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The mysterious Merchant is one of Resident Evil’s most iconic characters, despite only appearing in a single game. If anything, he’s become even more enigmatic inResident Evil 4 Remake, thanks in no small part to his ability to establish several pirate-themed attractions throughout the Plaga-infested castle and its surroundings! The Shooting Gallery minigame is certainly strange, but the rewards are well worth the effort.
Related:Resident Evil 4 Remake: Combat Tips
Completing all the games in the Shooting Gallery requires mastery of every weapon in Leon’s arsenal, as well as a good amount of trial-and-error. While the only thing that will improve your aim is practice, this guide has tips and strategies for getting the highest possible score in each challenge.
Updated Jun 21, 2025:We’ve updated this article to include video guides for each of the Shooting Gallery challenge series.
Where Is The Shooting Gallery?
The Merchant hasseveral hideouts throughout the game, large chambers that are safe from the monsters outside. Each of these hideouts has an elevator, usually positioned just behind the Merchant himself. The elevator alwayslooks out-of-place, so it should be fairly easy to spot.
The elevator takes you to the Shooting Gallery, which is always the same no matter where you entered it from. Each time you discover a new Hideout, three more games are added to the Shooting Gallery, and you can always playevery unlocked challengeonce you’re there. All you have to do is approach the target range andpress the button in the centerto select a challenge.
Shooting Gallery Scoring
The targets in the Shooting Gallery are all cartoony pirates. Hitting them will increase your score, while shooting white-uniformed sailors will reduce it. The goal is to reach thehighest possible scoreby the time the clock runs out or the last target is destroyed. While there is no score bonus for hitting multiple targets at once, you’ll need to do so in order to clear many challenges within the time limit.
A few targets will havecircular Skull tokens. These are worth extra points, and hitting all of a challenge’s Skulls in a single attempt will earn extra rewards.
You can earn up to three stars on each challenge for exceeding the Merchant’s point goal. Depending on the challenge, you’ll earn stars for every excess 1,000 or 1,500 points. The only way to earn three stars in a game is topull off a perfect run, hitting every target (including Skulls), triggering the bonus round, and not hitting any sailors. It’s a lot easier said than done!
What Is The Reward For Completing The Shooting Gallery?
Earning high scores and destroying Skull Tokens earns Tokens that can be spent at the capsule machine to the right of the Shooting Gallery exit. Spending three tokens will earn arandom Charmthat can be equipped at the typewriter for gameplay bonuses. Charms can provideimproved healing, better drop rates, lower prices, and more! You can also sell Charms for extra pesetas.
Gold Tokens are much harder to earn than Silver Tokens, but each Gold Token spent at the machine gives a higher chance(but not a guarantee)of earning a Rare or Epic Charm.
Late in the game, you cantrade Spinels to the Merchantfor Gold Tokens, but this isn’t recommended on your first playthrough. There are much better things to spend your resources on.
Village Challenges (Series 1)
The Shooting Gallery in the Village is at the Merchant’s underground hideout near the lake. You’ll find it for the first time after passing through the quarry.
3,000 points
5,000 points
7,000 points
Destroy All Skulls
Gold Token
This basic course is great for familiarizing yourself with the Shooting Gallery’s rules.Shoot the pirates, but don’t hit the sailors.
The first round is fairly straightforward - watch for thefirst Skull on the left side, followed shortly by thesecond Skull on the right.Shoot methodically to hit each pirate - they don’t move much, and you have plenty of time.
Things get more frantic after the reload break. The second group of pirates has a Skull on the first target;aim for the far left corner and wait for your reticule to narrowfor your best chance at hitting it.
When the final group of pirates appears (moving clockwise), don’t try to shoot them all - you’ll run out of bullets. Instead,wait for the pirate in the center to appearand shoot the dynamite in his hand to destroy all the targets at once.
If you successfully hit all the pirates (twenty-seven in total), the bonus round will trigger. Start byshooting the Skull in the far right corner, then shoot the chest on the far left to revealanother Skull behind it.
Three parrots will fly across the top of the gallery - they’re hard to hit, but thethird carries a Skullthat you’ll need to hit for the full bonus.
The game ends immediately after thethird parrot leaves.If you have time, take out any remaining chests before shooting the parrot!
4,000 points
The key to perfecting this challenge is to make use of the rifle’s ability topenetrate one enemy into another.The first section requires you tocarefully aimthrough the scopeto hit Skulls and pirates peeking their heads out from barrels.
The very first target consists of a rotating captain with a pirate behind - be sure to hit both with one shot!
After the reload break, you’ll have to fire through the gap in a line of sailors. Watch for pirates to cross in front of one another to get double kills. After you see a captain hiding behind a sailor, be ready for the next challenge - a pirate will slowly come from the right, and a second willquickly dash out from the leftwhen he’s about halfway across. Time your shot to hit both.
