Resident Evil Requiem was easily the biggest title to come out of Summer Game Fest this year, and while it was great to be treated to a live demo during our first day at SGF Play Days, it just isn’t the same as actually playing it first hand. Capcom allowed us to do just that ahead of Gamescom, and it’s still bone-chilling.
If you read our First Look at the game from SGF, I already summarized the demo there, so none of the details in this hands-on article are really “new,” but we’re glad you’re here anyway!
That said, one of the closing points I made was that the person playing the demo eventually unveiled that the game could also be played entirely in third-person, and that’s exactly what I did.
She’s already spooked. Poor thing.
Having seen the demo played already, even though it’s been a while, l already had a general idea of what to do. That being said, of course everything looks easy when you’re watching it. But when you actually have the controller in your hands? It’s game over.
This is where I should point out that aside from very brief experiences dabbling with various entries here and there, I have little to no experience with Resident Evil, much less the vast majority of the survival horror genre. So when I went through the entirety of the demo only dying once, I was quite proud. I only got one Game Over screen!
I will say, though, it was quite gruesome seeing Grace Ashcroft get her head bitten off.
Walking around here in third-person is a lot more manageable than doing it in first-person.
Getting back to the experience playing in third-person, it did enough to make the experience feel different. You move extremely slowly, but considering we were just hanging upside down near a ward bed, it makes sense. Everything looked absolutely beautiful, and the lack of light really made you long for a lighter to which we eventually found. That creepy unicorn statue that I talked about in the last preview? Creepier when you’re actually playing.
Requiem’s sound design is simply exquisite, so if you’re playing the game with a decent pair of 3D headphones, your senses will definitely take over to keep your head on a swivel. From the buzzing and clicking of the flickering fluorescent lights to slight sound of footsteps that you know aren’t your own, the look, feel, and sound combine to create a menacing experience. Including my one death, I counted three jump scares that I tried to play off with Capcom’s PR as uncomfortable smiles. I’m sure Siera knew though.
Because I’ve never played a Resident Evil before, while it’s obvious you have to stay alive, I didn’t know that at times, you have to go ahead and risk taking damage. Once I got to the point where that neanderthal of a monster was giving chase, using the ceiling as high ground to also break any light source, I found myself cornered. The only way to leave the room I was in and get to the elevator was to actually go around the monster which would result in making direct with it, so I YOLO’d on over, suffered a nasty bite, but I was able to bring the fuse to the elevator shaft and make my way out–ending the demo.
All this said, Resident Evil Requiem is shaping up well. Since I’m not a Resident Evil guy, I’m probably gonna allocate this review to someone else on staff when the game comes out on February 27th of next year, but I definitely enjoyed my time with the demo, and I’d say that’s saying a lot.
Resident Evil Requiem was easily the biggest title to come out of Summer Game Fest this year, and while it was great to be treated to a live demo during our first day at SGF Play Days, it just isn’t…
Resident Evil Requiem was easily the biggest title to come out of Summer Game Fest this year, and while it was great to be treated to a live demo during our first day at SGF Play Days, it just isn’t the same as actually playing it first hand. Capcom allowed us to do just that ahead of Gamescom, and it’s still bone-chilling.
If you read our First Look at the game from SGF, I already summarized the demo there, so none of the details in this hands-on article are really “new,” but we’re glad you’re here anyway!
That said, one of the closing points I made was that the person playing the demo eventually unveiled that the game could also be played entirely in third-person, and that’s exactly what I did.
She’s already spooked. Poor thing.
Having seen the demo played already, even though it’s been a while, l already had a general idea of what to do. That being said, of course everything looks easy when you’re watching it. But when you actually have the controller in your hands? It’s game over.
This is where I should point out that aside from very brief experiences dabbling with various entries here and there, I have little to no experience with Resident Evil, much less the vast majority of the survival horror genre. So when I went through the entirety of the demo only dying once, I was quite proud. I only got one Game Over screen!
I will say, though, it was quite gruesome seeing Grace Ashcroft get her head bitten off.
Walking around here in third-person is a lot more manageable than doing it in first-person.
Getting back to the experience playing in third-person, it did enough to make the experience feel different. You move extremely slowly, but considering we were just hanging upside down near a ward bed, it makes sense. Everything looked absolutely beautiful, and the lack of light really made you long for a lighter to which we eventually found. That creepy unicorn statue that I talked about in the last preview? Creepier when you’re actually playing.
Requiem’s sound design is simply exquisite, so if you’re playing the game with a decent pair of 3D headphones, your senses will definitely take over to keep your head on a swivel. From the buzzing and clicking of the flickering fluorescent lights to slight sound of footsteps that you know aren’t your own, the look, feel, and sound combine to create a menacing experience. Including my one death, I counted three jump scares that I tried to play off with Capcom’s PR as uncomfortable smiles. I’m sure Siera knew though.
Because I’ve never played a Resident Evil before, while it’s obvious you have to stay alive, I didn’t know that at times, you have to go ahead and risk taking damage. Once I got to the point where that neanderthal of a monster was giving chase, using the ceiling as high ground to also break any light source, I found myself cornered. The only way to leave the room I was in and get to the elevator was to actually go around the monster which would result in making direct with it, so I YOLO’d on over, suffered a nasty bite, but I was able to bring the fuse to the elevator shaft and make my way out–ending the demo.
All this said, Resident Evil Requiem is shaping up well. Since I’m not a Resident Evil guy, I’m probably gonna allocate this review to someone else on staff when the game comes out on February 27th of next year, but I definitely enjoyed my time with the demo, and I’d say that’s saying a lot.
by Danreb Victorio
