While I grew up with the Resident Evil series in the background, it wasn’t until (strangely) the pandemic, when I was out of work, that I really dove into the tales of Leon Kennedy, the members of S.T.A.R.S., and all the nefarious goings-on of Umbrella. Perhaps it was a strange sort of catharsis, playing through a series about a potential world-ending virus during (what at the time) was a societal reset caused also by a virus. Paired with nearly a year of free time, it all made for quite the memorable first foray into Raccoon City and Resident Evil. Now, Resident Evil Requiem drops me back into those same streets for a brand new adventure with fresh and familiar faces that manages to capture the spirit of both the early classic games and its modern evolutions, in a single bloody damn good package.
Finding itself five years after the events involving Ethan and RE: Village and 11 years out from Village’s “Shadow of Rose” DLC, Requiem features dual protagonists, Grace Ashcroft, daughter of Resident Evil Outbreak’s reporter Alyssa Ashcroft, and series rockstar and dad joke master, Leon Kennedy, as they work to pull back the curtain on yet another secret of Umbrella and Oswell Spencer. As much as I loved the Resident Evil Biohazard and Village, and will always appreciate how they revitalized the series like a T-virus shot in the arm, the mold organism and locations never quite hit that same feeling as the Spencer mansion, Raccoon City, and their iconic imagery. Requiem, with its puzzly Care Center and the return to the devastated Raccoon City, left me with a smile on my face from start to finish. When I wasn’t jumping and squirming from the horrific creatures getting in my way, that is.
As I snuck and shot my way through the infested corridors of Requiem, I couldn’t help but feel like I was playing two games at the same time, or more accurately, two different generations of Resident Evil games. One, the survival- and puzzle-focused gameplay as Grace and the other an action shooter horror game as Leon. I tip my blood-soaked hat to Capcom for being able to make both feel equally fantastic and nail both styles, with bonus points for giving us fans the ability to play in either the more modern first-person view or over the shoulder in third. My time spent as Grace was filled with tense hands, held breaths, and squeezed shut eyes, hoping in vain that it would have some magical impact that would prevent that nearby zombie from noticing me in the corner. My time as Leon was the polar opposite, as I hurled myself into confrontation, stunning the shambling remains and bioweapons with a hail of bullets before delivering one of Leon’s signature roundhouse kicks or other brutal finishers. Rarely, even on the boss fights, did I ever feel like I was in much danger, thanks to the small arsenal I could pack on him, with enough ammo, or resources to craft more, to tackle any bio-horror in my way.
On the topic of the bosses, one of the qualities I appreciated most during my playthrough was how the team made these more challenging encounters feel more naturally occurring, as opposed to previous games, where you would enter a room and then have a big boss standing in your way. Creatures like Chunk or the chef roaming the halls of the Care Center could be avoided or dealt with, alongside the more set-piece classical boss encounters that were gruesome good times.
While it’s no surprise anymore, I am consistently amazed by just how gorgeous games made with Capcom’s in-house RE Engine are, and it continues that high pedigree in Requiem. From the dark and rusty catwalks of the water treatment plant to the blown-out windows and ruins of familiar Raccoon City buildings, and even the greying stumble on Leon or the gaunt, decaying skin on the zombies that elevate the tension and oppressive horror that oozes out of Requiem’s pores. Capcom really has built themselves a damn good engine, and Requiem is just a reminder of that.
As much as I enjoyed the gameplay, the story, and the visuals of Resident Evil Requiem, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any aspects I wish were different, however. The greatest of these would have to be in how the story was presented, specifically, the bouncing back-and-forth between Grace and Leon. Like I mentioned earlier, the focus and gameplay of both would feel at home in two separate games, so the fact that Requiem bounces you from one to the other at specific points would give me whiplash at times. Much like the return of Raccoon City itself, I wish this ninth entry also brought back the ability to play through the game from a singular viewpoint, as you could in the original Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2.
This is a game that I will happily play multiple times, fleshing out a bit of both characters’ stories (and just the story in general, thanks to some pretty big mysteries still remaining when the credits roll) to make both Leon and Grace’s viewpoints stand stronger on their own. I would even settle for just giving me the option in subsequent playthroughs to only play character A or B’s parts, and skip the rest, but no such luck. Hopefully, though, maybe that will at least get added in a future patch, fingers crossed. We already know that we are getting story DLC so who knows what else?
Players already knew that Capcom was setting itself up for a hard-hitting 2026, and Resident Evil Requiem unleashed a strong opening salvo. Not only did it bring back the heartthrob Leon Kennedy with a more grizzled and, judging by the internet’s reaction, far hotter iteration, but it has also delivered yet another magical zombie adventure full of reveals with implications for the series as a whole. Making fans question long-held beliefs and wonder what is coming next, and I can’t wait.
Ever since the pandemic, when I really dove headfirst into the series at long last, it has quickly shot up as one of the series whose lore and games I just eat up. From watching speedruns, challenge playthroughs, and timeline deep dives, I am now thoroughly on the zombie hype-train whenever a new game releases, and Resident Evil Requiem sated every itchy, tasty feeling I had, and to think we still have a year full of Capcom bangers ahead. Looks like I’m not getting off this train anytime soon.
We received a PlayStation review code to produce this review.
