Right, here we go!
This isn't my best time or ~the one true way~ to get through the demo quickly, but hopefully this will help you see how I do it!
Got questions? Ask away! (I'll answer in the morning)

Freelance writer, somehow
Runs the ridiculously named kimimithegameeatingshemonster.com
Will play just about any game from anywhere and anywhen
https://kimimithegameeatingshemonster.com
https://ko-fi.com/kimimi
Right, here we go!
This isn't my best time or ~the one true way~ to get through the demo quickly, but hopefully this will help you see how I do it!
Got questions? Ask away! (I'll answer in the morning)
what's the most efficient way you've found to drop a zombie with the handgun + melee prompt? i used to be obsessed with RE4 back in the day and i have all this muscle memory for fighting ganados that have like half as much health as they do in this game hehe
Headshot+roundhouse seems to do the job in my experience. I'll admit I need to do some proper research though...
(As I'm sure you know it's a little awkward at the moment to experiment due to the way the demo's set up :/)
ime that will drop them although not on a permanent basis-- following up with the knife on the ground is possible but not ideal for a couple reasons... i'm trying to see if i can get a relatively fast pistol-melee-knife-only run going because... well because reasons. the knife doesn't seem nearly as useful with the normal swipe in the demo (lower relative damage, durability, not as likely to trigger melee, not likely to trigger pain interrupt anim either) so i'm not using it nearly as much as i might otherwise
Yes, I'm definitely wary of using the knife if I don't have to, and that's a bit of a shame