Capcom understands Resident Evil’s secret sauce, and that’s evident in this first demo of upcoming entry, Resident Evil Requiem.
At a recent demo event prior to Gamescom, playing on a PS5 Pro, we were able to test out about 20 minutes of the upcoming survival horror. Except, we played through this demo twice: once in first-person and once in third-person. Both have their advantages, as we’ll get into later.
There was very little context for this demo, beyond our introduction to protagonist Grace Ashcroft, the daughter of Raccoon City survivor Alyssa Ashcroft from the Resident Evil Outbreak games. That’s a deep cut which will surely delight long-time fans of the franchise.
In the opening cutscene of the demo, the Japanese publisher flexes its RE Engine muscle by pulling the camera close to the heroine, as she struggles to escape from a hospital bed, where some kind of nefarious experiment is taking place.
She’s eventually able to break the container of the IV drip she’s been inexplicably hooked up to, and in a wince inducing sequence she uses the broken glass to cut herself free, snatching at her skin in the process.
It’s the kind of scene you’ll want to watch through your fingers, but that’s just Resident Evil doing what it does best.
From there, with full control – again, both in first-person and third-person – we were able to move Grace around the corridors of a seemingly abandoned hospital.
The lighting is the first thing that stands out here, and we suspect it’s going to play a fundamental part in the gameplay.
For example, our first destination was an empty kitchen room, but we couldn’t see anything at the end of the corridor. It was only later, when we discovered a lighter, we decided to return here with an actual light source.
This is all intended, of course, but Capcom’s meticulous design makes you feel like you’re in Ashcroft’s shoes and figuring it out as you go along. Upon returning, we discovered there was a dead body in the darkness – and a Quasimodo-style beast lurking behind us.
For the purposes of this preview, we’re going to refer to this monster as Quasimodo, because – at least at the time we’re writing this – Capcom hasn’t given him an official name. He’s got big bug eyes, poor posture, and looks a bit like the kind of biological waste you’d find in your toilet after a bhuna, though. A face very much fit for a flamethrower!
Anyway, ever since Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, this franchise has played host to some brilliant scenarios where you’re being stalked. But more recently we like to think of Jack from Resident Evil 7: Biohazard or even Lady Dimitrescu from Resident Evil: Village.
This feels like more of that, but we suspect it’s going to play an even bigger role.
Our ultimate objective was to find a screwdriver so we could remove the fuse from an electronics box and place it somewhere else, enabling us to make our escape. Very Resident Evil, eh?
But with Quasimodo stalking us, it wasn’t easy. Initially we tried to outrun the foe, but he just kept tracking us down again. Eventually, we learned we needed to play a game of cat-and-mouse with him, moving a hospital trolley gradually from one side of a small room to the other in order to climb up to a toolbox.
Unlock the toolbox. Get the screwdriver. Steal the fuse. Get the f*ck out.
It sounds easy (and, to be honest, it is) but it’s white knuckle tense – we could feel ourselves gripping tighter and tighter on the DualSense as we felt our pursuer’s hulking footsteps closing on our position.
As we alluded to earlier, we played through the demo twice to see both perspectives – this will be an option available at launch.
What we found staggering about this is that while the demo plays out exactly the same in first-person and third-person, both options have tailored animations. For example, Grace slips and stumbles when running in third-person, but she doesn’t in first-person. It’s the same game, but an immense amount of care has been invested into both.
And in some ways this will make for some tough decisions come launch day, on 27th February. We think the transition between cutscenes and gameplay is much more natural in third-person, but first-person lends itself better to a more immersive, higher-stakes gameplay experience. It’s going to be difficult to choose.
One final point we’ll conclude on: as Grace made her escape, she was followed by Quasimodo, who visibly gets fried by natural sunlight. Remember when we said we expected this to be a game all about lighting? We think sunlight is going to be a sanctuary here – not only because you’ll be able to see, but also because it’ll keep you safe.
Obviously, this demo only reflects a small sliver of the overall game, but it’s impressive as hell. The tension is off the charts and the presentation is among the best we’ve seen on the PS5 to date. If it’s anywhere near representative of the final product, then this is going to be an all-timer for sure.
What are your thoughts on Resident Evil Requiem now we’ve been lucky enough to go hands on? Are you looking forward to learning more about the plot in this game, and where it’s all going? Have you got the mental fortitude to escape from hulking flesh monsters? Scream in the comments section below.
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