Resident Evil 4 Demo: How to Unlock Mad Chainsaw Mode

With the Resident Evil 4 Remake Chainsaw Demo out, players have had the chance to go through the iconic initial village segment. As difficult as it already feels, a much more challenging mode is hidden within. Here’s how to unlock Mad Chainsaw Mode in the Resident Evil 4 demo.

What is the Mad Chainsaw Mode?

The Mad Chainsaw Mode is an exclusive difficulty setting/mode that can be played in the demo. What’s so unique about it is the following:

• One life with no checkpoints
• Enemies are stronger
• Enemy placements have changed
• An upgraded version of Dr. Salvador (the chainsaw man)

The limitation placed on lives means that you truly only have one chance. If you die, you’ll have to return to the main menu. Dying is more than expected due to how much more threatening the enemies are.

They have more health and you’ll be needing your knife to get out of any grabs – they’ll kill you before you can mash your way out of it. Some of their placements are different as well and you’ll find yourself surrounded much earlier than you would think.

If you manage to make it to the village section, you’ll see the most notable change. Dr. Salvador now has a different design and a burning chainsaw. Our guide for killing the chainsaw man on the standard difficulty will apply here as well, but you should expect him to take a lot more shotgun blasts and most of the grenades you can find.

How to Unlock Mad Chainsaw Mode in the RE4 Demo

Screenshot by GameSkinny

As it currently stands, there doesn’t seem to be a way to trigger it by choice. The chance to take on the mode will randomly present itself whenever you click on New Game. Players are encountering it after their initial playthrough, which feels appropriate considering so many are then losing at the first enemy encounter.

A screen will pop up asking if you’d like to accept the challenge of this extreme difficulty. It also lays out that this mode is only applicable to the upcoming playthrough and that players have to “wait until Mad Chainsaw Mode is triggered again” to experience it more. Since you’re sent to the main menu after dying in this mode, that means you’ll have to keep starting a new game over and over until the chance returns.

This mode is also an exclusive offering for the demo and isn’t set to be offered in the full game. It remains to be seen whether a similar difficulty mode will be available or if this scarier version of Dr. Salvador can be encountered once the game launches on March 24, 2023.

That covers how to unlock the Mad Chainsaw Mode in the Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Demo. If you’re in need of any other tips for the demo or the upcoming full game, check out our Resident Evil 4 guides.

Featured screenshot by GameSkinny