Resident Evil 7 Demo Guide: How to Kill the Monster
By Dalton Cooper 06 December 2016
The Midnight Version update for the Resident Evil 7 demo puts a monster in the basement, which can be killed with certain weapons and a couple of different strategies.
In the first two demos for Resident Evil VII, gamers didn’t actually encounter any threats besides Jack Baker. The evil patriarch of the Baker clan concludes both the original demo and the Twilight Version update with “Welcome to the family, son!” and a stiff punch to the face, not giving gamers any opportunity to fight back or defend themselves. That changes in the third demo update for Resident Evil VII, which has players going one-on-one with a horrific monster.
1. Finding the Monster
The monster in question is covered in black ooze, with sharp fangs and long claws that it uses to kill gamers in just a few hits. To find it, players need to reach the basement, which can be done in a few steps. First, pull the handle under the fireplace to reach a secret room through a crawlspace by the bookshelf. Secondly, collect the fuse off the crate, put the fuse in the fusebox, go upstairs, push the button, and then go into the attic.
Grab the basement key off the table in the attic, and then return downstairs. Go through the mysterious moldy door and then follow the hall to the end to find the gated door that leads to the basement. Use the basement key to open the door and go downstairs. Now there are three ways to make the failed Baker family experiment show itself.
The monster will spawn if players try to leave the basement, try to get to the attic key in the adjacent room, or grab the valve off the gurney. Once it does spawn, it will swipe at players with its long arms as well as try to eat them. If the latter happens, players will be prompted to press the right trigger rapidly to break away from the beast’s grasp. The safest bet to make it out alive is to maintain distance from the creature, and then putting it out of its misery.
Killing the monster can be done with two different items: the axe and the handgun. The axe, the only melee weapon that can be found in the demo, can technically kill it, but it’s not very effective. The handgun, meanwhile, is much more effective.
2. Axe Strategy
Those looking for added challenge may choose to fight the monster with the axe. The axe is obtained by going into the VHS tape flashback sequence, and then snagging the lockpick off the floor between the counter and the refrigerator. Use the lockpick on the cabinet drawer in the kitchen, and then complete the rest of the VHS tape flashback. Go to the same kitchen cabinet drawer in present-time, and the axe will be there for the taking.
With the axe in tow, head to the basement and make the monster spawn. Just hacking and slashing the monster with the axe is not a great strategy, as it can easily kill players in the time it takes to bring it down. Really, the only way there is hope to kill it with the axe is by repeatedly knocking the monster over with the body bags hanging from the ceiling.
If there is a body bag between the player and the monster, it’s possible to interact with the bag and send it into the creature. This will knock the monster down, giving players a chance to slash it with the axe four or five times before it gets back to its feet. Since there are no green herbs for players to heal themselves with in the demo, they will want to use this method to avoid taking too much damage.
Killing the monster with the axe is a lengthy process, but players with enough persistence will be able to pull it off. Those that would rather cut to the chase and see the demo’s best ending as quickly as possible, however, will want to use the handgun instead.
2. Handgun Strategy
Before players can use the handgun strategy to fight the monster, they need to know where to find the handgun. The handgun is located in the bloody toilet bowl in the bathroom on the first floor of the house. The valve needed to flush the toilet and get the handgun is on a gurney in the basement where the monster resides, so getting the handgun first requires players to summon the monster.
After grabbing the valve and trying to escape the room initially, players will seemingly be trapped in an enclosed area with the monster. Use one of the body bags to knock it down, and then rush to the door and kick it open. Leave the basement and use the valve in the bathroom to get the handgun.
With the handgun in tow, players will want to take some time to collect about six bullets if they hope to kill the monster with the gun. Handgun ammo can be found all over the house, like in the bathroom, underneath the bed in the attic, in drawers, and in crates that can be smashed with the axe.
Upon collecting enough ammo, players can return to the basement and shoot the monster about six times in the head to kill it. If it’s not dead after using up all the ammo, knock it down with the body bag again and then start hitting it with the axe. Since it’s already been damaged by the handgun, finishing it off with the axe shouldn’t be too much trouble.
These two strategies will help players kill the monster in Resident Evil VII‘s Beginning Hour demo. The final game will give players access to additional weapons like flamethrowers and shotguns, so the monsters on the plantation should be a little bit easier to kill… though one has to imagine that they will still be a deadly force to reckon with.
Resident Evil VII will be available on January 24th, 2017 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
