Resident Evil Village latest: When can you download the demo and what was in the new trailer?
Resident Evil Village. (Capcom)
Last night’s showcase from Capcom revealed a new Resident Evil Village demo is on the way.
The previous demo, Maiden, was exclusive to the PlayStation 5 (PS5) but now players on other platforms can experience the game and, of course, everyone’s favourite giant woman Lady Dimitrescu for themselves.
Plus there was a new trailer for Resident Evil Village and its accompanying spin-offs.
Here’s everything that was announced at the Resident Evil Showcase, and when you can download the demo.
When can you play the Resident Evil Village demo?
A new time-limited Resident Evil Village demo will give an extended look at the game before release. It’s split into two areas: Village demo and Castle demo.
The demo is staggered across multiple regions and platforms, so let’s break it down:
Village Demo: PlayStation 5 and 4 owners can access the Village demo first. It will be available for eight hours in total, with players granted 30 minutes of access in that timeframe. In North America it launches on 17 April 5pm PDT. In Europe it launches on 18 April at 7pm CEST.
Castle Demo: The following week, PlayStation 5 and 4 owners will be able to access the Castle demo, again with 30 minutes access within an eight hour window. That’s from 24 April 5pm PDT in North America, and 25 April 7pm CEST in Europe.
Village & Castle Multiplatform Demo: From May leading up to launch, both demos will then be available across all releasing platforms: PlayStation, Xbox consoles and PC. Players will be granted one hour of access to either one demo or split their time between both. It’s available 1 May 5pm PDT in North America and 2 May 7pm PDT in Europe.
Lastly, PlayStation owners can download the new demo now in advance of the release.
What was in the new trailer?
The brand-new trailer gave us a first look at the new Lycan enemies. Village is inspired by gothic tales of vampires and werewolves, so expect lots of horrifying creatures to jump out at you from the snow.
Plus we got a fresh taste of head vampire herself Lady Dimitrescu.
The trailer also showed Chris Redfield, Resident Evil favourite, who’s making a return to the series after starring in Resident Evil 5. He’s a daddy now, but his motives so far are unclear.
The environments seem more expansive than in previous game Biohazard, yet retain the same claustrophobic intensity. We can’t wait to see how this entry in the series ties in with the overarching narrative.
Multiplayer modes
The showcase also gave us a first look at the Mercenaries mode coming with the game.
Mercenaries has become a staple of the series, a combat mode that pits you against waves of Resident Evil enemies.
Here, the mode will take on the same first-person perspective but with some fresh tweaks. The game’s merchant will be available between missions, selling guns, items and upgrades. You can also select abilities to buff your stats – weapon damage, speed and more.
Also shown was the previously announced Resident Evil Re:Verse that will be free for owners of Village. Nothing new was mentioned, but the multiplayer mode is third-person and takes inspiration from all past games in the series.
What else was shown?
Resident Evil will be coming to Dead By Daylight, which is huge news for fans of both series.
DbD is known for its collection of horror icons – from Silent Hill’s Pyramid Head to the latest original K-Pop killer – so this collaboration makes perfect sense, although exact details are unknown.
A trailer for the forthcoming Netflix CG Animated series Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness was revealed. Focusing on Resident Evil icons Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield, it takes place shortly after Resident Evil 4 and sees the pair protecting the US president from a zombie invasion.
Live-action movie Welcome To Racoon City is now in post-production, but no release date was given.
Lastly, Resident Evil 4 is being remade in VR exclusively for the Oculus Quest 2, developed by Armature. Accordingly, the game will now be in first-person. More details will be released in an Oculus presentation on 21 April.
To watch the showcase yourself and see all the details on the Resident Evil Village demo, see below.
