Capcom Stop right there rookie! You weren’t actually going to play the Resident Evil 2 “one-shot” demo without reading this ‘things to look for’ article beforehand were you? Classic rookie.
You only get 30 minutes to complete the pant-wetting run and once that time has elapsed, you are done and dusted until release day. With that in mind, we’ve done the leg work and played through it already, finding five awesome little details you might want to pay attention to when you dive in.
Go Outside
CapcomIf you played Resident Evil 2 back in the day, you’ll know that our dashing protagonist Leon doesn’t actually start the game in the police station. As the demo starts up, doing an about turn will point you towards RCPD’s front doors and you can actually push them open for a quick shufty outside .
There’s not much out there mind you, bar some friendly locals and some nice, gloomy shrubbery, but it’s likely this area will be expanded upon in the full release of the game. Make sure you check this one out at the very start though, as the door gets barred once you leave the area.
Licker Claw Marks
CapcomEverybody remembers the first time they first encountered the licker in the original Resident Evil 2. Its one of gaming’s most memorable scenes, and immediately put chest hairs on me when it first appeared in the game. Those chest hairs are gone now as I await puberty’s second wave… but I digress.
Flash forward to the demo, and things are a little different. No licker. That’s either a really really good thing, or a really really bad one.
If you look closely though, you can see that our wall-crawling friend has been here. There are licker claw marks on the doorway, and a nearby poor gentleman seems to have been at the business end of them not too long ago.
Right. Wonderful. Now where did I put that shotgun?
Roll of Film
CapcomIn Raccoon City Police Department’s weapon lock up, you might notice something familiar in one of the lockers. A roll of film. Head over to the nearby console to punch in the digits and take ownership of your mysterious new buddy.
If you carry the film over to the Dark Room you can develop it to reveal a bizarre image of STARS agent Rebecca Chambers in a sporty getup. I kid of course. We’re no longer trapped in the testosterone fuelled hell that was 90’s video games.
What it actually is, is a “commemorative photo”. Merry Christmas to you. What this actually is is anyone’s guess, but you can see the figure holding a book and a sceptre highlighted in vivid red. A hint to a puzzle further down the line? Probably. Why is this entire police station so cryptic? How did anybody get any work done?
Solve the Statue Puzzle
CapcomSpeaking of getting things done, did you know you can solve one third of a puzzle right here in this very demo? Our new chum Elliot is handing us his little book of secrets here and oh… dear.
Our ex-chum Elliot here has wisely given us his notebook in which he’s half-arsed a way to get out of the precinct and escape to safety. Not sure he’s thought this one through as there are zombies outside too Elliot you nincumpoop! Put your back into it!
Oh. Wait. Never mind.
Anyway, taking the notebook back to the main hall you’ll see that there is a little combination on this lion statue right at the back. Using Elliot’s handy hints, you can get one of the three medallions needed, prompting our new buddy Marvin to acknowledge that El actually knew what he was on about.
I like Marvin. I hope he makes it.
Alexa, play the Always Sunny In Philadelphia theme tune.
Licker Reveal
CapcomHey, remember earlier when we didn’t see the Licker in the Licker Hallway and everything was peaches and cream? Yeah. Those sure were the days.
Turns out you can actually catch the briefest of glimpses at the troublesome man-dog-thing on the brand new third floor of the precinct. As you walk down the narrow hallway, keep an eye on the window at the end.
If your eyes were indeed peeled, you’ll notice something scurry past that just has to be the Licker. That, or there’s a window-cleaner out there helplessly flopping around 30 feet off the ground.
CapcomThere’s even a note written by a bloke called David remarking that Lickers are blind as bats but can hear every move you make. A bit like Sting from The Police but less creepy.
Resident Evil 2 lurches onto PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on January 25.
Ewan Moore is a journalist at UNILAD Gaming who still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase. After graduating from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a BA in Journalism & Media Studies (thanks for asking), he went on to do some freelance words for various places, including Kotaku, Den of Geek, and TheSixthAxis, before landing a full time gig at UNILAD in 2016.