Get Gassed for the Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Demo

The release of the Resident Evil 4 remake is so close that I’m feeling tingly all over. Some would say that the original game was so perfect, we don’t even need a remake. They would be wrong, but some would say that. The bones that Capcom has been throwing us in the shape of trailers and actual gameplay have been tasty morsels, but we needed more and dammit, they gave it to us. Let’s take a dive into the murky, plagas-infested waters of the newly released Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Demo. Get your bingo card ready.

This specially made demo features an intro to the game that was built  just around this demo, that is to say the real game’s intro may be a bit different. There is no time restriction on this demo and players can repeat it as many times as desired, which means we get to explore the intricacies of the demo as much as our gross little hearts desire, and boy, do we desire.

Resident Evil 4 takes place 6 years after the events of Resident Evil 2. Wee little Leon S. Kennedy may have started as a newb that fateful night, but now he’s an Emo-haired pro that is swishing his bangs all around the Spanish countryside in search of the President’s daughter. She has been captured by a dangerous cult and he’s there to get her back Unfortunately, Umbrella has their grimy hands in this too and everyone is infected with a sexy little parasite called the Las Plagas.

Straight out of the gate, these graphics are *chef’s kiss*. There are moments where the textures are a bit iffy, notably textures that don’t play center stage, like the texture of a rag on the top shelf or the hair on a deer’s butt. Truly those are just nitpicking but there was one thing that truly bothered me. In the Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Demo, Leon walks a path with branches and brambles that he needs to push out of the way to get through. The branches move but the leaves are stiff as a board. That, for some reason, bugged me to no end. My neurosis aside, this game looks like it’s going to be incredible.

The same baby-faced character model from the RE2 remake returns with new and improved early 2000s hair. The Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Demo follows the same path as the original with Leon stumbling upon a decrepit village with standing water and bones everywhere. The smell must be unbearable. Weaving his way through the huts that are falling apart, Leon comes upon a man that seems normal until he attacks our guy. Leon hands out wicked kicks which make the man fall, breaking his neck. But don’t worry, he’s not down for long and he and his buddies attack Leon.

Jumping out of the window (as you do), Leon makes his way to the center of the village where the policia he was set to meet is unceremoniously set on fire. This is nearly shot for shot of the original game, albeit more gory and disturbing. It’s incredible (especially if you have recently played the original) to see the game you love so much new and improved. The whole layout of the center of the village is the same. The biggest difference is a gameplay mechanic that was added in the remake. Y’all, there are stealth kills!!!

Because Leon is now able to crouch to get into small spaces, he can sneak up behind a villager and give them the old “knife in the throat” trick. It seems like a small addition but it completely changes the way players can maneuver their way through the game. OR, you can be my husband who did a sleek sneak kill and then immediately accidentally shot his gun, thereby alerting the entire village of his presence. It was comedy gold.

Like the original, once the village is alerted, you have to survive a certain amount of time before the church bells ring and everyone goes to bingo. Sounds easy except these villagers are FAST AF BOI. They will run up on you before you can say “Jill Sandwich.” Thankfully, a shot to the knee and a roundhouse kick to the face will bring them down enough to shank them into the next life. Except if they have a chainsaw. If you hear a “vroom vroom” just….run the other way. Something small but very cool I noticed in the demo is when you repeatedly use your knife over and over, when you finally stop, Leon will rub and stretch his arm a bit like it’s tired and sore. Little things like that can change the immersion of a game.

The Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Demo was short. It’s only about 15 minutes but you can meander and take in the sights and smells. The save mechanic is still a typewriter but we don’t get to experience it sadly. I want, nay NEED, to know if the original save music is back. It’s iconic. We do get a glimpse of Hunnigan and may I say, respectfully, yowza. We also saw a flash of Krauser in an intro cutscene. Also, the attache case storage is back and so are eggs! It’s like Easter up in this piece.

I cannot WAIT to play the full game. I need to know how much will be brought from the original. Will there be collectibles? What about the merchant? So far it looks to have the charm of the original with a heavy increase in eeriness and tension. The Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Demo whetted our appetites and we only have 2 weeks until we get to dive into the full game. You can play the Resident Evil Chainsaw Demo now! Let us know what you think and pre-order the game before its release on March 24th.