To get the best out of your time in Dead Rising 4, sometimes you need to know just how to make the game’s mechanics work for you. We’ve put together a short list of things that aren’t very much work, but can help a hell of a lot when you’re out there facing the horde.
Speed usually beats power
In the game, you’ve got access to hundreds of different kinds of weapons, and not all of them are particularly great. As you’re normally fighting a big group of enemies, being able to decimate one at a time slowly isn’t nearly as useful as being able to hit multiple enemies for less damage and stun-lock them into not hitting you. Even against single enemies, fast weapons will let you dart and out to score hits, making avoiding the retaliation easier.
Bosses have predictable patterns
This might seem a pretty obvious statement, but it’s well worth taking note of all the same, especially as when we say predictable, we mean really predictable. Without fail, bosses in Dead Rising 4 will follow the same pattern of being incredibly dangerous close up, not as bad at range, and usually can’t be stun-locked. They’ll cycle between 3 or 4 moves depending on your range, so work out how to get them to do the one that exposes them to damage the longest, punish and repeat. Either that, or if you’re more of a ranged player, just stay out of their reach and unload your guns into them.
Dodge Rolling is your friend
Again, might seem an obvious statement, but especially in the late game, being proficient at dodge rolling can save you a lot of healing items. Luckily enemies almost always telegraph their moves way in advance, making dodging even with the somewhat sluggish Frank not too difficult. As a bonus, if you dodge roll off of an edge, you won’t take fall damage when you land!
All basements lead to the mall
In the basements of every Emergency Shelter there’s a fast travel connection to the mall. This means you can use it as a hub to get around way faster than running from one end of the map to the other, as you’d otherwise have to do a lot of the time.
Try on Everything
During your frequent looting romps into the shops of Willamette, you’ll have the ability to try on various outfits, which will often make you look like a complete fool. Try on everything regardless, however, as it will automatically add it to your wardrobe to change into at any mirror around the map. Also, if you try on 100 outfits, you’ll get an achievement!
Pictures equal PP
Did you know that taking pictures of things in the game gives you PP? Well, you do now. The higher the ranking, the more PP you get. To increase your ranking, try to include as many zeds in the frame as possible, as well as catching any special events like explosions. Also, if you include any side-characters, or Capcom Easter eggs, you’ll get plenty of bonus points. It’s a pretty effective way to level up early one, so bear it in mind.