Take a tour of Resident Evil 7's disturbing new demo
Baker to basics.
Resident Evil 7's new demo is a step-up from the first. It features a creepy, roaming antagonist, new clues to the main game's plot and a huge amount of atmosphere.
The "Lantern demo" - so named for its freaky lantern-holding old lady - is also our first look at the full Resident Evil 7 itself. Playable to the public at Gamescom but only available in video form for everyone else, this except will feature in the main game as one of several found footage-style escapades.
Because, while Resi 7 will feature a single main character, it also includes these playable cut-aways to other moments which slowly build up a picture of what the heck is going on.
This new demo throws you in at the deep end with no time to take stock or catch your breath. You begin by facing off against the previously-mentioned lantern-wielding lady, who screams threats at you as you race away into the perceived shelter of a nearby abandoned house.
We tried to see what would happen if she caught you - it's nothing good - then persisted through the setting, doubling back and creeping round corners as necessary to avoid her roaming gaze. It reminded us of Alien: Isolation, and the pressure felt by players when you knew its monster was near.
The rural southern US setting, meanwhile, is Texas Chainsaw Massacre crossed with The Hills Have Eyes. The woman's wild gabbling about wanting to "feed you to her babies" and about how she wants to spit on you for what you did is genuinely unsettling.
Here's footage of the demo, including a chat with Aoife on when and how I died, in this video:
All in all, it is very Resident Evil in the best possible way - a creepy mansion, an unknown threat, and some kind of mysterious family secret behind it all. The lady is Marguerite Baker, a member of the family mentioned in the previous demo, and there are clues we won't spoil here to what may or may not be going on with the family in question.
There's even a puzzle - a simple puzzle, sure, but one which involves an over-complicated door lock requiring a thing to be found and rotated in order for you to enter.