Resident Evil 4/Chapter 1-1

The Path to the Village
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the controls and check your inventory. You start the game with a pistol, a small amount of ammo, a first aid kit, and the memos “Playing Manual 1” and “Info on Ashley”.

Move forward, away from the car. You'll notice crows perched on the ground or in tree branches; if you get too close, they'll fly away from you. You can collect money or other items by shooting them before they move. You can also shoot them after they take off but it will take some expert marksmanship to hit them in flight.

Continue along the path, to the right is an old sign with the word "Pueblo". As you near a house, a cutscene will play where someone is watching you through the window.

Explore outside the house first. To the right is a truck parked on the path which blocks your way into the village. Head to the left side of the house, and you'll find a wooden box. These boxes, and occasionally barrels, appear throughout the game, coming in various sizes, and contain items or money, so be out the lookout for them. Break out your knife and attack the box to destroy it; you can shoot it as well but it's a waste of bullets. Collect the contents and return to the front of the house.

Now it's time to go inside so head into the house. As soon as you enter it, you'll start to hear someone coughing. Head toward the noise, and another cutscene will begin where you show a man a picture of Ashley. He tells you (in very rude Spanish) to get out and then attacks you with a hatchet.

As soon as the cutscene ends, equip your weapon and start firing. Remember that targeting specific areas of the body will have different effects. Make him fall to the ground by shooting his legs, then you can kick him. Stun him for a moment by blasting his face and you can also kick him. Shoot different areas for different results. The knife deals good damage this early in the game, so you can also run past him and turn around as he misses his attack, leaving himself open for a few seconds. You can also approach him and lure in an attack, back off to dodge and then knife him. It may not seem sporting, but also use the knife if he's lying on the floor but still alive; otherwise he will get up and attack and he wouldn't wait for you to get up.

When he falls, another cutscene will play. You hear the truck start up and you look out the window to see it heading down the path. There is a loud commotion and things don’t sound too good for the police officers who wouldn’t come with you. You check in with Hunnigan and report that at least some of the villagers are hostile. She advises that you to keep moving and find Ashley.

If your friend on the floor happened to drop any items, be sure to pick them up. You might try heading out through the front door, but more villagers are pressing against it. So you have to find another way. Go ahead and explore the house, and you'll find some stairs behind the fireplace; head up the stairs. Check near the top of the stair to find an ammo refill. There is a window here and if you break it you can take potshots at a villager below if you see him standing in front instead of trying to get through the door. Come back downstairs and go near the window; you'll notice a command appear on the screen which allows you just jump out. You can also jump out the window upstairs but then you land in the middle of all the villagers.

Once you're out of the house the villagers will open the front door and follow you out the downstairs window if that's the way you went. In any case there are 3 people after you and they aren't too happy about the facelift you just gave their friend. The window makes a good choke point where you can get some good shots in, but watch for a villager which might not go through the house. If they start to surround you then move to safe area where you can put your back to the wall and fire on them. They move slowly so you may also be able to run past them to get to a better position. Remember to watch your ammo and stop to reload if it starts to get low. When all three villagers are defeated the scary music will stop and you can collect any items they dropped.

If you go back to the house and explore you will find evidence that something very strange and sinister is happening to the people here. If you return to where you first began, you'll realize that you can't go back. The bridge is out, and if you look over the cliff you can see the truck and the police car at the bottom of the ravine. The only choice you have now is to move forward down the path.

Follow the path, and you'll come across a shack on the right. There are wooden boxes and an ammo refill to be found here, so please grab them. You'll also find a typewriter in here. Keep on the lookout for these typewriters, because this is how you'll save your game. Unlike past Resident Evil games, you don't need 'ink ribbons' to save, so feel free to use it as much as you want.

Leave the shack and continue down the path; there are more crows perched here. You'll come across a white wolf that managed to get himself into some trouble. Do not attack attack him, in fact if you help him you will be rewarded later on. Considering that the wolf got caught in it, you should be aware that other bear traps are in this area. There is a red marker here which generally means there is hidden danger nearby. You can deactivate the traps by shooting them or attacking with your knife. There in one to the left of a large tree next to the path which you can practice on.

Further on is another sign and to the right is an area partially enclosed by a fence. Check near the right side to find a Red Herb among the cattails.

Head back to the main path, and go forward a little. Keep on the lookout for flashing red lights on the trees. These red lights indicate that a tripwire mine has been set-up, and if you cross it, you won't like the results. There are two tripwire mines here and a bear trap between them, but there is a safe route on the left. You can shoot the explosives or tripwire to set off a mine from a distance.

Just after this you'll come across another friendly village resident. Defeat him as with the other villagers but you get style points (not actually a thing) if you can lure him into one of the tripwires.