If you hit all the pirates, you’ll trigger a bonus round. A parrot will slowlymove across the topof the gallery carrying Skulls, whilechests will move across the bottommuch faster. Save the parrot for last, or you’ll miss at least one of the chests.
When a chest is moving from left to right, try to hit it so that the shotpenetrates into the stationary chest with a Skullon the right side.
6,000 points
8,000 points
For this challenge, you’ll need toswap between the pistol and the rifleas the situation dictates. The first pirate is in a barrel;shoot the barrel twiceto reveal the Skull underneath. Continue taking out pirates with the pistol until they start using sailors as cover. At that point,switch to the rifleto eliminate consecutive targets. The captain hiding between two sailors in the center has aSkull on his stomach, and the pirate to the left can barely be seen behind his hostage.
Switch back to the pistol to shoot the pirate captain on the right - there’s a sailor behind him that a rifle round will hit!
When a line of sailors appears,use the rifleto hit pirates as they pass the center of the gallery. One of the crossing pairs has a Skull at head level. After hitting a pirate in a barrel through another pirate,switch back to the pistolto hit the spinning captains - particularly the one on the left with a Skull.
The bonus round is chaotic, but comparatively easy -use the pistolto hit the Skulls carried by the parrots and chests, then just shoot as many targets as you can before time runs out.
Related:Resident Evil 4 Remake: Chapter Three Walkthrough
Castle Challenges (Series 2)
The Shooting Gallery in Castle Salazar is first accessible in Chapter Nine, immediately after escaping the Courtyard.
You need to useshort, controlled burststo hit every pirate without clipping any of the fast-moving sailors. In the first half of the challenge,fire along the sidesto quickly eliminate each row of targets. In the second half,keep your aim squarely down the middleto hit Skulls and consecutive targets.
Don’t bother going for precise headshots against the pirates in barrels - it’s much faster to justdestroy the barrel with sustained fire.The second barrel pirate has a Skull hidden on his chest!
The Skull on the second row of dogs is tricky - use a quick burst todestroy the first two targets, then wait for the Skull to come around again to get a clearer shot. If you’re fast and precise you may still trigger the bonus round.
If you destroy all the pirates and have twenty or more seconds remaining, the bonus round will trigger. It mostly consists offast-moving chestsat ground level, but watch the sky for aparrot carrying the last Skull!The chest Skulls will always be on the left side, so if you have to make a choice,aim to the left.
9,000 points
Since you’re using a shotgun for this challenge, the pirates will appear in groups and the Skulls should be fairly easy to hit. The trouble is making sure that sailors don’t get caught in your blasts.Aim further to the sidefrom your targets than you normally would to avoid collateral damage.
Use the dot at the center of the aiming reticule toensure that you hit Skulls.
During the reload break,move slightly to the right.This will give you a much better angle to hit the third Skull and the pirates behind the row of sailors.
All the Skulls are plainly visible during the main round, so if you trigger the bonus round bydestroying all targets with thirty or more seconds remaining,you’re able to simply focus on racking up more points.
12,000 points
Keep the TMP equipped at the start and use it toeliminate the rows of pirates on either side.Use headshots if you can to quickly take out the pirates protected by barrels,except for the third one; he’s got a Skull hidden on his chest.
After the center row of three barrel pirates,switch to the shotgunand blast the groups of targets that appear. This will see you through to the reload break, where you havejust enough time to reload both weaponsand switch back to the shotgun.
Aim for the middle of the loose groups of three targets to catch them all with your shotgun’s scatter. When the sailors appear, there isone more enemy group to gobefore switching back to the TMP.
Carefully pick off targets as they appear,hitting the two Skulls in this final sectionif you’re able to. Completing the challenge with all targets destroyed and thirty seconds or more remaining triggers the bonus round. It’s easiest if youmove to the left side of the galleryduring the reload break.
Before the bonus round, you only really have time to reload the TMP. Do so, thenfire along the right sideto destroy as many treasure chests as you can. Do the same down the middle, thenswitch to the shotgunto hit chests and parrots along the left side.
Dungeon Challenges (Series 3)
you’re able to visit the third Shooting Gallery at thevery beginning of Chapter Eleven, after escaping from Verdugo in the castle dungeon.
This challenge is all about precision; several pirates will hold dynamite that willdestroy all targetswhen hit. You’ll need to think carefully about when to hit the dynamite and when to hold back so that you can shoot Skulls or avoid getting sailors caught in the blast.
The bonus round requires that you destroy all targetswith ten rounds or fewer, meaning you can’t afford to miss once if you want to get a perfect score. The key is towait for the sailor at the end of the first sectionto leave before detonating the pirate behind him.
Move to the left during the reload break for a better angle, then return to the center for the bonus round.
