Since the Resident Evil showcase earlier this year, horror fans have been eagerly awaiting the chance to try out the latest installment in the series. Resident Evil Village’s Village and Castle demos will be coming to all platforms on May 1, 5 p.m. PST, with only 24 hours to sample gameplay.

Resident Evil Village is the eighth of the major Resident Evil series, a narrative sequel to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. While the demo has already been released to PlayStation players, this release will be available to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Steam and Stadia platforms.

The demo features different content than the Maiden demo released to PlayStation 5 players earlier this year; it introduces two new maps for exploration. Players get a chance to travel through the village and castle areas, meet new characters and discover gameplay mechanisms.

The game is played from the first person perspective of Ethan Winters, the former protagonist from the previous title in the series. In the demo, players guide Ethan through the village and castle as he tries to find his family.

The graphics are gorgeous; the skin textures, expressions and movements of the characters are seamless and fluid. Many fan favorites will be returning to the series, ranging from iconic villains to former game heroes. Players can catch a glimpse of a few of them while playing the demo.

While there are plenty of returning characters, new personalities will also be introduced. Countess Alcina Dimitrescu, more popularly known as Lady Dimitrescu, has been teased multiple times as Resident Evil Village releases more previews. This extremely tall, voluptuous villain was featured in the story trailer, as well as the ending of the Maiden demo.

Lady Dimitrescu is a new character to the series, but fans of the series have rallied behind her on social media. She is often cosplayed by fans, and has a very devoted following. Players may catch a glimpse of her in the Village and Castle demos as well, ducking through doorways and sliding her razor-sharp claws along hallways.

There are also some small Easter eggs players can find throughout the demo, making small references to former Resident Evil games and characters. Players are highly encouraged to interact with the merchant while at the castle map to find a subtle nod to a memorable Resident Evil 4c character.

Unlike the two-part release for the PlayStation, this version of the demo will feature both the village and castle maps in one play. However, players will only have 24 hours to access the demo, and will not be staggering out the release times for different time zones.

The access to these game demos are not only limited in availability, but in time as well. Each map has a 30 minute time limit for gameplay, so players are encouraged to try to get through as quickly as possible.

Resident Evil Village will be fully released May 7, 2021. This game will also feature online multiplayer mode, Resident Evil RE: Verse.