Further along the path, you'll find another cabin with a green herb and wooden boxes. On your way out of that cabin check the wall for more evidence that the village has turned violently insane. At about this time more villagers will notice you and start coming down the path. Continue across the bridge where a number of villagers will spot you, but run away, probably so they can ambush you later on.

Continuing past the bridge, you'll come across one last shack and a villager is waiting for you inside. An ammo refill and more boxes are here as well.

Just ahead is a large gate to the next area, but it's a good idea to go back to the typewriter and save your game again before going on.

The Village
On the other side of the gate there is a cutscene where Hunnigan provides you with a basic playing guide. (This is a Continue point.) Read through it if you want, then continue down the path.

If you continue straight down the path, a command to 'Look' will appear when you reach a certain tree. It's not necessary to look, but you can scout the area and watch the villagers go about their daily business. There is a bonfire in the middle of the street and you can see the fate of one of the police officers that refused to come with you.

Now comes one of the most intense parts of the game, a difficult battle which will test the limits of the fighting skills you've learned so far. It will take some practice plus some trial and error to find the best tactics to fit your playing style. Often the best approach depends on what you have in your inventory, so which random items you've found up to this point comes into play.

There are several givens to keep in mind. First, no matter what you do, eventually some villager will sound the alarm and you face a tough battle for which you are woefully ill equipped. Second, once the alarm has been sounded there will be guards posted at the exits and if they spot you then you will be in deeper trouble. Even if you do manage to reach a gate it will be locked. Third, you need to trigger the next cut scene and survive the new battle that follows. Fortunately this will end after a certain period of time or when you have defeated enough villagers, whichever comes first.

One approach is to just walk into the village. The villagers will continue to ignore you until someone spots you and they start to attack. This is risky since you will be outnumbered from the start. Keep moving so the villagers don't gang up on you and use a grenade if you get cornered. Duck into buildings and explore for supplies when you can.

Another approach is to take the side paths left and right to collect additional items before the battle starts. This requires stealth so the villagers won’t see you; time your movements so the villagers are facing away from you when you’re in the open. Once the alarm is raised, stay on the side paths and take the villagers on one at a time when you can.

You don't have a lot of ammunition, and the villagers almost never seem to stop coming. Run into houses or around various obstacles to provide you with some temporary cover. It won't last long though; these villagers are not only determined to get you, but they are pretty darn smart in the process. Continuously kill any villagers that come at you.

You can also try walking to the path on the right so they don't spot you. On this path you will find two crates with items. You can also go back to the start of the area and use the path on the left to find another item on some logs, and move into a cabin where you can smash a barrel with your knife and break some crates.

In either case, explore the many different houses and collect any items within them. It will be quite difficult to do this once the villagers begin their welcome. Once they have spotted you, everyone in the village will start to attack you.

One building to be aware of in particular is the two story house on the left side of the street; it has a red bin in front and a small fence surrounding the entrance. Inside, on the upper floor, you can find the Shotgun which will be very handy when you're fighting multiple enemies at the same time. The problem is that entering the building triggers a cutscene showing the appearance of one of the deadliest enemies in the game, Dr. Salvador, a chainsaw wielding maniac who is extremely tough to kill and will decapitate you in one swipe if he gets close enough. If you do manage to kill him though, you get a whopping 10000 PTAS which will very useful when you meet the Merchant.

If you do trigger the cutscene then do not panic, as doing so will make it worse and make you less reactive when El Savador appears. Run up the stairs and pick up the Shotgun (hanging on the wall at the top of the stairs), a grenade (in a glass cabinet to left of this), and shotgun shell refill (lying on the bed). Jump out the upstairs window onto the roof of the building next door. If there are villagers waiting at the window already then stun them first. The turn right to reach a ledge surrounding the upper floor; follow this around the corner and make your stand there. The villagers will be bottlenecked on the ledge so you can fight them relatively easily. Choose your weapon according to the situation since you may need the more powerful ammunition later. So stick with your pistol if there are only one or two villagers coming at you, but switch to shotgun or grenade if there are more or if Dr. Salvador appears. If things start to get bad here you can always jump off the roof to escape.

There is a very simple method to survive this battle on Professional Mode, but it could be considered cheating. There is a house on the right as you enter the village, it is opposite the large 2-story house, enter here and then shoot the middle of the door twice to create a large hole. Stand near this hole and equip the knife, wait for villagers to approach and then slash them through the hole and you shouldn't sustain any damage. Be warned that you will not encounter Dr. Salvador using this method and therefore cannot collect the useful cash reward, but if you are having problems with the village battle on Professional Mode, then this strategy could help.

