An action game or a survival horror game? A seasoned zombie slayer or a terrified rookie who’s just getting started? Third-person or first-person? And the most important question: why choose when you can do both? Resident Evil Requiem refuses to pick a lane, and that means the ninth entry in the series offers something for everyone.
This review is spoiler-free.
Rarely Have I Seen Trauma Portrayed This Well in a Game
Requiem introduces a new protagonist: Grace Ashcroft. Grace is an intelligence analyst for the FBI and the daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft, the protagonist of the Resident Evil Outbreak and Outbreak: File 2 spin-offs. Her boss sends her to investigate the Wrenwood Hotel, where a dead body has been discovered. One small detail: it’s also the hotel where her mother was murdered years earlier.
Apparently our boss thinks confronting our past is a great idea, and who are we to say no to such a sensitive and empathetic man?? Off we go. And when the game finally lets us loose for the first time, the gorgeous visuals immediately stand out.
From the first-person perspective (Capcom’s recommended way to experience Grace’s part of the story), it almost feels like I’m walking through a rainy street myself. Once inside the hotel it quickly becomes clear that the audio design is just as strong. Even the white curtains fluttering in the wind feel unsettling, and every creaking door has the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. There’s clearly more than enough potential here for hours of horror.
Grace seems to agree. Unsurprisingly, some unpleasant things happen right in front of her eyes, and the new protagonist’s reactions feel incredibly convincing. Plenty of disturbing things happen in games, especially in horror games, but rarely have I seen and heard a character react with such believable panic. Grace is already clearly traumatized by the events in her past, and by the looks of it she’s about to collect a few more.
Her facial expressions, the sweat framing them, and the performance of voice actress Angela Sant’Albano are all impressively realistic. It was comforting to know I wasn’t the only one panicking. And those panic reactions never really stop. Throughout the entire game Grace keeps stumbling over her words so much that I actually looked up whether she might have some kind of speech impediment.
She doesn’t. So I guess I’m allowed to make fun of her.
W-w-w-what do you mean? You heard me.
A Familiar Face
On the other side of the coin we find a familiar face: Leon Kennedy (Nick Apostolides). Leon forms the perfect contrast to the nervous Grace. After everything he went through in Resident Evil 2, 4 and 6, he has seen it all. Where Grace trembles at the sight of zombies, the zombies tremble at the sight of Leon.
He has access to far heavier firepower than the FBI analyst. Many of his melee attacks are instantly fatal and look great while doing it. He can parry attacks with his axe and even use loose weapons from the environment to finish off his enemies. While Grace’s sections revolve mostly around caution and horror, Leon’s sections let you play the badass.
“Where Grace trembles at the sight of zombies, the zombies tremble at the sight of Leon.”
When Requiem was first announced, I was very curious to see what direction Capcom would take with their new protagonist Grace. When it was later revealed that Leon would also return, I wasn’t nearly as excited as a large part of the fanbase. After all, I didn’t grow up with Leon. My Resident Evil journey only started a few years ago when I first played the remake of Resident Evil 2.
Still, Leon provides a welcome balance. It always felt good to cut loose on those poor zombies again, switch your brain off for a moment, and enjoy his still-impressive one-liners. Seriously, how can someone be so cheesy and yet so cool at the same time?
That said, I ultimately enjoyed Grace’s gameplay a bit more. Horror games benefit from a first-person perspective (yes, I know… I could have played Leon in first person as well, but still), and her sections were simply more tense and immersive. One specific Leon section, around the 60% mark of the game, dragged on just a bit too long for my taste. Personally, I would have preferred something closer to a 70/30 split between Grace and Leon rather than the 50/50 balance the game ultimately settles on.
Exploring Environments and Solving Simple Puzzles Remains a Winning Formula
I’m a bit of a coward. One of the reasons I’ve only played a few Resident Evil games is that horror titles have always given me the creeps. That’s kind of the point, of course, and many people love that feeling. I don’t. At least, I didn’t until I recently decided to face my fear by tackling a game widely considered one of the scariest out there: the Silent Hill 2 Remake. More on that experience here.
But what I’ve always appreciated about games like Resident Evil, and now Silent Hill as well, is how their gameplay is structured. I have a lot of respect for how designers craft beautiful, unsettling environments that connect seamlessly with one another. Through puzzles and key items, they carefully control which areas you can access and when. There’s always a satisfying moment when a puzzle finally clicks into place and a new part of the map opens up for exploration.
“There’s always a satisfying moment when a puzzle finally clicks into place and a new part of the map opens up for exploration.”
The inventory system plays an important role in that process. You can’t simply carry everything with you, so you constantly have to set priorities. Which item matters most right now, and what will you need in the near future for a puzzle? Can you afford to leave your green herbs (medication) behind in favor of some extra ammo? Do you make a trip back to your storage box to free up space, or is that risk not worth taking at the moment?
Most puzzles are fairly straightforward to solve. You rarely need a huge leap of imagination to figure out which item belongs where. Because of that, the game never becomes frustrating. The same balance applies to the inventory system: it’s never so small that it becomes annoying, but never so large that managing your items stops being meaningful. Well… at least for Grace. Leon’s inventory is enormous, which only reinforces the Terminator-like force that he is.
You can also combine items in your inventory to craft things like ammunition and medical supplies. The blood of your victims can even be collected and recycled into useful items. Lovely stuff. And you’ll definitely need those supplies, because the environment seems determined to kill you every chance it gets.
