The Puzzles of Resident Evil 4

[DarkMemories]

Note: This topic is obviously inspired by the negative edition thread, so let's get that out of the way quickly. The point of this topic is to discuss the validity of RE4's puzzles versus the rest of the series. Also, try to give examples of puzzles you think are more difficult (aside from the one I give, of course) and we'll disect those as well.

List of actual puzzles (i.e. ones that don't involve so-called moving from point A to point B, shooting everything in your way and require a minimum of thought) in RE4:

Chapter 1-2: Green Orb Door
Location: In the Village: Chief's House

Chapter 1-3: Church Dial
Location: In the Village: Behind the Church itself

Chapter 2-1: Church Color Light
Location: Church 2nd Floor

Chapter 3-2: Portrait Puzzle
Location: Castle Gallery

Chapter 3-3: Last Dinner
Location: Castle: Last Supper Corridor

Chapter 3-4: Ashley's Knight Tiles
Location: Castle Dungeon Area

Chapter 5-1: Colored Light
Location: Island Complex: Autopsy room

That's the seven puzzles that require a modicum of thought and don't involve shooting any creature or ganado. The remaining puzzles are either environmental and super easy to solve or require navigation versus actual puzzle solving:

Chapter 2-1: Crossing the Dam
Location: Past the Lake, near waterfall area

Chapter 3-1: Pressure Plates in Blue Room
Location: Hall of Water

Chapter 3-2: The Maze
Location: Castle Courtyard/Garden

Chapter 4-1: Knight's Pressure Pads
Location: Castle: West of Annex

Chapter 4-1 and 4-3: Collapsing Ceiling
Location: After Knight's Pressure Pads; Mines

Chapter 4-1: Clock Tower Clogs
Location: Clock Tower

Chapter 4-4: Robo-Salazar
Location: After mine cart ride, in the cathedral

Chapter 5-3: The Cage
Location: The hanging cage where you try to escape U3.

Chapter 5-3: Pressure Puzzle 3
Location: After first insignia is acquired during Krauser Fight.

Regardless of their level of difficulty, there are more "puzzles" or puzzle-like situations in RE4 than any other RE game.

And to be honest, the only puzzle I ever had more difficulty with than say, the slider puzzle with Ashley, is the Water Treatment Puzzle in RE3. Everything else is on the same level or easier than what's presented in RE4.

[Darkmoon]

I never really considered a lot of those to be puzzles. Although I must admit, I did forget about a lot of the actual puzzles...which shows how difficult they were. Most of the puzzles in the other games could stump you for at least a few minutes the first time or two. The only one that slowed me down was the graveyard puzzle, and that was mostly because I had to go and find the grave stones.

I admit, most of the puzzle in the previous games aren't that much better. But they could usually stump you for a few minutes at least. Some of the ones in RE4, even when you first ran into them, could be solved in seconds. The green orb to the Chief's house being a good example of stupid easy.

But looking at the list, maybe I'm being a little hard on RE4 in terms of puzzles. It did have them. It just didn't have any really good ones.

[DarkMemories]

But could you list specific examples of those puzzles? Again, the only one I can think of that's all that difficult to me is the Water Treatment Puzzle.

[Darkmoon]

The chemicle closest lock and the paintings in RE1 take a few minutes to solve. As does the Ada Password. RE2 is pretty low on puzzles, bar the fetch quests, but the parking garrage eletrical puzzle was a bit awkward. There were several good ones in RE3 such as the ever infamous water sample puzzle and the music one in the clock tower. None of them were super difficult but they shoud cost you a few minutes of time.

[DarkMemories]

The chemicle closest lock and the paintings in RE1 take a few minutes to solve. As does the Ada Password. RE2 is pretty low on puzzles, bar the fetch quests, but the parking garrage eletrical puzzle was a bit awkward. There were several good ones in RE3 such as the ever infamous water sample puzzle and the music one in the clock tower. None of them were super difficult but they shoud cost you a few minutes of time.

We talking REmake or the original here? Because every one of those is pretty easy in the original;

RE1 Chemical Closet: Check the pool table. Problem solved.

Paintings in RE1 and REmake:the hints basically lay it out step-by-step.

Ada Password: Slightly harder in RE1 than in REmake, but still not particularly challenging. Flip the light.

The only one that all that's difficult to me in the REmake is the chemical closet, mostly because I've usually never bothered to light all the oil lamps (waste of time when you're trying to speed run) to figure out the solution and just fought Plant 42 the hard way.

The garage puzzle in RE2 is also very easy; matter of fact, the puzzle is basically repeated in RE0.

