Hiya!

I don’t think I’d survive a zombie apocalypse. I’d probably be one of the first ones to go if Resident Evil 2 REmake is any indication of what it would be like. I’d most likely be the zombie that got stuck in men’s bathroom locker as that’s where I’d hide and I’ll just starve to death because I would be too much of a chicken to go out and try to get out.

But I did play through Capcom’s remake of the classic survival horror game and finished it with both Claire Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy (in that order). It took me a long time to finish it as I could only play for around 30 minutes at a time. Not because of of a busy schedule but because I would get so frazzled and stressed out while playing it! I had to give my poor, little heart a break because it struggled to overcome the stress of how terrifying the game is!

I still managed to persevere in the end as I finished Resident Evil 2 REmake all by myself! I played it on the Normal difficulty and, while I had to wipe my controllers down since my hands would be all sweaty while playing, I completed both scenarios without a walkthrough! It may seem like a stupid thing to be proud of, especially for a lot of “hardcore” gamers, but this was a big accomplishment for me! I essentially went into the game blind as I only had the faintest memories of watching my brother play the original version.

But since I played the game until the very end without a walkthrough, I actually discovered and developed a few tricks to help me survive the hellish Raccoon City on my own. These may be techniques that are well known but I decided I’d share some of the ones I created on the spot while playing.

Oh, and since I’ll probably be talking about some story elements and surprises throughout the game, I’m bringing out the mandatory SPOILER WARNING, just in case!

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Trick #1: Kneecapping zombies is more effective than headshots (usually)

General mass media will tell you that the best way to take down a zombie is to shoot it in the head. I guess, since they’re technically dead, shooting out its brain will make the “living dead” just “dead dead.” Apparently, Capcom didn’t get the memo as the zombies in Resident Evil 2 REmake can take 3 or more headshots and still keep on ticking! With ammo really scarce, what’s a girl to do?

It turns out that there is a better way to take out the walking dead in the game and it’s so much easier than aiming for the flinching head of a zombie. I discovered that it’s so much easier to take down a zombie by shooting at its legs.

Shooting at a zombie’s legs/knees usually causes them to flinch, making it easy to run past them. You can do the same by shooting at the head the legs are much easier to hit because they aren’t swaying around all that much when compared to the head. Also, there is a chance to shoot off the legs, forcing zombies to crawl at you at a much slower pace. They can still lunge at you but they’re so much more easier to avoid, especially in large spaces.

I remember discovering this much later through my playthrough. I didn’t have that much problem with Claire Redfield as she had the grenade launcher and you didn’t need precise aim. But Leon S. Kennedy’s “big gun,” the shotgun, required more precision and I was always low on shotgun ammo. I accidentally shot 2 zombies in a row in the knees with the Matilda and they both staggered, letting me scrimp by without taking any damage.

This became my go-to move in cramped zombie hallways. If there are a lot of zombies and I know I’ll have to return to the area, I’d usually pop a few legs off so they’d be much more easy to avoid when I do come back.

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Trick #2: Tippy toe around the Lickers (if you can)

Among all of the monsters I’ve faced in my stay of Raccoon City, the worst has to be the Lickers! I’d rather face the unstoppable Mr. X than a Licker! At least Mr. X is kind of a dumb, slow lummox you can easily avoid, even in tight spaces! Lickers, on the other hand, are quick, hard to track since they can cling to walls and ceilings like a zombie Spider-Man, can wipe out your health in two swipes and can come in packs!

You do come across a file in the game that states that it’s actually possible to avoid Lickers. Apparently, they’re blind but they can track you down with their super sensitive hearing.

Apparently, this does work but it’s really difficult! You can slip past a Licker if you don’t run. If you walk slowly and don’t bump it, there’s a chance you can slip past the monster. The problem is you usually run across the buggers in narrow hallways, making it hard to go around them without touching them. Also, when you do get close, they can actually feel your presence and start stalking towards your direction. Oh, and make that doubly difficult if there are two Lickers or a couple of zombies in your path.

What I would usually do is get close enough to a Licker to get it’s attention. I’ll try to lure it into a place where there’s more room to maneuver around it. I would usually train my “big gun” (Claire’s grenade launcher or Leon’s shotgun) on them while doing this. It’s important to note that this is impossible when there are other creatures like zombies in the same area. When this does happen, I’ll try to kneecap as many zombies as possible and then leave the area. Afterwards, return and try to walk around the Licker again. It works around 50% of the time. Not a great success rate but it works.

