I hope I’m not getting ahead of myself — Resident Evil Requiem may end up being the best in the franchise, and here’s why
Capcom’s long-awaited ninth installment in the beloved action horror franchise, Resident Evil Requiemis almost here and will launch on February 27, 2026. The wait seems like an eternity, as most of its marketing has been top-secret, with Leon S. Kennedy’s big reveal at The Game Awards 2025 clearly being what Capcom was so determined to hide.
In case you missed it, Grace Ashcroft and series veteran Leon S. Kennedy will feature as duo protagonists, as many had speculated, sharing the same screen time. This means that Capcom is aiming to mix horror and action again, and that suggests one major thing to me.
A mix of RE2 and RE4 gameplay looks phenomenal
I’m sure many fans will agree that the Resident Evil 2 Remake is one of the best titles the series has to offer when it comes to horror, second only to Resident Evil 7.
Many would say that this epithet is used by the Resident Evil 1 remake, but (hot take incoming) I’m not a fan of this title, and I really hope it can be remade Again in the RE Engine in a third person perspective, but that’s beside the point.
Director of RequiemKoshi Nakanishi, pointed out how Grace Ashcroft’s gameplay segments will be very similar to Resident Evil 2where players will have to fight for their lives at the edge of their seats, as Grace’s vulnerability and unawareness of an outbreak are set to introduce some truly terrifying sequences for both character and player.
We’ve already seen a good example of this with the first gameplay reveal, as the old hag or “Big Mama” (as most people call her) stalks Grace in a chronic care center, before being saved by Leon, as recently revealed. It’s also not like action will be completely absent from Grace’s segments, so there’s an element of combat for her character to explore as well.
With Nakanishi stating that Leon’s gameplay is built based on the Resident Evil 4 remake, that tells me that Capcom is aiming Requiem to surpass the beloved titles from 2005 and 2023, with some of the series’ best horror and action working simultaneously.
Léon is supposed to be at his peak in this brand new title and will be pushed to his limits more than ever. I’m afraid of what the latter means (I don’t want our favorite hero to die), but Kennedy at his peak and the descriptions of “martial arts” and “melee moves” in Requiem indicates that we will see the most expansive and creative combat system yet.
It’s not just the elements of RE2 and RE4 that will make it great
There is clearly much more to be done Requiem has to offer; the addition of Leon’s ax seems to be a knife replacement from what we experienced in the Resident Evil 4 remake, and it looks like we might also see a dynamic weapon “stealing” system, with the trailer showing Leon having the chance to use an enemy’s chainsaw on them.
The collaboration with Porsche doesn’t seem to be limited to cutscenes either. I expect players will have multiple opportunities to drive around Raccoon City and other places we haven’t seen yet. Requiemsimilar to the short boat crossing section in RE4.
Grace also brings something entirely new to the table; In the franchise’s main titles, we’ve never seen a character as scared as Grace clearly is. Requiemat least at first, with Nakanishi describing her as a “scared cat”, before eventually gaining courage as the story progresses.
It will be very interesting to see how our new “rookie” (in terms of combat experience against monstrous enemies), Grace, will interact with an older and seasoned Leon S. Kennedy, who has fought many deadly foes, and how the juxtaposition of horror and action will impact the overall experience.
From what I’ve seen so far, this is shaping up to be Capcom’s best work in the franchise and a near-perfect celebration of its 30th anniversary. Let’s just hope it’s executed well.
The best horror games for scares, scares and screams
Follow TechRadar on Google News And add us as your favorite source to get our news, reviews and expert opinions in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can too follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form and receive regular updates from us on WhatsApp Also.
