Resident Evil: Requiem – Game Review

Resident Evil Requiem – Perhaps few game franchises have a history as extensive as the Resident Evil series .

The "longevity" here isn't simply about the brand's "longevity"—of course, there are older game franchises than Resident Evil like Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario, Pac-Man , or even its "older brother" Megaman from Capcom—but Resident Evil 's historical "depth" in terms of "influence" is unmatched by few other game franchises.

Since its first game was released in 1996, Resident Evil has almost never ceased to be a 'leader', from game development technology, graphics, gameplay design, to atmosphere design and storytelling.

Just as Resident Evil 4 nearly redefined the entire third-person shooter genre, Resident Evil 7 ushered in a new renaissance for first-person horror games, and Resident Evil 2 Remake redefined the concept of game remakes.

And interestingly, that influence didn't disappear even during the darkest periods of the franchise. Resident Evil 5 and 6 were heavily criticized, but still sold tens of millions of copies and remain a hot topic of discussion decades later, still boasting industry-leading graphics and gameplay at the time.

Because every time a 'numbered' Resident Evil game is released, good or bad, it's no longer just a game but a 'pop culture event,' a milestone that the entire gaming industry looks to.

Therefore, despite the somewhat slower momentum with an interesting but disjointed Resident Evil Village , or the heated debates about recent remakes becoming muddled and losing their individuality, Resident Evil Requiem still stands strong, keeping the entire gaming industry on edge.

Especially with the return of the 'legend' Leon Kennedy – older and more muscular – and the 'debut' of Grace Ashcroft, a new character who is somewhat connected to Resident Evil: Outbreak , a particularly interesting game and a fitting illustration of the pioneering spirit of this franchise.

So how will the 'unlikely couple' Leon and Grace perform in this installment , especially since it's Capcom's 'gift' to thank fans after 30 years of dedication?

Let's get our ink ribbon ready to save the game, a pot of water spinach to restore health, and step into this new nightmare!

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A new nightmare!

One of the most interesting aspects that Resident Evil Requiem offers fans this time is how the game portrays Grace Ashcroft as a perfect 'victim' of its insane world.

Despite being an FBI agent, Grace is just a. desk worker, always buried in books, shy, easily agitated, and prone to panic. All of that makes her a "lamb out of a haystack" in a franchise full of "superheroes" (and that's compared to "ordinary" people like Ethan Winters!).

But that very 'naivety' is actually Grace's greatest strength as the protagonist of Resident Evil Requiem , because she's so incredibly realistic. In a franchise full of superheroes straight out of B-movies from the 80s and 90s, Grace Ashcroft is reminiscent of the unfortunate Gen Z girls thrown straight into the middle of slow-paced, heavy horror films released in the late 2010s and early 2020s like It Follows, Longlegs , or Weapons .

With such genuine shyness, the horror of the Resident Evil world , seen through Grace's eyes, becomes infinitely more terrifying. Grace constantly reacts and comments on what she sees, but also constantly has to restrain herself, suppressing her horrified exclamations so that the surrounding zombies won't hear them.

The stumbles she makes while running away, her small stature making the surrounding zombies look even bigger and more terrifying, or her trembling hands after holding the gun for too long—all of these things make the player anxious along with her, wondering if the next shot will hit its target with her small, inexperienced hands.

Even more interestingly, Capcom's meticulous attention to detail in developing Grace wasn't simply about "enhancing" the game; it directly shaped how her gameplay segments were designed.

Each segment that Grace appears in shares the structure of a classic Resident Evil title , with enclosed, multi-layered spaces that are tightly interconnected, puzzles with clear solvable sequences, and spaces that are gradually 'unlocked' as the player progresses.

Combined with that are zombies scattered throughout the environment, along with one or two immortal or exceptionally tenacious enemies who relentlessly pursue the target. If players have ever played Resident Evil 1, 2 , or 7 , they will recognize this structure immediately.

