At the Resident Evil showcase event on January 21, Capcom revealed a ton of new information on the upcoming Resident Evil 8, confirming some exciting details about the next-gen survival-horror game. During the presentation, Capcom also announced a free Resident Evil 8 demo for PlayStation 5 owners to try, giving fans a small taste of what they can expect from the full game.
And it is a very small taste. The Resident Evil 8 demo is primarily focused on showcasing the game’s visuals and audio, but while it’s not all that comprehensive, it’s still something franchise fans will want to check out for themselves.
The first thing players will notice about Resident Evil 8 isn’t necessarily its impressive graphics. The Maiden demo starts players out in a dark dungeon that doesn’t have much opportunity to really show off its visuals. However, something players will notice in these early parts of the demo is how smooth Resident Evil 8 runs. The Resident Evil 8 demo maintains 60 frames per second throughout the entire experience with zero hiccups. It runs perfectly in this small scale experience, so while the full game could very well have unforeseen issues, there’s nothing in the demo to give that impression.
Once players make their way out of the dungeon and into the castle, they will be treated to sights that really help Resident Evil 8‘s visuals pop. Resident Evil 8‘s lighting is jaw-dropping, giving the game a decidedly next-gen feel. Even though Resident Evil 8 is technically cross-gen now, it’s hard to see how the game could reach this level of performance on PS4 or Xbox One, so it’s no surprise the demo is a PS5 exclusive.
The Resident Evil 8 Maiden demo leaves a lasting impression with its graphics, which look absolutely stunning on the PlayStation 5. But it’s not the only aspect of the game that feels next-gen.
The Resident Evil 8 Maiden demo utilizes the PlayStation 5’s 3D audio capabilities to great effect. Anyone that plays through the demo without headphones is doing themselves a disservice, as Capcom has done some incredible audio work here. Sometimes players are bombarded by horrific sounds, but the scariest noises are the more subtle ones, like the sounds of footsteps in another room or one startling moment where players hear a voice say, “I’m watching you.”
The Resident Evil 8 Maiden demo uses sound to create an eerie atmosphere, with some well-placed jump scares to ratchet up the tension even further. The superb audio works well with the game’s gorgeous visuals to help the Resident Evil 8 Maiden demo create some genuinely next-gen scares.
The Resident Evil 7: Beginning Hour demo included a mysterious dummy finger that seemingly had no purpose. Fans spent countless hours trying to figure out what it could possibly do, though it was eventually revealed that it didn’t do anything. Eventually, Capcom released an update for the Resident Evil 7: Beginning Hour demo that gave the finger a purpose, and maybe it will do the same for a similar item in the Resident 8 Maiden demo.
As players explore the Resident Evil 8 demo, they will acquire a variety of items. These include a scrap of paper that clues them in on how to escape the dungeon, as well as a bone necklace that, like the RE7 finger, doesn’t have any obvious purpose. As players spend more time playing through the Resident Evil 8 demo, they may very well discover something that this necklace does, but as it stands, but if it does anything, no one has figured it out yet.
The Resident Evil 8 demo does a good job of showcasing the game’s graphics as they will appear on the PlayStation 5, as well as establishing a decidedly creepy atmosphere and highlighting the villains. It also confirms that the game is going to play very similarly to Resident Evil 7, which will be a good or bad thing depending on how one felt about that game. So fans of Resident Evil 7 should have a lot to look forward with RE8, though there were many aspects of the gameplay that aren’t on display in the demo.
One improvement that Resident Evil 8 boasts over RE7 is improved combat, with Ethan Winters having access to more firepower and now able to guard against enemy attacks. The game also features more enemy types, whereas Resident Evil 7 was pretty much restricted to the Baker family and the black slime creatures that stalked around their property. The Resident Evil 8 demo features no combat at all, and so it’s difficult to gauge whether the more action-oriented approach will land with fans.
Resident Evil 8‘s inventory system is also not really featured in the demo. While players collect items and can look back at them, the actual Resident Evil 8 inventory that Ethan Winters will have access to in the full game is very similar to the one from Resident Evil 4. This means that inventory management is going to be a bigger deal in the full game, with players having to organize their inventory if they want to carry more items. A crafting system is also going to be featured through the inventory menu, with players not given any chance to experience that in the demo either.
And finally, the Resident Evil 8 demo doesn’t feature The Duke. The Duke is the new merchant in Resident Evil 8, and it seems as though he will play a significant role in terms of progression. So with his absence and the lack of combat, it’s hard to say that the Resident Evil 8 demo is really indicative of what fans can expect from the final game’s gameplay. But it should still leave fans optimistic that the final game will run brilliantly and look great – on next-gen consoles, at least.
It could be that Resident Evil fans will have the chance to try the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game ahead of launch as well, as Capcom has said that a second demo will be released sometime this spring. With the Resident Evil 8 release date being May 7, it’s likely that the demo will launch at some point in late March or April. Whether it’s a retread of this demo or something completely different remains to be seen, but more information should come to light in the weeks ahead.
Hopefully the second Resident Evil 8 demo showcases aspects of the game that this demo did not, like combat and crafting. It would also be nice to see how the game performs on last-gen consoles, as some cross-gen games have been struggling. Regardless, fans will find out once the full game releases later this year.
Resident Evil 8 launches May 7 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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