Hacked Off: The Resident Evil 7 Demo

Normally, I pick aspects of games to rant about, but I feel like the Resident Evil 7 demo has done enough to bug me.

One of the biggest gripes I have with the demo is that Capcom issued the recent update. Of course, at first I was super excited, but it seems to have been pointless. Personally, I didn’t enjoy replaying it just to put the finger somewhere, and believe me I could think of somewhere else to put it. Oh, and there was handgun ammo. No gun to actually use it, so there’s that. I bet the family is quaking in their boots. ‘Dammit, that guy we’re trying to scare, well, he found some bullets. If he has a really powerful throw, it could really give you a bruise.’

Did someone in the office actually think this would get people talking about the game? Well, I am talking about it, so I suppose it actually worked. Updating the demo would have made more hype for the game, but funnily enough you have to actually add stuff. We now have to wait for a third installment. Why not just add everything in one update? I’m excited to see what we’ll get to do, maybe you pick up a book or do some dusting. If that doesn’t get you itching with anticipation, then nothing will. If you’re thinking, “Wasn’t there a new room as well?”, yes there was, but it’s hardly the Sistine Chapel. Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I actually like to play games rather than look at some writing on the wall.

The fact that the demo is currently exclusive to the PlayStation is mind boggling. They’ve said the demo will be released for Xbox One, so what do they get from alienating fans? This isn’t a gripe at things being exclusive to a certain console, as I wish more games were. It just doesn’t make sense for a demo to be exclusive. They’re to try the game and help you decide whether or not you will buy it. In this case it also has the purpose to build up hype, yet only half of the audience can play it. I doubt there will be many people running home from work when the demo comes to the Xbox One. Seeing as most of the Resident Evil games have now also been released on the Xbox, it seems odd to give PlayStation preferential treatment.

The dummy finger meant a great demo was in their palms, but they couldn’t nail it. Having a mystery item that people need to work out is a great way to get people playing for longer and talking about it. People searched for hours trying to see if there was any use for the finger, only to find at the moment there is no point. What a great way to put your finger up at the fans. Being in a wild goose chase you’ll never win is not enjoyable. In Batman: Arkham Asylum it took a year for people to find the hidden room with the plans for Arkham City. If the demo had done something on a smaller scale, people would have rejoiced about it being clever.

Then there was the random spawn of the ghost-like figure. I can only assume this was in the demo. Even though there are around seven places you can see her, I didn’t find her once. I’ve played through the whole thing around eight times, but she never appears. See, if you’re going to have a random event like this happen, it tends to be best to make it somewhat frequent. Maybe not every playthrough but more than this. When the demo first came out, loads of people were comparing it to PT, which is unfair as there are not many similarities in the demo or series. Yet they could have used the random events a little better.

I’m still very hopeful for the game. A mix up of the formula could do wonders for the series.