Yesterday, Resident Evil players were able to get a sneak peek of Raccoon City, with the release of Resident Evil 3's playable demo. The best thing about Resident Evil 3's demo is that it is replayable and did not have any time limit, unlike Resident Evil 2's 30-minute one-shot demo. Additionally, the demo featured protagonist Jill Valentine, which debunked rumors that the preview will be played from a perspective of a different character and will feature a storyline outside of the main campaign.
By now, most people have probably already played Resident Evil 3's playable demo, which featured a short campaign that can be finished in under an hour on average. The preview also showcased the subway station and the streets of Raccoon City where players can enter a handful of shops and restaurants. The main objective of the demo is to reach the substation, and in true Resident Evil fashion, players would first have to look for key items to complete the objective. Although the demo was short, it did reveal tons of information about the remake, and here is a rundown of everything the demo can tell us about Resident Evil 3 remake.
Balanced Gameplay
One thing that the demo perfectly showcased is that the game offers gameplay that balances survival horror and action. In the demo, players will feel more action-oriented gameplay when running around the streets of Raccoon City due to the multiple zombies loitering the area and the presence of explosive items that they can use to kill groups of enemies. However, the pace quickly changes whenever players enter a building, which brings the vibe down to creepy and claustrophobic. Indoor encounters with zombies are terrifying, especially since zombies can jump around a corner and lunge at the player. Overall, indoor encounters are definitely reminiscent of Resident Evil 2 remake.
Additionally, Nemesis is also balanced in the demo. During the first encounter, the monster is relentless and will chase players down or pull them towards him with his tentacles. However, players will notice that after distancing themselves from Nemesis a little bit, the monster would slow down to give them some breathing room. This makes the gameplay playable but still terrifying enough that makes Nemesis ten times scarier than Mr. X.
Some Character Personalities Were Altered
Capcom has previously revealed that the characters in Resident Evil 3 remake will be undergoing changes. For example, Jill Valentine lost her sexy outfit, in favor of a more practical and combat-friendly ensemble that is more realistic. However, the demo suggests that some characters won't only undergo cosmetic changes, but will also feature a different personality. At the beginning of the demo, we see Jill Valentine entering a subway car with Carlos and Mikhail.
Here, we see that Jill is snarkier than usual, throwing around sarcastic comments, and making it clear to the UBCS soldiers that she is not on their side. Of course, this is most likely because of the fact that Umbrella is Jill's sworn enemy, and Mikhail and Carlos work for the company. However, although Jill was apprehensive to work with the UBCS in the original game, she wasn't that sassy to Carlos and Mikhail and she even showed compassion for the latter. Of course, this is just a demo of Resident Evil 3 and shows only a tiny preview of Jill's personality so this may be changed once the game releases.
Apart from Jill, the demo also revealed Mikhail's different demeanor. Of course, it's hard to compare remake Mikhail with the original given that the latter was mostly unconscious in the game. But when Jill and Carlos got the cable car moving, Mikhail saved their lives, showing that he isn't interested at Jill being a member of STARS at all. However, it appears that the exact opposite is true in the remake. In the demo, Mikhail already knows Jill and her position in STARS even before she introduced herself. This tells us that Mikhail might be in on the fact that Jill is a primary target of Umbrella, and he might be more than just a mercenary in the remake, which is a new addition to his character. Again, the interactions between these characters were limited in the demo and these first impressions may be different once players get their hands on the actual game itself.
Nemesis Won't Be Able To Enter Save Rooms
Although this was already confirmed by Capcom, players who might have missed the memo but heard rumors about Nemesis being able to break into save rooms can now calm down given that the demo confirms that save rooms are still safe. During the encounter with Nemesis, players can head back into the donut shop where a save room is located inside. Although Nemesis can follow inside the donut shop, he is unable to enter the save room, which confirms Capcom's statement. However, players should remember that there could be areas in Resident Evil 3 that contains a typewriter and a storage box, similar to RE2's RPD Main Hall, where Nemesis can enter. However, save rooms, which also contains a typewriter and a storage box are areas where the tyrant would not be able to access. Save rooms are differentiated with the save music that will play once the player enters.
Mutated Zombies Thanks to Nemesis
Throughout the months leading up to the release of Resident Evil 3's demo, Capcom confirmed some of the monsters that players will encounter in the game. However, all of the monsters revealed were remake counterparts of the original game, and it wasn't clear whether Capcom will be introducing new monsters in the game. Now, fans who have played Resident Evil 3's new demo would know that at the end of the preview, players will encounter Nemesis, who appears to be transforming a zombie with his tentacles. It is unclear why Nemesis was attacking zombies out of the blue, but it was later shown that the decimated zombie now has a new head that is similar in form to Resident Evil 5's Cephalo.
Resident Evil 3 is set to release on April 3, 2020, for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.