Cane Sword

Cane Sword is James Patterson's signature melee weapon.

Description
Since you character is a famous fencer, this silver cane sword is your own personal special item. You acquire your silver cane sword almost as soon as your start the game. It's inside your own family trunk, which is just in front of where you begin. The cane sword has a longer reach and does more damage than your bare Fists. You can also swing it fairly fast, although not nearly as rapidly as you can swing your fists. Because you cannot swing it as quickly as your fists, some enemies (such as Ghouls or Desmodiij) will not be constantly stunned by it and will be able to strike you between hits.

Strategy
The best way to use the cane sword is to take advantage of its increased range. Instead of running right up to an enemy's face and whacking them, you should instead stay as far away as possible from the enemy and strike them with the very tip of the sword. This should keep them at bay and prevent them from hitting you between swings. Whether you decide to use the cane sword or your fists as your default melee weapon is pretty much a personal choice. While the fists strike quickly and almost always prevent an enemy from attacking you, the cane sword kills more quickly and lets you stay a bit further away from the enemy while fighting them. The cane sword also has a wider arc than your fists, which makes it more useful when you're attacked by multiple enemies at the same time.