8 Self-Contained Video Game Demos That Are Actually Prequels
4. Resident Evil VII: "Beginning Hour" + "KITCHEN"
With the impressive shift in action from third to first person, Resident Evil VII was the refreshing sorbet experience that many were seeking out after the trifle in the trousers that was Resident Evil 6.
Capcom were keen to push their flagship franchise and so put out several demos under the guise of VHS tapes that one could find littering the Baker Family compound.
The three demos, "Beginning Hour" "Kitchen" and "Lantern" all sought to showcase new and horrifying features of the then upcoming title, and sought to do so in very different ways.
"Beginning Hour" showcased the new perspective in style, pushing players through horribly dingy and confined spaces in order to create a piano wire tense atmosphere, "Lantern" showed off that the upcoming game was going to have roaming antagonists that would track player movement, and finally "Kitchen" showcased the power of VR in a truly grim manner.
While "Lantern" was designed to be a standalone experience without impacting the cannon, both "Kitchen" and "Beginning Hour" actually seek to fill the player in on events that transpire before the main game, showcasing the deaths of the "Sewer Gators" film crew, and in the case of "Kitchen" the horrible death of anchorman Peter Walken.
This was our first glimpse at the Baker family's twisted sense of hospitality and let's just say we won't be sticking around for dinner.