But what sets Grace Ashcroft's gameplay segments apart from the classic originals is the way the game world operates and is designed around her, how it taps into Grace's vulnerability, and how she reacts to it all.

All the zombies Grace faced posed a real threat to her survival. Her frail physique made her easily susceptible to death after just a few bites from regular zombies, or even a single attack from the pursuing bosses.

Escaping wasn't much easier either, as Grace wasn't particularly agile and was rather clumsy, and the fact that most of the zombies were much larger than her made maneuvering around them even more difficult.

At Normal difficulty and above, Grace's two 'lame' pistols make things even more challenging, because unless you shoot the zombies in the head or blow them up with a special serum, they can easily get up and attack at the most unexpected moments, or worse, transform into Blister Head, a faster, stronger, and almost invulnerable version of zombies that are unstoppable by regular guns.

Of course, these mechanics aren't entirely new. Zombies getting up to attack or resurrecting into a stronger form has been around since Resident Evil 1 , and Blister Head is essentially just a more 'terrifying' version of the original Crimson Head.

However, with the zombie horde completely overwhelming Grace, the resurrection rate is exceptionally higher than in Resident Evil 1 or 2 , and resources from medicine and ammunition to serum syringes are extremely scarce, to the point that players will certainly not be able to 'eliminate' all the zombies in many gameplay segments, making Grace's sections particularly challenging.

However, interestingly, the zombies in Resident Evil Requiem aren't completely insane and mindless like in previous installments. They retain some degree of intelligence, and consequently exhibit very specific behaviors.

There are zombie servants frantically cleaning, zombie butlers busy switching lights on and off, zombie doctors still trying to treat patients, and blind zombies with sharp hearing, ready to pounce on anyone who dares to make noise.

By skillfully incorporating Grace's very specific limitations, both physical and mental, into every aspect of the environment design, enemies, and levels, Capcom has created some of the best survival horror sequences.

They remain a vital threat to Grace, but adhering to a fixed schedule and exhibiting predictable behavior opens up interesting options: memorizing their locations, luring them elsewhere, or even manipulating them into self-destruction.

All of those elements combine to make Grace's segments some of the most nerve-wracking the franchise has ever created. Players must count every step, memorize the location and habits of each zombie, and every bullet fired carries the same 'weight'.

By cleverly incorporating Grace's very specific limitations, both physical and mental, into every aspect of the environment design, enemies, and levels, Capcom has created some of the best survival horror sequences in the history of the Resident Evil franchise , and perhaps even the entire genre.

The Legend Returns!

And while poor little Grace Ashcroft is facing the three worst days of her life, for Leon Kennedy – our legendary 'London' – returning with a brand new Resident Evil game after more than 13 years, this is simply his Monday morning.

While Grace's segments were pure survival horror, requiring players to be cautious with every step, Leon transforms into a fast-paced action game with intense combat. Leon is now older and more robust, no longer as agile as he was in Resident Evil 4 or 6 , but his years of combat experience make him feel more like a "tank" than the quick-witted agent he once was—slower, but with more overwhelming firepower than ever before.

Leon's arsenal ranges from decent-damage handguns, devastating close-range shotguns, accurate long-range rifles, overwhelming machine guns, to the devastating Requiem revolver that he'll have to 'part ways' with for a while.

Juggling these weapons as Leon is particularly satisfying, because unlike Las Plagas or Regenerator in Resident Evil 4 with their own unique skills and weaknesses, the zombies in Requiem are much simpler, and Leon only needs to coordinate firepower to control the distance and prevent them from getting close.

Even if they managed to get close to Leon, chances are their attacks would be neutralized by the formidable axe Leon carries at his waist, and sooner or later the zombies would take a few kicks straight to the face.

Leon is even more agile, as he can pick up the zombies' weapons and… swing them back, or deliver a fatal blow that sends them tumbling and becoming easy prey for his axe.

All those elements combine to make Leon's gameplay particularly satisfying in a very different way. If Grace is an absolute, mind-bending survival horror experience, then Leon is a satisfying action-horror from beginning to end, affirming the character's legendary status in the most direct way possible.

