne, Leon will sit and pose much in the same vein as Dracula in Castlevania Symphony of the Night’s infamous “What is a Man” speech, albeit with more than a couple chickens puttering around. The game will then remind Leon and the player they have more important matters to attend to but the image is just as iconic in the remake as it was almost two decades ago.
Leon and Ashley’s escape from the exploding island at the game’s conclusion is undoubtedly one of the title’s most high octane set pieces but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun while trying to survive the impending blast. While navigating the cave system, Leon’s jet ski will routinely catch some major air by ramping up some fallen debris. If players press the interact button while in mid-air, Leon will perform a variety of tricks, much to Ashley’s delight. While you’re not rewarded for your acrobatics, it’s still a fun Easter Egg and a great sendoff to one of the greatest escape sequences this side of Halo.
Welcome to MojoPlays and today we’ve been infected by Resident Evil 4 as we uncover 10 hidden secrets within this latest remake of a beloved classic. For this list, we’ll be looking at not only hidden details within the RE4 Remake but also callbacks to the original 2005 release fans have loved for almost 2 decades. What was your favorite hidden detail in the latest Resident Evil remake? Are you hoping Capcom remakes RE5 or Code Veronica next? Let us know down in the comments.
Stylish Reloader
Despite the clearly horrific events unfolding around him, and the mission becoming more difficult than he ever could have imagined, Leon never once loses his sense of style. From his bomber jacket to his tight t-shirt and ammo belt combo, Leon makes this look good. Along with outlandish unlockable costumes, looking at the romantic costume in particular, there’s one suit that comes with additional perks that any longtime fan of the entry will be familiar with. Specifically with the Chicago Sweeper but also with other weapons as well, when Leon reloads, he’ll make a show of it, showing off his swagger and style and letting the Ganandos and Zealots know that Tony Lazuto sends his regards.
Glitchy Charm
Resident Evil 4 will always be one of the greatest games of all time but it wouldn’t have the legacy it has even today without its fans, in particular the speedrunning community and one of the most important glitches ever discovered in the game. Nicknamed the “Ditman Glitch” after its discoverer, using the Striker shotgun, if players open their inventory just as they aim and switch to another weapon, Leon’s pace will increase drastically. Capcom paid homage to this discovery with one of the unlockable charms Leon can equip to his attache case which will increase his movement speed by 8%, significantly increasing not only Leon’s overall speed but his dodge window as well.
A Golden Trick
Ramon Salazar is not only one of the most annoying antagonists in Resident Evil 4, he’s also one of the most difficult boss fights. His disgusting transformation and subsequent enormous health bar make taking him down one of the game’s most difficult challenges. However, there is a way to end this fight quicker than you might think. Once you’re able to down Ramon to get in a quick stab at his fleshy bits, instead of rushing in for the attack, throw a couple golden eggs at him and the fight will be over almost immediately. It’s a great workaround for one of the most challenging opponents in the game and a quick callback to one of the side quests that asks you to deface his portrait with an egg. There’s nothing more satisfying than leaving the tiny tyrant with egg on his face.
Sentimental Blade
Arguably one of the most useful items in Leon’s inventory is his trusty knife. However, what you might not realize if you don’t examine the knife’s description is that players of the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2 are already familiar with this blade. Upon Leon’s arrival at the RPD, he’s given a knife by an injured Marvin Branagh and the knife’s description states he’s had it “since his time at the RPD”. This isn’t the only familiar weapon Leon will come across either. The Merchant has no shortage of new weapons for Leon’s arsenal but a couple of them are callbacks to not only other Capcom titles, but Leon’s namesake as well. One of the weapons Leon can acquire is the Killer7, named after another of original RE4 director’s Shinji Mikami’s works, as well as the Matilda, carrying the moniker of the little girl adopted by a hitman in Leon: The Professional.
Master of Unlocking
While Resident Evil 4 isn’t without its own classic one liners that have made their way into the gaming hall of fame, they’re still nothing compared to some of the zingers the original Resident Evil classic threw out at players. Arguably one of the most famous lines is delivered by the godfather of witticism himself, Barry Burton. Before Jill heads off into Spencer Mansion, Barry sends her off with the classic “Master of Unlocking” quote and much like “Jill Sandwich”, the line has a legacy that continues almost 3 decades later in the Resident Evil 4 Remake. After boosting Ashley through an opening to unlock a door from the other side, Ashley will remark the famous line for all the Jill Valentine fanatics out there.
Broken Bridges
Admittedly this entry is less of a hidden secret and more of a hidden tactic, but we’re going to include it just to help anyone struggling in these sections. In Chapter 2, you’ll have to work your way around a maze-like area called the Valley to find the Hexagonal Emblem. This area is overflowing with Ganados that can easily overwhelm you but there is a trick to slow their numbers. In the middle of the Valley is a bridge supported by chains and if the bridge takes enough damage, it will collapse along with anyone unfortunate enough to still be standing on it and forcing those remaining to take the long way around. Later in Chapter 14, instead of fighting the Regenerator head on, Leon can make his way back to the bridge Ashley is holding open and will drop the monstrosity into the sludge below, saving Leon in the nick of time.
Shortcuts
Although the Remake has been built from the ground up, the developers at Capcom still honored the original by including many of the same shortcuts present for long-time fans. Admittedly some of these are easier on New Game+, but considering the game wants you to replay it multiple times, many of these can be real time savers. In the opening Village, Leon can shoot the bell to end the fight early, you can skip both the dynamite and wrecking ball sections with the Rocket Launcher, and you can completely skip the Gallery Room by chucking a grenade prior to the zealot pulling the lever. The RPG also comes in handy during a couple of the game’s more difficult encounters as landing hits directly between the Garradors and the Giants can put an end to the battle almost instantly.
Classic Trophies
As we touched on earlier, the 2005 Resident Evil 4 leaned hard into its B-Movie tropes complete with over-the-top one liners delivered regularly by the man, the myth, the legend, Leon Kennedy. While the remake dialed down much of the classic cheesiness, the remake still pays homage to many of Leon’s best quips and one liners in the trophies players can unlock throughout their playthrough. After defeating Menedez and Ramon respectively, their trophies are direct callbacks to lines in the original in which Luis quips that Menedez is the “Big Cheese”, hence the trophy “Grilled Big Cheese” upon his defeat, and Ramon’s “No Thanks, Bro'' is a direct quote from Leon upon meeting Ramon in 2005. Another trophy callback, “Wave Goodbye, Right Hand” after beating Verdugo, is a throwback to Leon’s line questioning Ramon’s ability to remove his right hand.
King Leon
Some things from the original 2005 game are just too iconic to change and thankfully the developers of the remake understood this all too well. Late in the game, Leon will find Ramon’s elaborate throne room and be given the chance to recreate one of the 2005 original’s most iconic moments. By interacting with the throne, Leon will sit and pose much in the same vein as Dracula in Castlevania Symphony of the Night’s infamous “What is a Man” speech, albeit with more than a couple chickens puttering around. The game will then remind Leon and the player they have more important matters to attend to but the image is just as iconic in the remake as it was almost two decades ago.
Wave Racer
Leon and Ashley’s escape from the exploding island at the game’s conclusion is undoubtedly one of the title’s most high octane set pieces but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun while trying to survive the impending blast. While navigating the cave system, Leon’s jet ski will routinely catch some major air by ramping up some fallen debris. If players press the interact button while in mid-air, Leon will perform a variety of tricks, much to Ashley’s delight. While you’re not rewarded for your acrobatics, it’s still a fun Easter Egg and a great sendoff to one of the greatest escape sequences this side of Halo.