Weapons and Movement Carry Real Weight
Fortunately, you have access to a wide range of weapons to fight back. Resident Evil’s gameplay is extremely satisfying, and one of the main reasons is simply how good it feels to aim your weapon and pull the trigger.
Whether it’s Grace nervously clutching a pistol or Leon holding a weapon with confident precision, the moment a bullet leaves the chamber and buries itself in a zombie’s skull is satisfying every single time. The weapons carry real weight, and every hit lands with a clear sense of impact. Each shot chips away at your enemy a little more. It’s all wonderfully gory. Blood splatters across the walls and remains there for the rest of your adventure, serving as a lasting reminder of the carnage that took place.
I mostly switched between the handgun and shotgun, but the rifle and machine gun are also excellent options for mowing down enemies. Whether you aim for headshots or decide to target their legs instead, the outcome is always a bloody spectacle.
The characters themselves also have a sense of weight to them, something that stands out especially during Leon’s sections. Whenever you jump down from a rooftop or ledge with him, you can both feel and hear the impact. They’re subtle details, but they make a noticeable difference in how much control you feel over Grace and Leon.
There’s a Third Main Character, and It Might Be the Best One
Forgive the cliché, but hear me out: the environment is the third main character. I’m referring in particular to the first major location, the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center. It’s a fantastic, ominous setting that, in my opinion, comes remarkably close to the iconic police station from Resident Evil 2. Especially when playing as Grace, with limited weapons, resources, and abilities, danger seems to lurk in every corner.
And just when you start to feel like Grace is becoming more experienced, and you as a player begin to understand the environment and its enemies a little better, Capcom throws something new into the mix that puts everything on edge again. Because of this, the game feels like a carefully balanced experience from beginning to end.
Every time I returned to a safe room, it felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. For a moment I could breathe again, knowing I was safe. The moment I eagerly used the typewriter to save my progress and stepped back through the door into danger, that tension immediately returned.
“It’s a fantastic, ominous setting that, in my opinion, comes remarkably close to the iconic police station from Resident Evil 2.”
Before long I would hear those familiar zombie noises again, although this time they’re more than just mindless groans. Some zombies in Requiem have retained fragments of their humanity, and even utter partially understandable phrases. One zombie in particular absolutely hates noise and just wants to enjoy his peace and quiet. Exactly the kind of zombie I’d probably turn into if the apocalypse ever happened.
Another example is the imposing chef, constantly swinging around his enormous butcher’s knife. If you encounter him while playing as Grace, you’d better proceed very carefully, or make sure you’ve gathered some extremely powerful ammunition, because otherwise he’ll turn you into a piece of shoulder ham in no time.
There’s Always a Bigger Threat
But that chef pales in comparison to the creature that had already been haunting me since the very first promotional material: The Girl. This “stalker” can’t stand light, but you definitely don’t want to run into her in the dark. The design of this monstrosity is fantastic, and it was incredibly creepy whenever she waddled into a room while I was hiding behind a cabinet somewhere. Or when I broke into a “full-speed” sprint (which in Resident Evil still feels more like a brisk walk) while being chased by The Girl, just barely reaching a lit room in time.
Moments like these were easily among my highlights in Requiem. That said, I do have to admit that the overall horror level ended up being a bit lower than I expected. That’s mainly because the game often telegraphs what’s about to happen. When you enter a room with Leon that’s filled with red explosive barrels, or suddenly stumble upon a large pile of ammunition, you know something is about to go down.
The same goes for silence. At the beginning I was still on edge because of every creaking floorboard or distant noise, but it didn’t take long to realize that the real danger lies in the quiet moments. Silence is NOT good, no matter what that zombie in the Care Home might think.
Some of the chase sequences also felt a bit scripted. For example, when I managed to scare off The Girl at certain moments, I knew I would be safe for a while until I found a specific item or triggered the next piece of progression. Resident Evil 2’s Mr. X felt more unpredictable, which made him a much more oppressive and threatening presence.
Some Loose Scraps
- Requiem was originally intended to be an online open-world multiplayer game. Thankfully, it ended up going in a different direction.
- The game was directed by Koshi Nakanishi, who also directed Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. That might just be the next one on my list.
- Enemies don’t react to your flashlight, and for that I can only be grateful.
- The license plate on Leon’s car reads 9642, referencing the Resident Evil entries he appeared in.
- There are persistent rumors that a remake of Resident Evil 1 is also in development. I recently started the 2002 remake, but so far it hasn’t exactly been a happy marriage.
- It’s impressive how Requiem manages to be both a tribute to the past and a fresh look toward the future.
- Victor Gideon Is the Joker of Resident Evil Requiem. The way he’s voiced and animated reminded me strongly of Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight. Even the unsettling little tongue flicks make an appearance.
Conclusion
Resident Evil Requiem delivers both a gripping survival horror experience and an action-horror spectacle at the same time. One side is tense, immersive, and genuinely unsettling at times. The other is undeniably cool, making you feel like a total badass. The two protagonists and their distinct playstyles are evenly balanced, although I personally would have liked to see just a little more of the survival horror side.
The locations encourage exploration, and the Care Home in particular will stay with me for a long time. The tension lingers in every hallway, and the building houses several grotesque creatures that provide perfect nightmare fuel.
Even after the Care Home, however, Requiem still has a number of impressive and nostalgic surprises in store. Moments that managed to resonate even with someone who only recently became a Resident Evil fan.
The fact that I, a self-confessed coward, didn’t struggle too much with the game says something about its horror intensity. But Requiem is much more than just its scares. It’s a bloody playground where neither you nor your enemies are safe for even a second. And from beginning to end, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable adventure.
