Novistador/gameplay

Although the greatest asset a Novistador has is itself invisibility, it is also something easily overcome if the player pays attention. A Novistador's eyes never disappear when cloaked and the creature still makes plenty of sound when in motion. The laser of Leon's weapons will make it apparent when targeting an invisible Novistador, showing the same appearance as when targeting any other enemy. On the Wii version of Resident Evil 4, the targeting reticule will actually turn red even when over a cloaked Novistador.

A Novistador can only attack in close range, making it vital to keep it at distant. Its claws and acid can wear Leon down quickly and if his health is even at a quarter, a Novistador's claw can instantly decapitate him and the acid can instantly eat away his entire face. It is possible for Leon to get a prompt for a kick maneuver when a Novistador attacks, giving a player ample opportunity to finish it off. As noted above, the best opportunity later to kill a Novistador is to shoot it while it is in mid-flight. If the creature never lands, this will kill it instantly. Otherwise, it will still bring it down and leave it open to a follow-up attack.

Novistadors are vital to treasure hunters. Their eyes are considered treasure with three ranging colors, green being the most common, red being uncommon, and blue being rare. One eye of each color can be combined with the Butterfly Lamp to create an extremely valuable piece of treasure (worth 32,000 PTAS).