Resident Evil 2 Remake is without a doubt, one of the most anticipated horror games of 2019. As promised, Capcom has now officially released a short demo that allows players a sneak peek at the game before its launch on January 25.

However, as announced by Capcom a couple of days ago, the “1-Shot demo” will only allow players a maximum of thirty minutes to play the demo once. This means that while players can replay the demo a couple of times, their total game time can't exceed thirty minutes. After the time limit has expired, players will be unable to access the demo.

The demo begins at the lobby of the Raccoon Police Department with the player controlling Leon S. Kennedy. The short preview will allow players to encounter several zombies, explore the RPD, and solve puzzles. Of course, everyone is free to play the demo at whatever pace they wish to, but for those who want to soak everything the demo has to offer, it would be helpful to remember a few things before getting started:

Explore the Outside Early On

Upon starting the demo, players will find themselves at the famous lobby of the RPD. The demo allows players to explore outside, so before anything else, it is best to turn around and open those front doors and savor the night air of Raccoon City. Now, veteran Resident Evil players may attempt to look for the corpse of S.T.A.R.S. member Brad Vickers under the front courtyard, but sadly, the area leading to his location is blocked off in the demo.

The courtyard gives players a glimpse of the chaos outside as several zombies are seen attempting to break into the police station. However, the outside is only limited to the front of the police station, so there is no way to explore the game's new location, the Orphanage. It is important to remember that once the player meets Marvin Branagh, the doors leading outside will be blocked off.

Check the Countdown Timer Often

It is no secret that Resident Evil 2 Remake is running on the RE Engine, which is the same technology used to make Resident Evil 7. Given this, it is easy to get absorbed into the game’s dark and creepy atmosphere, which is why players must be mindful of their remaining time in the game. The countdown timer can be accessed by hitting the pause button on whichever platform they're using to play the demo. The good news is that when things get overwhelming, pausing the game also stops the timer, so players can take a quick breather.

Dodge Enemies When Possible

Although Resident Evil had a bit of an identity crisis a few years prior, it is reassuring to know that Capcom’s remake of Resident Evil 2 is implementing the original survival-horror mechanics. Veteran survival-horror players know that whenever possible, dodging enemies is the way to go since it allows them to save ammo. However, there are still those who prefer the opposite direction and kill all enemies in an area and worry about ammo later.

While players are free to take this approach in the demo, it is worth remembering that time is the biggest enemy here. Gunning down zombies takes a while to get used to and might eat a massive chunk of the allocated time. Also, it has been confirmed that the full version of the game will have an option to enable auto-aim, for those having a hard time landing that headshot.

Run!

Similar to gunning down enemies, walking in the game would also take a huge amount of time given the vast landscape of the police department even when the majority of it is locked off in the demo. Although some players, myself included, love to add a sense of realism in games by slowly walking along dark corridors when there are no enemies around, quickly aiming weapons around corners to simulate what a real cop would do in that situation.

Skip Cutscenes

As a rule, skipping cutscenes, especially if it is the first time the player has to see them is generally seen as a gaming faux pas. However, those who want to spend more time playing can skip the cutscenes in the demo. Unfortunately, the countdown timer will not stop for a cutscene, and there are a few of them throughout the preview. For those worried about missing important dialogue, players can always watch gameplay footage of the demo online for scenes they skipped. This goes for reading documents, journals, and item descriptions in the demo as well.

Lastly, for players who finish the demo in under thirty minutes and want to play a second round, it is worth remembering that the timer is still running after the demo ends when the game displays your stats and plays a new trailer, featuring HUNK and Tofu. Again, fans shouldn’t worry about missing the trailer since it is also uploaded online, and is best skipped to save time.

Resident Evil 2 releases on January 25, 2019, for the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.