If we can agree on one thing, it's that RE3 definitely has the most time-consuming puzzles in the series, now that you mention it.

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IMO, the most time-consuming puzzles in the series (at the very least on the first playthrough):

REmake's Chemical Closet Puzzle

RE3's Water Treatment Conundrum, Hospital Basement Pressure Puzzle, and the Clocktower Statue/Picture/Time Puzzle

RECV's Ashford Portrait Puzzle

RE4's Church Dial and Ashley's Slider Puzzle

[Canas Renvall]

^ Except the Ashley slider puzzle is literally moving one tile, then sliding them all around the outside and then placing in the one from the fireplace. It took me half a minute on my first try, if that. The church dial took me about a minute.

Also, the last supper is as easy as shooting a glass of wine. And Ashley's Knight Tiles... if it took you more than ten seconds to look, see the statues and the differently-colored tiles and go "Oh hey, maybe I should put this here", then... well, I don't want to be offensive, so I won't say anything that might be considered so.

The hardest puzzle in RE4 is the maze, not because you can get lost, but because of the damn dogs.

RE0: Stopping the train.

REmake: Chemical Closet.

RE3: Water Treatment, Clocktower Stones

RECVX: Alfred's Portrait

RE4: The Maze

RE5: Bending the light. And that's just because it's the only puzzle in the entire game. XD;

[DarkMemories]

RE0: Stopping the train.

What exactly do you find hard about it, if I may ask? The Ashley puzzle was difficult because I jumped right into it believing it would be easy, thereby giving myself a harder time than necessary.

But honestly, my point isn't that RE4's puzzles were hard, but that there are very few actual puzzles in the series that aren't equally as easy and that RE4 is more old-school RE than people give it credit for.

[Canas Renvall]

Granted, I haven't played it in ages (I do like it though ), but I believe I had some trouble with putting in the numbers.

[Stars1356]

I too think that I was a bit hard on RE 4 for not having puzzles but now that I think about it there were a lot they were just easy. I think being a veteran player of the series made me and other critcs expect more. I remember my friends younger brother having some trouble with them and it was his first RE.

[Det. Beauregard]

I like most of the puzzles in the RE series, but in RE4 I find the majority of them to be too easy. Conversely, the majority of the puzzles in RE3 were insanely difficult and frustrating. I like them in-between, such as the box puzzle in RE0's treatment plant, or the Ashford portrait puzzle in CV. The monotonous puzzles (such as the statue in the underground caverns in Remake) can get on my nerves, though, particularly during multiple runs.

[Skunky]

I've always struggled on that sundial thingy behind the church. I've never been able to work out how the f**k I'm supposed to know what to do. I've often ended up just pressing buttons until I stumble upon it by chance. It's only easy now because I've memorized what lights are meant to be on.
I liked Ashley's sliding tile puzzle. It reminds me of my childhood. When I was knee high I owned a few sliding puzzle toys just like it (Fatal Frame 4 has a sliding tile puzzle too).

I agree that RE3 probably has the best puzzles (IMO it has the best of a lot of things. RE3 & RE4 are my favorites in the series).

Making the V-jolt in the original was probably the hardest for me.

RE5 didn't really have any puzzles because it was designed primarily for 2 player co-op. There's a limit to the kind of thing they could do. I think certain amounts of tension and immersion were compromised for the same reason.

[kevstah2004]

The dial is the 3 grave twins irc.

[Itashious_boy]

i've said this before i think but Re4 did have a hell of a lot more puzzles than people realize, and ive said this also its because of the over the shoulder shooter mode, it distracts from the fact that you trying to figure out the freaking puzzle in the first place!! its the only reason that you dont notice them, theres a mod online i saw on youtube for RE4 where its set up like the original games in third person mode, you really do have a frustrating time with everything im serious :/

[Canas Renvall]

^ That's because it uses the laser aiming still, as opposed to the auto-aim from the older games. Also, in REmake, you can also do Real Survival or Invisible Enemy, which disables auto-aim anyway to make the game harder. The original RE was like that too. And like I said earlier, it's not that there aren't a lot of puzzles, it's that they're all so damn easy.

[TheOvermind001]

RE4 and puzzles in the same sentence? Lulz.

There is only one that I remember just because it was so damn annoying... the stupid jigsaw puzzle in the armor suit room when you play as Ashley. Maybe it was hard for me just cuz I never played any of those kinds of games as a kid.

I definately think of the the easiest puzzles in a Resident Evil game is the Library puzzle in RE2. Seems like they should have made it a little harder or something.