The challenges that Grace had to rack her brains to overcome, Leon solved effortlessly. And the challenges specifically for him were equally extraordinary: unbelievable motorcycle stunts, giant mechanical weapons, and devastating enemy firepower.

Ultimately, there's a reason why the name Leon Kennedy instilled both fear and admiration in bioterrorists and evil biomedical corporations around the world, and Capcom rightfully placed all that extraordinary potential in the hands of the player!

If Grace is an absolute, mind-bending survival horror experience, then Leon is a satisfying action-horror experience from beginning to end.

Perfect balance!

And the most extraordinary thing that Resident Evil Requiem has achieved, something no other Resident Evil game or any other survival horror game has ever done, is not the satisfying action sequences or the intense, tightly-knit survival horror segments. Rather, it's the perfect balance of both aspects.

The way Grace and Leon's segments are interwoven creates an incredibly smooth and well-paced rhythm. The tension that builds up in Grace's gameplay is released by Leon, as the enemies she had to cautiously maneuver are now swiftly dealt with by him using devastating firepower and superior martial arts skills.

The storylines of the two characters become increasingly intertwined with each chapter, as Leon intervenes and helps Grace in the horrors she faces. By the latter half of the game, although Leon has more screen time, Grace still plays a crucial role in slowing down the pace at the right moments, making their final victory even more satisfying.

The second thing Capcom does particularly well with integrating the storylines of these two characters is how the game's difficulty is… reversed for Grace and Leon.

That's understandable, Grace, despite being 'young and inexperienced,' gradually improves her abilities throughout the game, with permanent upgrades, and her knowledge also increases, allowing her to create more items to defeat the threats ahead, even though the hordes of zombies remain an overwhelming and vital threat to Grace.

Of course, Capcom cleverly designed increasingly expansive environments and more abundant resources for Grace to demonstrate her ever-improving abilities.

In contrast to Grace, Leon's challenges become increasingly difficult, with more enemies, sometimes armed with guns and heavy weapons, and environments that become more complex, unpredictable, and dark. This aligns with the mysterious illness Leon is suffering from and the race to find a cure, causing him to constantly weaken.

This symmetry allows character development in the game's storyline to 'fit' with their gameplay experience, further enhancing the game's pacing and structure.

That very tight structure gives the story of Resident Evil Requiem even more weight. I won't go into too much detail because it's truly one of the best stories the franchise has ever told, but the way Leon and Grace – with an exceptionally brilliant performance from actress Angela Sant'Albano as Grace – grapple with their own past, as well as the past of the entire franchise, with all the paths leading back to Raccoon City and the T-virus – a candid message from Capcom to fans, through the perspectives of both new and old generations of characters – is something few games in this franchise have managed to achieve.

If I had to use just one word to describe the game's story, it would be 'sincere'.

Sincerely, because this is a message that the Capcom team truly believes in. Leon Kennedy and his legacy matter, and Grace Ashcroft and her future matter just as much.

If Leon represents the core values ​​that have shaped Resident Evil for over three decades, then Grace embodies a new hope: the hope that Resident Evil will always be at the forefront, always pioneering and innovating, but never losing its quality and identity.

All of that makes Resident Evil Requiem , alongside its cleverly crafted fan tributes, the most sincere 'gift' Capcom has given to those who have been with the franchise since its early days, and an invitation to new fans.

Of course, there are many other things to praise about Resident Evil Requiem : from the graphics that create truly impressive yet well-optimized sequences, to the nearly perfect sound design. But those elements, however excellent, are still things that any numbered Resident Evil game should have.

What truly makes Resident Evil Requiem special is its skillfully and sincerely told story, coupled with an outstanding gameplay experience that is almost unrivaled in the genre.

What truly makes Resident Evil Requiem special is its skillfully and sincerely told story, coupled with an outstanding gameplay experience that is almost unrivaled in the genre.