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Resident Evil Village, the next instalment in Capcom’s iconic franchise, is almost upon us. But if you’re as excited as I am then May 7th still feels very far away. Luckily, Capcom have been treating PlayStation owners to two lovely playable demo’s of the game over the last couple of weekends. But this weekend coming everyone gets a chance to play.
Starting at 1 AM on Sunday, 2nd May, in the UK (1st May at 5 PM PT in North America), Capcom will release the third demo, for one week on PlayStation 5, PS4, Stadia, Steam, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The two locations (‘Village’ and ‘Castle’) previously available exclusively to Sony acolytes, will be available to all. Players will be able to dip in and out of both locations. There is one issue though, you will only get a total of 6o minutes to experience in the game.
To some, this may be more than enough time to whet their appetite. But if you’re on the fence about purchasing Resident Evil Village, you may need more time. Or you may rush through the two areas in an effort to see as much as possible without really absorbing what’s going on and end your time still on the fence. But fear not, over the last two weekend windows to play the demo’s I’ve ignored my family and responsibilities to squeeze every last moment out of each area. So settle in and enjoy a spoiler-free rundown of what to expect.
The Village
Firstly, it goes without saying, Resident Evil Village is gorgeous. Capcom’s RE: Engine looks even better here than it did in the Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis remakes. The Village demo kicks things off in the titular area, which is more than reminiscent of Resident Evil 4’s village. You’ll be greeted by a lovely rambling old lady who owns a staff with skulls on it. Delightful. From here you’re free to look around, find classic Resident Evil notes to read, get glimpses of puzzles to come and meet a few residents of the village.
Although the demo isn’t completely linear, giving you a few short branching paths to explore. It is pretty straightforward thanks to helpful notes and visual cues on where to go. It’s also more story-focused than ‘The Castle’ demo. There are a couple of puzzles to solve to gain entry to the Castle in the distance and, once you do, the demo will end. On Casual difficulty (I know, I know) I completed the demo without skipping any cutscenes in just over 24 minutes. I didn’t rush, backtracked a few times and got spent far too long avoiding a cornfield.
The Castle
If you thought it wasn’t safe outside, wait until you go indoors! It’s time to take a tour of Lady Dimitrescu, the 9ft vampire lady’s, humble abode. Once again, you’re left to explore at your leisure smash a few pots and find some treasure.
You’ll eventually find yourself in the dungeon of the castle where you’ll meet a bunch of jolly sword and axe-wielding folk. They aren’t friendly and are all stubborn, five pistol bullets to the face stubborn, so be ready.
This section of the demo is much more combat-focussed. Although I’m trying to keep things vague I want to give some advice to get the most out of your experience. Once you reach a room with four angel statues, before you go upstairs check the side rooms. You’ll meet a merchant who can sell you a shotgun if you have enough currency/treasure - everyone deserves a chance to play with the shotgun, you should buy it.
It could be because I ran everywhere, or maybe I got lucky with the routes I chose. Or it could’ve even been because I had a shotgun. But I completed this demo in 14 minutes. So take your time, enjoy the surroundings and shoot something in the face.
Lycan What You See?
Hopefully, this will stop any FOMO induced panic attacks you may be having. Giving you more time to enjoy the vampire and Lycan induced panic attacks instead. And don’t forget, once you’ve fallen in love with Resident Evil Village, get your pre-order in place with us. Of course, if you still need convincing we’ll have a review out shortly after its May 7th release.