Resident Evil Requiem Review: Classic Survival Horror With Modern Action

The Resident Evil series makes a triumphant return. While Resident Evil 6 was criticized, the series came back strong with a horror-focused film. Resident Evil 7 in 2017. Since then, the series has seen another main entry (Resident Evil Village) and three remakes (Resident Evil 2, 3 And 4), with the majority of games being highly praised by both fans and critics, a far cry from the days when the series was just a stumbling corpse of its former self.

Resident Evil Requiem is the ninth game in the main series, and Capcom mixes some of the old with some of the new in this one. Experimenting with the formula was absolutely necessary as new entries reminded fans of the fun of being scared, while remakes made the fanbase pine for their favorite heroes, who had barely been mentioned since Resident Evil 6. The result is a game that hits the right notes for fans while remaining accessible to non-diehard gamers who haven’t consumed every piece of RE content ever made.

Requiem, like some previous Resident Evil games, has two protagonists: newcomer Grace Ashford and series mainstay Leon Kennedy. Grace is an FBI analyst sent to investigate mysterious murders at a hotel where her mother was killed ten years ago. Leon, meanwhile, goes to where the bioweapons are, arriving just in time to meet Grace when all hell breaks loose.

Throughout the game, players alternate between controlling Grace and Leon: you’ll spend roughly the same amount of time as each character at the end of the game. Grace is the main character of the first part of the game, with Leon initially only being playable briefly. But this changes in the second half, when Léon becomes the main character.

Requiem in two parts

Playing as two different characters is nothing new in RE games, but in Requiem Grace and Leon don’t play the same, whereas in previous games the two characters are relatively similar aside from access to a few weapons and affinity for certain weapons. Grace has access to a few weapons, while Leon has a full arsenal. In Grace’s sections, the emphasis is more on stealth, and to preserve the horror tone of Resident Evil 7 and Village, Capcom sets the default camera to first-person. This increases the tension and adds plenty of scares when controlling Grace, although it can be switched to third person if that’s too much.

Leon’s default view is third-person, and his sections serve largely as stress relief. You’re not constantly faced with the same intense horror pressure. Instead, Leon is a real badass. He has access to several handguns, a shotgun, a machine gun, grenades and his own special cannon, the Requiem. If that wasn’t enough, he also carries a hatchet to pull off melee combos and chop off heads, ensuring that even without ammo he’s far from helpless.

This dichotomy between Grace and Leon is what the series needed. The previous two main games featured a protagonist with seemingly no combat experience who simply proved resilient, while the previous entries featured highly trained professionals who were members of Team STARS. Feeling helpless as Grace, then getting brutal revenge during Leon’s sections, creates an experience that delivers both the horror and fantastical power the series is known for.

This makes sense, because you can’t bring back some of the series’ mainstays – like Leon – and leave them completely out of their depth. On the other hand, introducing new characters with minimal combat training risks marginalizing the fan-favorite cast established in games, movies, and shows. Having Grace and Leon makes some segments scary while others provide the joy Resident Evil fans crave, which helps explain the popularity of remakes.

Take me back to Raccoon City

One of Requiem’s ​​biggest selling points is its return to where the series began, Raccoon City. Although the time spent in the now-destroyed city is limited, Requiem is the first time we see what the city looks like since it was destroyed in an attempt to contain the G-Virus outbreak.

As a long-time RE fan, this new tradition is exactly what many of us wanted. It provides more backstory on the events leading up to the initial outbreak in Resident Evil and more details on the destruction of Raccoon City in Resident Evil 2. While it doesn’t answer everything and may raise additional questions, it’s refreshing to play a new RE game that acknowledges the events of the first three games rather than ignoring them. It’s also difficult to express the nostalgia I felt upon entering the remains of the Raccoon City Police Department. There’s a strange fondness that contrasts with the obvious trauma Leon feels as he returns to the place where his monster-fighting career began.

Requiem’s ​​gameplay is essentially the same as other modern RE games. There’s a lot of shooting and slashing at enemies, and it will feel familiar to anyone who has played any of the previous games. The new twist comes with the Grace sections, where stealth is vital. She will regularly have to sneak around zombies and other monsters to avoid being attacked, as she cannot take as many hits as Leon. Grace has a few tools to go along with her weapon, including a glass to distract enemies when thrown and chemical concoctions that can make zombies explode.

The game’s visual presentation continues the high quality seen in recent games, including remakes, all of which use the RE Engine to power the graphics. The characters are detailed; the monsters are grotesque. Some vast landscapes are visible, but there is little to explore, retaining the tighter, more enclosed spaces typical of a survival horror game.

Not enough bad

If there’s one glaring flaw with Requiem, it’s the lack of replayability. I completed the game in around 12 hours on my first playthrough, which could stretch to 15 if you explore every nook and cranny. It’s comparable to other RE games, but that’s it.

There are two endings available: a good one and a bad one. The good ending seemingly seems to tease new modes or scenarios to play through, but once the credits roll, the only content unlocked is new costumes and the highest possible difficulty, Insanity mode. The game autosaves right before the big decision about which ending you’ll see, so seeing the other one only takes a few minutes of gameplay after the previous save loads before you have to make the big choice. Capcom has confirmed that no new modes unlock after completing Insanity mode, leaving only the self-satisfaction of finishing the game at its hardest level, where only two or three zombie attacks can kill you, and every monster reacts to the slightest sound.

It’s a shame, because the game has so much potential for additional content, like the Mercenaries mode found in previous REs, which is like an arcade game where you try to reach a high score by killing as many enemies as possible. Capcom is rumored to be working on DLC for Requiem, but it won’t be released until later in the year. The good ending hints at plenty of opportunities to add to RE’s story via additional content, which will make the DLC a must-play for diehard fans whenever it releases.

Resident Evil Requiem is the perfect blend of both sides of the survival horror established by Resident Evil. There’s the truly scary survival horror, where you have to manage your items, and then the badass action side, where you can vent your built-up aggression from fear. Requiem does everything but deliver a little more content to justify the $70 price tag. Still, it’s one of the best Resident Evil games that both hardcore and casual fans will enjoy.

Resident Evil Requiem releases on February 27 for $70 on PS5, PC, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series X and S.