The 30-Minute Time Limit on the Resident Evil 2 Remake Demo Made Playing 10x Scarier

The last time I felt afraid while playing Resident Evil 2 was probably when I was 10 years old. Over the years since, I grew accustomed to its gameplay and tone and could easily get through it in a matter of hours. However, Resident Evil 2’s “1-Shot” demo has left me with the racing heart and sweaty palms that I remember from so many years ago. I feel like a big contributor to this anxiety was the fact that I only had 30 minutes to get through it so slowing down to think wasn’t really an option.

Entering the police department again as Leon Kennedy filled me with nostalgia. Walking around the lobby with little to no answers about the state of the outside world provided a sense mystery that adds to the suspense. Goals flicker around me and foreshadow future events that I’ll need to return to such as locked doors, unused puzzles, and curious items. However, one thing is for sure, this is a damn beautiful game that is gorier than some stomachs can handle.

While playing and trying to explore every nook and cranny I was reminded that this was a timed adventure and even though I wanted so badly to look at this random bookcase more, I needed to move on and find a way to progress the narrative by getting to the end. With the demo only allowing me 30-minutes to play, I conserved ammo and ran staying focused on the timer only to jump out of my seat when a zombie would take me by surprise. It’s true, I was afraid and I jumped a few times. As much as I wanted to take things slow, I couldn’t and I had to shift my playstyle to get through the demo which was an interesting experience in itself.

In the end, I got through in 17-minutes. My impressions of Resident Evil 2 Remake are mixed with my nostalgia for the setting. I love the original PlayStation game so this means a lot to me. I’d like to see if the developers took any liberties with the story because how Capcom presents this game to a new generation is crucial to the survival of the Resident Evil series.

It seems as though recently the survival horror scene has been headed by indie studios who have set the bar for what fans of the genre now enjoy. It’s going to be left up to Capcom to take these new standards and mix them with their beloved way of crafting adventure, survival, horror, characters, and puzzles to properly present Resident Evil 2 to new and current fans. However, after only 30 minutes with the game, I feel like this is going to be one scary fun time.