Resident Evil 4 made its stamp on modern action games in undeniable ways, influencing many survival-horror games and beyond. Resident Evil 4 was not a wholesale departure from the Resident Evil games that came before it though, since it still attempted to integrate tank controls and arcade-like aiming mechanics into its third-person perspective. The original is also heavily laden with quick-time events (QTEs) that were intended to give it a more cinematic feel, especially in its knife-fight against Resident Evil 4’s Jack Krauser.
Because the Resident Evil 4 remake has forgone QTEs aside from prompted dodge inputs for particular attacks, it was interesting to imagine what some of these sequences would look like, or if they would be removed altogether. The remake is a proper reimagining with new gameplay mechanics, and it is clear that careful attention to detail was put into each faithful recreation of the original game's scenes. The most considered mechanic the remake introduces is its knife parry, which really shines in Krauser’s two boss fights.
Resident Evil 4 Remake’s Knife Parry is the Franchise’s Newest Mechanic
Knife parries are incredibly satisfying and mark a bold new direction for Resident Evil as another defensive way to counter enemy attacks and avoid incoming damage. Leon’s combat knife, gifted to him by Resident Evil 2’s Marvin Branagh, is a new staple for the character with more functionality than simply slashing at enemies in proximity.
In the Resident Evil 2 remake, Leon’s knife had durability and would break after enough use when using it as either a defensive or offensive item, but other identical knives could be found and used to the same effect. However, the Resident Evil 4 remake makes Leon’s combat knife its own special weapon that players can upgrade, making it deal more damage or have increased durability.
Leon’s combat knife can be broken like in Resident Evil 2 remake, but instead of being removed from players’ inventories it is left to be repaired by Resident Evil 4’s Merchant. Otherwise, players can find kitchen knives and boot knives by exploring that are much less durable than the combat knife, yet still behave as excellent defensive tools when parrying.
Besides grab deflections and stealth kills, knives can also be used to parry incoming attacks and open enemies up to follow-up melee attacks. All of these options chip away at the knife’s durability a predetermined amount, but they have strategic implementations that make it hard to ignore for the sake of maintaining resources.
Resident Evil 4 Remake’s Krauser Fights Are Elegant Parry Dances
Players will have gotten comfortable parrying most enemies in the Resident Evil 4 remake by the time Jack Krauser arrives and initiates a knife duel with Leon on a dimly lit platform. This encounter starts with a smart cutscene that is both cinematic and educational, showing Leon and Krauser exchanging knife strikes that also teach players how the following fight will be telegraphed. Players then know to slash at Krauser and prepare to parry his own attacks in a chained sequence before dodging prompted strikes. This duel is simple enough if players have mastered their parrying skill, but the second Krauser encounter is much more involved.
Players have to navigate an odd obstacle course of trip-lasers and stun Krauser from a distance before they meet him again in an intimate duel. This second time around, Krauser has mutated from the Plaga and has a large blade implementation as an arm, but the duel is essentially the same - just with Leon’s firearms also coming in handy this time. This battle rewards players with Krauser’s fighting knife as an honorable gift, celebrating their parrying expertise.
Resident Evil 4 is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
