Resident Evil 4introduced far more action-oriented gameplay into its traditionally survival-horror franchise. With a mild realignment toward on-rails, light gun shooters,Resident Evil 4boasts many unique firearmsbetween the Broken Butterfly, Red9, and the TMP with their own manual reload animations.
While many firearms are much more powerful or stylish than others, they can be costly when subsequent upgrades are considered or difficult to unlock. Unlocking the exceptionally powerful Handcannon, for example, is not for the faint of heart and necessitates expertise inResident Evil 4’s popular mini-game.
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How to Unlock the Handcannon in Resident Evil 4
The only way to retrieveResident Evil 4’s .50 magnum is to achieve a difficult completion rating within a mode titled “The Mercenaries.” Mercenaries mode is unlocked once players finishResident Evil 4on any difficulty, which means that players are unable to access Mercenaries, and consequently the Handcannon, until after a single playthrough has been completed. Mercenaries is an arcade-style mini-game with points awarded for Ganados and other enemies defeated within allotted time periods, with more points earned for consecutive kills chained together.
But simply having access to Mercenaries will not grant players access to the Handcannon. Instead, players must earn a five-star ranking on all four stages in Mercenaries, and with all five of the playable Mercenaries characters. Each stage resembles an area that players will have experienced inResident Evil 4’s narrativebesides the fourth stage, which is an unfamiliar dockyard suspended above water. Mercenaries is playable as Leon S. Kennedy, Ada Wong, Jack Krauser, HUNK, and Albert Wesker.
Mercenaries' score rankings range from one-to-five stars based upon the player’s mastery and ability to eliminate targets swiftly. Further, a five-star rank requires a minimum of 60,000 points earned within each stage. As a result, players must demonstrate absolute mastery ofResident Evil 4’s Mercenariesin order to accumulate a five-star ranking on each stage with each character.
Where to Look After Completing the Mercenaries Mode Requirements
Afterward, the message will appear notifying players that the Handcannon is available for free fromResident Evil 4’s mysterious Merchant. Players are then able to pick the Handcannon up at their leisure. It should be noted that while the firearm is unlocked for free as a completion reward for Mercenaries, its “tune up” upgrades are expensive. Upgrades include an exclusive firepower level and infinite ammunition, however, so it may be worth it for players who are also willing endure the completion objectives in Mercenaries to unlock the Handcannon in the first place.
Resident Evil 4was originally released in 2005 and is available on Android, GameCube, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Oculus Quest 2, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Zeebo.
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