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Trick #3: Float like a butterfly against Mr. X (it’s so easy!)

I won’t deny that I was deathly afraid of Mr. X the first time I encountered him. He managed to toss away a crashed helicopter with one hard? He must be super strong! He also can follow you almost anywhere in the Raccoon City Police Department, meaning you’ll be crossing paths with him sooner or later.

After running into him so many times, I realized he isn’t all that scary at all. He’s more of a nuisance than anything. It may sound like I’m puffing up my chest but, really. He isn’t all that fearsome once you find out that almost all his attacks can easily be avoided as long as you don’t have your back to a wall.

You can use a current technique in another Capcom game, Street Fighter V. It’s called the “shimmy.” The shimmy is simply baiting out an attack from your opponent so they’re temporarily helpless. You can do the same thing with Mr. X. You just have to walk towards him while he lumbers towards to trigger his punching animation. You can then immediately run backwards or to the side and the punch will miss, letting you run past him. He’ll have this big “Du-h, which way did he go?” look on his face while to trot past him.

If you can’t do that because you’re in an area with zombies or, even worse, a Licker, your best strategy is to blaze a trail to the nearest room that Mr. X can’t get to, like a save room or the STARS office. Hide out for a while and wait for his booming footstep to fade into the distance before going out again.

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Trick #4: Getting all the monsters into their starting positions (which you do without knowing it)

During my first playthrough, I would usually get ambushed by zombies whenever I step into a room. It’s like they’re just waiting for me just inside waiting for me to peek my head in!

If this has happened to you as well, that’s because you led them near the door, dummy! You probably were in that very room just seconds ago, left to get a breather and then tried to jump back in that same room! Unfortunately for you, that means that the zombies that tried to chase you are still hanging around the door! This means that you can’t enter that door without taking some damage or losing a sub-weapon, right? Wrong!

If you go to another room or so, the zombies that were waiting for you behind that door will get bored and go back to their original positions. In fact, if you memorize the zombies starting positions, you’ll be able to map out the best route to avoid damage for each and every location. This works for Lickers as well. The only exception is Mr. X, for obvious reasons.

You can even speed up the “reset” by utilizing a save room. If you were being chased by zombies and sought refuge in a save room, you can bet they’ll be waiting for you to leave that sanctuary. What you can do is save the game and then load it immediately. The zombies outside the save room door will be “reset” to their original positions, oblivious that they were clawing for a juicy snack (you) a few seconds earlier.

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Trick #5: Herd zombies into cleared out rooms (by using their ability to exit their original areas)

One of the scariest things about Resident Evil 2 REmake is that you’re never really safe. You have Mr. X following you all over the place but even zombies can do the same in a limited fashion. They can bust through doors sometimes and follow you through the Raccoon City Police Station if you’re not careful.

You can use this to your advantage. Get a zombie or two to follow you into a room, preferably one you’ve cleared out of items. Have them follow you into the middle of the room and then get out as fast as you can! If you were quick enough, they won’t follow you and get stuck in the room! The beauty of this trick is you can do it with almost every zombie that’s infested the Raccoon City Police Station!

I actually led a coupe of zombies from the Library into the Main Hall, then got the zombies that were in the Main Hall to follow me around as well. It was kind of funny as I was some kind of zombie Pied Piper! Anyway, I had them all follow me down the left hallway and into the East Office. When they were all there, I snuck out the east door of the East Office. They didn’t follow me out!

This is probably my favorite trick that I discovered since it made my life so much easier. The zombies that you do lead out don’t seem to be affected by the “reset” trick I talked about earlier. It was definitely much easier to navigate the place without those 5 zombies trying to pounce on me! They did eventually bust out of the office after I returned to the police station to develop some film. But, for a good chunk of time, exploring was almost a breeze!

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BONUS: Trap zombies in herded rooms by blowing off their legs (but it is ammo heavy)

I’m hesitant to add this trick because it’s a combination of Tricks #1 and #5 and you use up a ton of ammo but it is useful. Zombies can only bust through doors if they have two legs. If you really want them to stay in a room, blow out their legs! Now, if you use the herding trick in Tip #5 and then chop their legs off, they’ll be stuck in the room!

The only issue with this trick is you’ll need a lot of bullets, especially if you’re unlucky that the zombies’ legs don’t explode after 3 hits. It’s still a cool trick that’ll help with exploring, though.

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Byee!

Got any other tricks you know of in Resident Evil 2 REmake? Let me know in the comments section below!