Demo Impressions: Resident Evil 5

The release of the fifth iteration of Resident Evil is almost upon us, so today Capcom released a short demo to give players a taste of what the full game will be like. The demo contains two different areas, and we took it for a spin to see how the game stacks up.

The first area, called Public Assembly, is very reminiscent of the opening sequence in RE4. It starts with a brief cut scene (no pun intended), in which a man is beheaded by a giant axe in front of a giant screaming mob. Once the leader notices your presence, the game starts. Like in RE4, things kick off with a bang as you are forced to stay alive while being attacked from all angles by the bloodthirsty mob. Thankfully, with RE5’s focus on co-op, you’ll have a partner, named Shiva, with you at all times to help out.

Your AI controlled counterpart is actually very helpful. She’s pretty good at shooting incoming zombies (if that’s actually what they are this around), and will help you out occasionally when you’ve been completely swarmed. This works both ways, as the game will frequently prompt you to hit the O button, which will unleash an attack that frees your companion. The brief level is all about survival, and you have to keep yourselves alive until reinforcements arrive. Of course this is no easy task. Not only are their numerous enemies chasing after you, but ammo is limited, so you have to be very conservative with your shots.

The game controls just like its predecessor. You have the ability to run around the environment, but you can’t move while aiming. This means that if you want to shooting at the charging horde you’re going to have to stop in order to do this. The same goes for using items or changing weapons. Going into the equipment menu doesn’t pause the game, so you’ll have to be quick when using herbs or changing up weapons or try and wait until a quiet moment to do so.

It’s also important to note just how great the game looks. The characters are both incredibly detailed and well animated. And the washed out look makes the level feel slightly creepy, even though it’s set during the day. Like its predecessor, RE5 maintains a white knuckle pace that, while it may not necessarily be scary, is a good way to get your heart racing. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that a huge man with a gigantic axe is chasing after towards the end of the level.

The second area, Shanty Town continues the vibe, though it features much less open environments. The majority of the level takes place in cramped hallways, which give it a slightly different feel than Public Assembly. The twist here is that at one point you and Shiva have to separate, and you provide back-up, picking off zombies before they can get to her.

Unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to try out the online or split-screen co-op modes, but thankfully the AI in the game seems like it won’t be much of a hindrance. Still, playing with a buddy seems like it will probably be  ablast, so we can’t wait to try it.Overall the demo was quite impressive, and we’re looking forward to the full game when it finally hits store shelves March 13.