In the bonus round, wait for the area to be full of targets thenshoot the dynamiteto hit as many as possible. The difference between a two-star rating and three ishitting the final dynamiteas soon as possible; you need the extra points from the Time Bonus to put you over the edge!
Take advantage of the Punisher’s excellent accuracy and penetrating rounds tohit several targets in a row, including the Skulls on the pirates' chests. In both rounds, you’ll need tomove left and rightto get a firing angle that allows you to hit a full group. This is especially true at the end of the first round, where you need toshoot diagonallyto avoid hitting sailors!
The bonus round is triggered if you destroy all the pirates with ten shots or fewer. It’s fairly easygoing, with several chests lining up to let you hit four or even six at a time with the right angle! Watch the top of the stage for the parrot carrying the last Skull, and attempt to hit it as it crosses with the other bird coming from the right.
This challenge combines elements from the previous two; you’ll need to use the Punisher’s penetrating power to hit several targets at once while timing your shots on dynamite to destroy lots of pirates while sparing sailors.
Stay put throughout the challenge, until the final section before the bonus round. When a dynamite pirate appears on the right with a Skull over his face, move to the right andline up your shotto hit the skull and the pirates behind himwithout detonating the bomb.Return to the center and shoot over the sailor’s shoulder to hit the three pirates behind him, then do the same on the left side.
In the bonus round, once again triggered if you destroy all the pirates with ten or fewer shots,watch the topfor a parrot with a Skull, immediately followed by achest on the left.The dynamite pirate will catch the final Skull in his blast if you hit his bomb.
Island Challenges (Series 4)
The fourth Shooting Gallery is available from the start of Chapter Fourteen, after rescuing Ashley from her cell.
You’ll primarily use the Punisher for this stage, with the Riot Gun reserved for specific targets. Take it easy at first,carefully aiming to hit the Skullsthat appear on lone pirates. Wait for pirates to form lines to take them all down at once with a Punisher round, andswitch to the shotgunfor overhead enemies and irregular patterns.
When you see the large group of dogs appear,move to the rightand line up a shot as they come down that side of the gallery. You’ll be able to quickly get through them with only a few Punisher shots.
If you destroy every pirate target in twenty shots or fewer, you’ll trigger the bonus round. Watch the left side to start, where a group of parrots will emerge that can be taken out with the shotgun. Another flock will appear immediately on the right -this row is key, as they have a Skull.Finally, move to the center for the final group. Between parrot flocks,look for the remaining Skullsamong the moving chests at ground level.
2,000 points
Crossbow bolts travel much more slowly than bullets, so you’ll need toadjust heavily for this delay.They also have a bit of an arc at long ranges, soaim slightly higher than your targetif you’re shooting at the rear of the gallery.
To clear the barrels and groups from the midpoint forward, you’ll need touse the attachable minesfeature of the Bolt Thrower. Aim to land the mines on the targets themselves, rather than their path - this ensures that they’ll detonate and catch at least one pirate in the blast!
10,000 points
14,000 points
18,000 points
This is the ultimate target practice challenge, requiring you toswap between four weapons on the flyas suits each situation. Start with the pistol, thenswitch to the riflewhen the second group of sailors appears. Use the scope toshoot the Skullson the face of the leftmost pirate and the stomach of the rightmost.
Next, change to the TMP and move to the right. Use short bursts tomow down the row of targets that appears, then swap to the shotgun for the horizontal line. The shotgun or TMP can be used for the final row on the left before the reload break.
For the second round, start with the pistol once again. Shoot the ground targets, thenquickly switch to the pirates hanging from the rigging.You’ll need to be fast and precise to hit every target in this section - aimstraight down the centerfor your best chance.
When a row of sailors appears at the back,switch to the rifleand pick off the pirates as they move between the sailors. Aim down the middle for the best shot, but when two pirates cross in front for a double kill be ready toquickly shift your aim to the leftto catch a quick-moving pirate!
Next, a row of barrels will appear. Use the wide spread of the shotgun tobreak the barrels, being sure to catch the Skull just right-of center. Keep the shotgun to handle the dogs, thenswitch back to the rifle for the final round.
Position yourself so that the scope aimsdirectly down the center, using the line on the floor as a guide. Shoot through the entire row of pirates as they cross in front of you - go for a quintuple headshot to get theSkull on the first group.After two lines,aim to the rightand use your last bullet to hit the dynamite that appears.
If you manage to hitall one hundred pirates, you’ll trigger a bonus round. Reload the pistol during the break, thenswitch to the TMP and unload on the chestsat the bottom of the gallery. When parrots with Skulls appear, draw your pistol to hit the Skulls. If you can break 25,000 points on this challenge, you can consider yourself a master Resident Evil 4 Remake shooter!
