Game developers always like to give "super hard" modes goofy names. You know: "Madness," "Nightmare," "I am death incarnate!" or "Hell Bastard Apocalypse," cute names like that. The super-difficulty "Mad Chainsaw Mode" hidden in the Resident Evil 4 demo (open in new tab) is one of the first ones that really feels worthy of its pejorative name, though.

First reported by Eurogamer (opens in new tab), this mode is unlocked at a random chance each time you start the demo anew. The Mad Chainsaw mode mixes up enemy placement as well as increasing their HP, posture, and attack power, and in the big fight at the end of the demo, the lovable Dr. Salvador the Chainsaw Guy (where did he get his degree? But I never got there.

I've played RE4 6 or 7 times now, some of them on the "Professional" difficulty level, and in the Mercenaries mode I earned 5 stars and unlocked the ultimate weapon, the Hand Cannon. Last night I completed the demo with a deft hand and thought, "I'm a RE4 pro, I'm ready to go!" I thought.

I was not ready for this. In the first fight of the demo, not one, but four extraordinarily strong Ganados rushed me. I wasted all my ammo and knife endurance, didn't even drop all my only healing spray, and then immediately went as far as I could in Yakety Saxed, where a resentful Castilian redneck gave me an old Geralt of Rivia (open in new tab) with the end of a hay fork.

It didn't even feel like a proper difficulty mode as much as a troll ROM hack, which was hilarious. I can't help but imagine that winning this game would require a combo of the "just beat 'em and pass by" strategy of PS1 survival horror and a thorough mastery of the remake's new stealth mechanics.

But above all, however, I think the "Mad Chainsaw Mode" is strong evidence that the remake of RE4 reinvigorates this classic game in a meaningful way. It's surprising, hilarious, and arcadey, with the crazy, cheesy energy of the original, but blended perfectly with the great presentation of the new one. The Mad Chainsaw mode pop-up states that it will not be included in the final game, which will be released on March 24, but I'd be surprised if there isn't at least something similar to the survival mode in "The Mercenaries."