How to get through the starting village in Resident Evil 4 remake

Resident Evil 4 remake starts in pretty much exactly the same way as the original. The buildings and set pieces look better but are all geographically identical. This includes the game’s starting village battle, which is a true test of any player’s mettle. This guide explains how to get through this starting village, so you don’t feel too overwhelmed doing the wrong thing.

Related: Should you use the Punisher or the SG-09 R pistol in Resident Evil 4 remake?

How do you get through the starting village?

As you enter the starting village, you’ll see the second police officer that was helping Leon get burned alive. If you enter the area, the locals will get pretty hostile as soon as they see Leon. At first, it’s unclear what you need to do to get through the village. However, we can confirm that all you must do is survive long enough for the bell to chime. Once this happens, every enemy will stop attacking Leon and head inside the tower, leaving you free to escape.

How to skip the starting village sequence

To skip the starting village sequence in Resident Evil 4 remake, you need to rush into the village and past every single enemy. Don’t stop to fight at all. Then, enter the large house that triggers a cutscene where Leon moves furniture to block enemies out. Run up the stairs and jump out of the window on the right-hand wall on the landing. This leads you to a platform where you can see the church in the distance. Use a rifle or scoped weapon to aim for the bell, which is in the middle of the tower at the treeline level. If you can hit it, the enemies will stop attacking and enter the church as if the sequence has played out normally.

This skip will make speedruns and harder playthroughs much easier because it takes out a big opening chunk of the game. This is also quite a challenging skill check for players that can put you off of playing on a harder difficulty if you don’t get it right. The only issue with the skip is that you’ll need to have completed Resident Evil 4 remake at least once beforehand, so you can bring a scoped weapon into this starting village section.

How long is the timer in the starting village?

The timer in the starting village is roughly two to four minutes long. It changes depending on difficulty and whether you trigger Chainsaw Man early or not. We recommend activating Chainsaw Man early if you can, then running around and avoiding damage as much as possible by rushing through buildings. You can find a few strategic points to kill enemies from, but Chainsaw Man makes this very difficult when he charges you.

Do you need to kill everyone in the village?

No, you don’t need to kill every enemy in the village. We found that the more enemies we killed, the more kept showing up. If you want to speed things along and have a bit of fun, run to the exit gate at the far end of the village to trigger the Chainsaw Man enemy. He’ll burst in and try to mow you down with a giant chainsaw. This enemy will show up regardless of whether you trigger him early or not, but things get more hectic once he shows up, so it’s a good way to speed up the timer until the bell tolls.

If you’re struggling to avoid dying before the bell rings, try entering the large building in the center of the village. You can get a shotgun on the first floor and jump out through the windows to avoid getting caught in the process. You can also run through the open barn with a cow inside, shoot the lantern, and watch your enemies burn as they pursue you. This is great for dealing damage to Chainsaw Man.