Aside from its horror elements and its gunplay, puzzle solving is one of the most prominent gameplay mechanics of Resident Evil 4. Where they need power and skill to overpower the monsters in the game, they'll also need wit and patience to solve its puzzle. It is another layer of challenge players must overcome before Leon and Ashley can escape the dreadful territory of the Los Iluminados.
Many of the puzzles in this horror game are straightforward and easy to solve. However, there are also some that will really rack the players' brains. These puzzles are tricky, creative, and some of them require the players to go to great lengths just to find their solutions. Most of these puzzles also aren't optional. Either solve these, or Leon won't be able to progress forward at all.
7 Lake Cave Pedestal Puzzles (Chapter 4)
There are locked doors in the lake cave in Chapter 4 that can be opened by pressing the correct icons on a pedestal. It sounds simple enough. There are also murals located in the cave, close to where the door is, that indicates the correct icons to press. However, the symbols all look fairly similar, and the murals on the cave are somewhat unclear.
Some murals are even incomplete, and players can only see the full picture after they've completed the puzzle, adding challenge to what already is a challenging puzzle. It's not the most difficult set of puzzles in Resident Evil 4, but this will definitely scratch a lot of heads.
6 Four Swords Puzzle (Chapter 7)
This puzzle involves four portraits and four swords. When the player first encounters this puzzle, they'll be met with four portraits and only three swords. They'll have to complete another mini puzzle that's fairly simple in order to acquire the fourth sword. That's not the challenging aspect of this puzzle, though. In order to solve this puzzle, the player will need to place a sword in the correct portrait.
The swords are in different states or of a different make. The player will then need to deduce which portrait a sword fits best. For example, one of the swords is a bloodied sword; one of the portraits shows a knight stabbing another; another portrait shows a soldier being knighted. Players can surmise that the bloodied sword belongs to the portrait of a soldier being stabbed rather than one of a soldier being knighted.
5 Clock Puzzle (Chapter 9)
This is a puzzle players will have to solve while playing as Ashley. It's the easiest puzzle in the game as long as the player already knows the solution, or it's one of the hardest considering the trouble Ashley will need to go through just to find the solution. Players can simply adjust the time on the clock correctly to open this door. On Assisted and Normal difficulties, the answer is 11:04. On harder difficulties the answer is 7:00. This solves this clock puzzle immediately.
However, first-time players of the game and those who refuse to look up the answer and find it on their own have the liberty to do so. They'll need to make their way up to the upper floor of the library. All the while, they'll have to stealth their way through a couple of sections to avoid Plaga-infected suits of armor.
4 Crystal Marble Puzzle (Chapter 2)
This is the first major obstacle in the form of a puzzle. It's a great introduction to the game's puzzle-solving mechanics, and solving it isn't a piece of cake. Spinning the crystal marble around to form the insignia of the Los Iluminados can be disorienting and tricky. In most cases, players solve this puzzle out of sheer luck rather than complete comprehension as to how it works.
One of the best things about puzzle games is the satisfaction the player receives upon solving them. That's exactly what this puzzle can provide to its players. It's tricky enough to be challenging, yet solvable enough that seeing it through is satisfying rather than exhausting.
3 Power Calibration Puzzle (Chapters 13 & 14)
There are several doors during Chapters 13 and 14 that can only be opened after completing a power calibration problem. These puzzles can be hard to solve. The player will need to adjust each node correctly so that the circuit can connect to every power source in the terminal.
This process can take a lot of tries. They're even adjusted to be more difficult to solve in harder difficulties. The fact that these puzzles are placed in some of the scariest locations in the game also adds to the suspense of completing this as quickly as possible.
2 Colored Window Tiles in the Church Puzzle (Chapter 4)
This puzzle is the final hurdle players will need to overcome before they can finally rescue Ashley in the village. To complete this, players will need to adjust three dials, which adjusts three sets of colored tiles on a church window. These tiles must not overlap, and the gaps created by the tiles must fit the insignia of the Los Ilumindos on the window.
At first, this puzzle can be incredibly tough to solve. Figuring out what to do without looking it up is the base of the problem. However, once the player figures out what to do, they'll still need to get to the task of actually arranging the tiles, which isn't easy to do. Regardless, completing the puzzle is a fulfilling endeavor and the reward is ultimately integral to the overall plot of Resident Evil 4.
1 Hexagon Pieces Puzzle (Chapter 4)
The puzzle involving the three hexagonal pieces in Chapter 4 is perhaps the most confusing puzzle in the game. First off, finding the three pieces is a struggle in and of itself. Each is stashed in a different location, and one of them even requires the player to complete another puzzle in a cave before they can get the hexagonal piece.
Once the pieces are acquired, they must be placed on a pedestal and spun to form an image of a sea monster and a man on a lake. This process has a quick solution, but those who don't know how to do it can make a handful of mistakes that will take a long time to undo. In fact, one of the best ways to approach this puzzle is to save the game prior to attempting to complete the puzzle so that they can simply reload their save should they make a mistake.
The remake of Resident Evil 4 was released on March 2023 on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.