After you've eliminated a certain number of villagers, a cutscene will abruptly end all the chaos. After the cutscene, you should go and pick up any and all the items from the houses in this area. There are no longer any enemies around, so take your time and enjoy the scenery.

Once you have all the items, look for a tower. To the left of the tower is a path that goes past it; follow it. There are a few more houses along the way, so check them if you want. At the end of the path is a large door, head through it.

The Farm
As soon as you reach the open area, there will be a very tiny cabin directly to the left. Head inside for an item, and save the game. Right next to the building is a well filled with a disgusting looking liquid. Dangling above that liquid is an item, but if you shoot it down now, it'll fall into the liquid and lose a lot of value. Instead, shoot out the support holding up wooden lid to have it close shut. Now you can shoot the item and collect the Pearl Pendant.

Now head back near the beginning and you should come across a fenced area. There is a tree inside this area with a blue piece of paper hanging from it. Collect it to get information about an additional objective that you should complete. There are 15 blue medallions scattered throughout this area (the farm), and the cemetery. Shoot 10 or more to get a earn a special item later in the game. If you take a look at your map, you'll notice that many blue dots have appeared on it; those are places where you'll find a blue medallion to shoot.

Continue down the path, past the tree. The first building you'll come across is on the left side of you. There is a villager working nearby, so be sure to take care of him. You'll find a few barrels inside of this building, so destroy them to collect a few items. Through the other end are a number of cows; they don't pose a threat so you can leave them alone. There is also another really tiny cabin back here, and while there is nothing inside of it, you'll find an item behind it.

Return to the main path, and continue along it. You'll end up near a very large two-story building. This building has a few villagers working inside it, and more will come once you start attacking them. You'll find lots of items on the first floor of this building, and there are items hiding inside a few of the small cabinets. Head up the ladder to find another villager working; show him that you appreciate his hard work. Check the cabinet for another item.

Hop out of the window to find yourself on a balcony outside of the building. If you walk straight ahead, you'll find a small gap between the fence/rails. You can jump down here and collect the Beer stein. Head through the doorway and push the shelf to get out of that area. Return to the balcony once again, run toward the end of it, and jump down. Immediately turn around, and you'll find a tiny building. Head around this building to find an entrance, and collect the items waiting inside. Go out of the building, and go up the ladder. Return to the middle of the balcony, jump down, and continue down the main path to reach the gate. Go through the gate to end up in a new area.

Beyond the Farm
Follow this trail for a little bit, and a cutscene will play. As soon as it's over, start pushing the buttons indicated on the screen as quickly as you can. After some running, another set of button combinations will appear on the screen; make sure that you press the correct ones or you won't like the result.

Once you've dodged the rock, it'll disappear and break into pieces, allowing you to continue through the dark tunnel. While walking through the tunnel, make sure to keep your eyes near the ceiling. You'll see a number of sparkling items; shoot them down and collect them.

As soon as you leave the tunnel, stop. A villager will be waiting and will most likely throw a live stick of dynamite at you. Obviously it would be bad to catch the end of it, so take him out before he can throw any more. A quick way to rid yourself of the opposing villager would be to just shoot the stick of dynamite; it will blow up and take the villager along with it. Aside from a few additional villagers roaming the area, there are also tripwires and bear traps. Step lightly as you explore the area.

Starting from the end of the tunnel, go left to the small shack. A villager with dynamite awaits you on the other side of it, and there is a tripwire and a bear trap inside the shack. Get rid of the villager before he blows you up, and shoot out the tripwire. Check the inside of the shack to find some items. Head back to the end of the tunnel.

Check the large house straight ahead. Go around the right side of the house and stop once you read the corner. There are a number of villagers within the house, and just around the corner is an open window where they can jump out. Go near the window, and make sure all the villagers know you are there. There is a villager with dynamite inside the house, and if he sees you, he'll throw the dynamite at you. Unfortunately for him, he'll most likely throw it inside the house, and as a result, kill himself and hopefully the other villagers. Get rid of anyone left, and then jump through the window and pick up any items left behind. Leave the house via the way you came in (the window).

Run north-east to find yourself at another large house. On the right of the house is a crate with an item inside, grab it. Directly behind you is a tree, look in the branches to see what looks like a bird nest; shoot it down to get a treasure. You can combine that treasure with the Beer stein to increase it's overall value. Now go to the front door, shoot out the lock, and head inside.

Head through the house, watching for tripwires and picking up any items along the way. Sooner or later, you'll reach an area that seems like a dead end. There is a bookshelf in one of the corners, and you need to push it out of the way to reveal another path. Go through the path all the way to the end, and a cutscene will play.