Weapons
Every weapon James finds on his way through town, from the Wooden Plank to the Hunting Rifle, plus what it takes to unlock the Chainsaw.
Melee
Wooden Plank
James's very first weapon, picked up before he's even properly inside town. It's there to get you through the opening stretch — swap it out the moment something better turns up.
- Free, always available from the very start
- Enough to put down the first couple of encounters
- Slow, weak swing
- Outclassed the moment you find the Steel Pipe
Steel Pipe
A straightforward upgrade over the Wooden Plank. Good for saving Handgun bullets on the weaker regulars you'll meet throughout the Apartments and the streets around them.
- Noticeably harder-hitting than the Plank
- Still free — no ammo to manage
- Still a melee weapon — you take the risk of closing the distance
- Falls off against anything durable later on
Great Knife
A heavy two-handed blade found deep in the underground stretch of the game. By the time you find it you'll likely be relying on guns for anything dangerous, but it's a solid last resort when you're out of ammo.
- Wide, sweeping arc that can catch more than one enemy
- Hits considerably harder than the Steel Pipe
- Slow to recover between swings
- Still puts you within an enemy’s reach to land a hit
Handguns
Handgun
Your first gun and the one you'll lean on for most of the early game. Load it from the menu before a fight you can see coming — reloading in the open leaves you exposed for a long moment.
- Handgun Bullets
- Reliable range and accuracy
- Ammo is fairly common through the early game
- Takes a lot of rounds to bring down anything tougher than a regular
- Weak against bosses without a lot of bullets stockpiled
Shotguns
Shotgun
The best answer to anything that gets in your face. Save your shells for tight rooms with multiple enemies and for bosses where missing isn't an option.
- Shotgun Shells
- Devastating up close, especially against groups
- The right call against Flesh Lips
- Loses most of its value at range
- Shells are scarcer than Handgun bullets — don’t waste them on regulars you can avoid
Rifles
Hunting Rifle
A precision weapon worth hoarding rather than spending on regular enemies. It genuinely earns its keep in the game's boss fights, where you get enough room to actually aim.
- Rifle Bullets
- High damage at long range
- The best tool against Abstract Daddy and the final boss
- Awkward to line up in the game’s tighter indoor corridors
- The rarest ammo type in the game