Cohen 1939 Beginner Tips: How to Stop Dying
Cohen 1939 looks like a twin-stick shooter, but it plays like a sequence of small puzzles with a very short fuse. These tips come from the Steam store description, the official screenshots and launch-week Steam reviews from players in English, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Russian. Where players disagree, that is said.
The rules that never change
- One hit kills. A bullet, a knife or a dog bite ends you, and the same goes for almost every enemy. Bosses and a few special enemies are the exception: bosses have several hearts, and some later enemies shrug off gunfire. See the boss guide.
- Death is cheap. You restart at the last checkpoint inside the level, not at the start of the chapter. Several reviewers say this is what keeps the game from being frustrating, so treat early deaths as scouting.
- You do not reload. Every gun has a few rounds. When it is empty, throw it and take the next one off the floor or off a body.
Throwing is the core trick
The keys the tutorial teaches: right-click throws, the middle mouse button locks your aim onto an enemy, Space executes, Shift uses your skill. Full list on the controls page.
Any weapon can be thrown. The store page and players agree on what happens:
- An empty gun thrown at an enemy knocks them down. Walk up and finish them before they stand.
- A thrown knife or dagger kills outright, quietly.
- Bats, axes and other melee weapons can be thrown too, which matters in boss fights where you walk in empty-handed.
The loop most players settle into is: shoot until empty, throw the gun, finish the stunned enemy, pick up whatever they dropped.
Noise decides how many enemies come
- Gunfire is loud. Shooting pulls nearby enemies towards the sound. Players single out the silenced pistol as the one firearm that does not.
- Doors make noise when you open them.
- Glass is see-through both ways. Bullets and thrown objects pass through windows, and enemies can spot you through them.
- Noise is also a lure. The store page itself suggests making noise to draw enemies towards you. Pull one or two into a corridor where only one can reach you at a time.
See them first
Your view range is short and the camera does not zoom out, which several reviewers name as the hardest part of the game. The minimap shows the yellow cone of what enemies can see. Before you commit to a room:
- Check the minimap for cones.
- If you are playing Elisa, send the raven ahead to look and distract (see the four killers).
- Pick the first target, ideally the one with a rifle. Snipers are the enemies players complain about most.
When a fight goes wrong
Back out to a doorway or corner. Enemies who spot you tend to rush in a group, and a player tip that turns up more than once is to aim at the door and let them come through one at a time. Shotguns are strong here, and the double-barrel can blow through a door and the people behind it.
Small things worth knowing
- Breakable objects count. Smashing 200 of them is an achievement (Wrecking Machine).
- Some crates block bullets and some do not, and the game does not always make it obvious. A Chinese reviewer’s complaint is that you find out by dying. Assume thin cover is not cover.
- Use aim lock. The middle mouse button locks your crosshair onto an enemy, which helps against fast rushers.
- Controller players: some tutorial prompts only show keyboard and mouse keys. The default skill key is Shift.
- The opening is meant to kill you. Richard’s last stand in the first level is a scripted death, so the endless enemies there are not a skill check.
- Badges are your currency. Level grades pay out badges, which unlock weapons and skill upgrades. Spend them early; see weapons and unlocks.
Where to go next
- Stuck on a boss: boss guide
- Stuck in a sneaking section: stealth guide
- Something is broken: bugs and fixes
Noted. One more name off the list.