Boss fights typically work as a one-on-one battle: in most games, players will tear through hundreds of lesser enemies, only to fight a larger enemy that's a lot tougher than its allies. Resident Evil works in a similar manner, but it makes some major tweaks to the formula: not only are the 'regular' enemies a threat, but bosses can annihilate players at a moment's notice.

So, how can you take that formula and make it even tougher? Why not put the boss up in the air, or surround it with smaller enemies? Why not do both?

That seems to be what Capcom was going for with Resident Evil 0's third boss fight, the Church Bat: not only are players forced to go one-on-one with a massive flying rodent, but its smaller, more obnoxious allies will join the fight to give it cover. It's one of the few fights in the game that can be an actual challenge - especially if you stumble onto the fight earlier than expected.

Don't worry - with a little preparation (and some serious firepower), the Church Bat will be grounded...permanently.

First things first: this is another one-character battle, in a similar manner to that of the Centurion battle. However, players will be able to choose who fights the monster - and you'll probably want to send in whoever has more health upon arriving at the church.

After clearing out the Training Facility, players will make their way to the church. To enter, you'll need to have someone stand on the top-left square in an outdoor altar - this is a good time to give your ammo and supplies to whoever's fighting the Church Bat. If you read our previous guide, you'll have saved the Grenade Launcher for later - this is the time to use it. Once you're loaded up on health and ammo, head inside.

To actually trigger the fight, you'll need to head into the small room off to the side. Thankfully, there's a save point inside, along with a box of Napalm grenades and shotgun shells - pick up whatever ammo you can, save your progress, and head back out.

There are two strategies to fighting the Church Bat: the quick method (shown above) and the safe method. The quick method uses whatever grenades you've brought along thus far, and can end the fight in less than a minute - but it'll leave you vulnerable to the smaller bats that join the fight later on. The safe method will burn through your shotgun rounds and take a bit longer, but it'll help with the smaller enemies. It's good to try and pick a method early - we tend to favor the quick method over anything else.

Whichever method you choose, the biggest obstacle in the Church Bat fight will be trying to actually hit the thing. The camera won't do you any favors, as the angle is so wide that it can be hard to tell where the monster is in relation to your gun. On top of that, smaller bats will swarm you roughly halfway through the fight - while they don't do much damage on their own, they'll mess with your auto-targeting, and can pull your aim away from the boss itself.

One trick is to wait until the Church Bat flies in low to try and grab you - it's the closest the boss will ever get to you, and you can land a few good shots during the animation. Either way, both high-powered weapons should make short work of the Church Bat - just make sure to keep an eye on your health, as damage can build up quickly without much warning.

Thankfully, the frustration caused by a bad lock-on system and warped perspective are somewhat alleviated by the nearby checkpoint - if you happen to die, just reload and try again!

If you've been having trouble with Resident Evil 0's earlier fights, you can check out our guides to the Giant Scorpion and Centurion boss fights - and make sure to read our review of Capcom's latest HD remaster!

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