Survival-horror games arguably lack incredible boss fights. Games likeSilent Hillproved this thoroughly with combat that involves players simply face-tanking an enemy’s hits as they exchange attacks, let alone running to one corner of a room to fire at an enemy before fleeing to the next corner when they close the distance.Resident Evilgameshave always had a bit better of an approach to combat, though with tank controls and fixed camera angles there were still some highly arduous bosses in the original trilogy.Resident Evil4’s remake, however, is flipping the script on boss fights.
Each newResident Evilgame has a difficult decision ahead of it in development when it is considered what should be taken from previous games. Some mechanics may be exclusive to certain games in the franchise, such asResident Evil 3’s side-step dodge mechanic, while others could easily translate into another title if the gameplay design is similar. One part of combat that needs to be thoroughly considered is the arenas in which they are fought, andResident Evil 4’s remake can relate toElden Ringin this regard.
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Elden Ring’s Boss Arenas Structure Each Fight in Particular Ways
In comparison to the boss arenas that appear inResident Evil 4, there are even tinier arenas featured inElden Ring. Indeed,Elden Ringis an open-world action RPG that offers hundreds of hours of exploration in wide landscapes but features tons of boss arenas that restrict players to face-to-face encounters with their foes.
There are bosses who can be fought out in the open world while mounted, giving players a lot of room to ride around and patiently bait out an attack, but some encounters are much more inhibiting.Elden Ring’s Evergaols, for example, pack players into a small enclosure that they cannot flee from.
Likewise, dungeons are rife with tiny chambers that Crucible Knights and other repeated enemies can easily pursue players in, withElden Ring’s Commander boss fightsbeing particularly worrisome in that regard. This gives players an idea of how they need to approach each fight depending on their build, and with repeated enemies frequently appearing inElden Ringthese arenas can soon be no match for any player.
Resident Evil 4 Remake’s Mendez Fight Takes Full Advantage of a Tiny Arena
Rather, despite how small and restrictiveElden Ring’s boss arenas can be, none are more inhibiting thanResident Evil 4’s Bitores Mendez boss fight. This fight takes place in a barn similar to the original game, but the remake offers even less room to run around and dodge attacks.
Players only have space to circle around Mendez in the first phase while firing at him, but that is legitimately all the space they need in the entire fight. There is a ladder players can climb to reach a platform with more loot they can collect, though ascending to the higher platform is unnecessary. Instead, Mendez will leap back into the distance of the barn, and it is here that players are able to put their shooting range skills on display to hit Mendez.
This boss hurls debris at the player that can be difficult to reliably dodge, but otherwise, there are telegraphed attacks players can easily evade when the prompt icon appears. Therefore, in an arena that would otherwise seem restrictive intheResident Evil 4remake, it actually allows for a lot of gameplay diversity by making use of a background that players cannot access themselves.
Resident Evil 4is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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