If there is one series I’ve played in its entirety —ever since my parents were irresponsible enough to let me try it as a kid— it’s Resident Evil. For me, it has always been the benchmark for survival horror. The franchise has seen its share of highs and lows, but since Resident Evil 7, Capcom has delivered one standout entry after another. Now, as the series celebrates its 30-year milestone, this Resident Evil Requiem review reflects on a game that stands among the most spectacular and memorable in the franchise’s history, excelling in both story and gameplay.
Looking back at every Resident Evil game I’ve played, I realized that what made me enjoy them the most was the gameplay and the situations surrounding our characters.
I dare say the two games that most deeply explored a character’s feelings and motivations were Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village. Yet that’s not to say the other installments haven’t developed their characters; they have, but not in a deep or meaningful way.
Then, why do I say that before moving on to Resident Evil Requiem? This ninth main installment finally strikes a balance between actually developing its protagonists, but also embracing the staples of the series’ storytelling involving conspiracies, mysteries, and shocking revelations, all in a way that, despite the over-the-top shenanigans of the franchise, culminate in a way that make perfectly send and deliver one of the most fullfilling ends to a mainline game I’ve seen since Village.
And so, the story puts us first in the shoes of Grace Ashcroft, daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft, who some of you might remember from Resident Evil Outbreak. Here, our FBI analyst gets dragged into a case that sends her back to where her mother died and quickly gets drawn into a nightmare she was clearly not prepared for.
On the other side, we have Leon, our legendary hero and most beloved protagonist on the series, looking to cure himself from the “Raccoon City curse.” And of course, his story gets intertwined with Grace’s, thus delivering a narrative full of nostalgia, closure, and several jaw-dropping moments, especially for veteran fans of the series.
Since I won’t spoil specific plot points in this Resident Evil Requiem review because I don’t want to ruin the mindblowing surprise that awaits all fans, I can tell you that Capcom did a superb job at not only bringing a new character to the fray, but also at giving Leon a new adventure that feels fitting for him, not only in terms of what he can do, but in terms of all the baggage he’s been dragging since the days of Resident Evil 2.
Still, that’s not to say it isn’t without some issues. One thing that Resident Evil as a whole has always struggled with is the presentation and pacing of its final act, and the same happens here. It doesn’t diminish the impact of the narrative it’s been building, but it certainly has some things that I wish the writers had tackled differently.
Ultimately, Resident Evil Requiem is my second favorite story of the series, right after Resident Evil Village, and one that does justice to a legacy, fleshes out a new character, and also dives deeper into the emotions of Leon, which is something refreshing, as other games often put the over-the-top situations ahead of everything and tend to leave character development on the side.
Out of the Desk and Into the Nightmare
But now, let’s dive into the gameplay aspects. Since Resident Evil Requiem features two protagonists, it delivers vastly different gameplay experiences for each one, and I’ll go over Grace first, as she’s the one you’ll be spending your first hours with.
As soon as you fire up the game, it recommends you to play all of Grace’s sections in first-person, so naturally, I did that, and I do think this is the best way to experience our FBI analyst’s horrifying journey.
In a way, it plays quite similarly to Ethan’s games. However, Grace feels much more inexperienced than Ethan, which heightens the horror and delivers some of the series’ most tense moments.
Grace’s sections embrace the survival horror aspect of the franchise. There aren’t a lot of bullets around, but the hospital, which is the first large area you play in, is full of infected. Yet, these aren’t your normal zombies, as due to story reasons, some keep behaviours from their life before becoming infected, which gives them a more established routine that makes things harder for Grace.
To fight these enemies, she only has one handgun and Leon’s most powerful weapon to date (without counting the RPG), Requiem. Still, this is the first time in forever that I’ve felt the need to avoid enemies for hours. It’s been a while since I had to plan my route or aggro one zombie to another room to defeat it without alerting the others. Resident Evil Requiem once again makes you feel like an actual survivor with the odds stacked against you.
Still, it isn’t all doom and gloom and a constant mayhem of one bad situation after another. Well, it is, but there are ways to counter it. Eventually, Grace discovers a way to craft items by using infected blood, which encourages you not only to defeat zombies, but also to return to some areas full of corpses, creating, once again, several tense situations where you must weigh in if the reward is worth the risk.
Also, in terms of difficulty, I played in Standard (Classic), as I’ve grown used to saving with the good old ink ribbons, and I prefer it this way, as it adds even more difficulty to the already harrowing experience.
Lastly, in terms of puzzles, Grace’s sections are the ones that feature the most challenging ones. Still, the difficulty lies in the level design, as Resident Evil Requiem features some of the best zones in the whole series, in terms of exploration, secrets, puzzles, and enemies.
In a way, it feels as if Grace’s journey is an enhancement from everything we saw in Resident Evil 7 and Village, and I never thought a game could surpass Ethan’s journey inside the Baker Estate, but it did.
A Hero’s Comeback
Contrary to Grace’s playable parts, Leon’s sections are as fast-paced as you can imagine, maybe too fast to a fault, but it makes sense storywise.
At first, Leon appears just for a couple of minutes, which, I won’t lie, had me worried. He is my favorite character in the whole series, so playing as him for short spans of 20 minutes or less felt wrong. However, it all changed once the story progressed.
But before talking about the place that started it all, let’s go over some of Leon’s general gameplay details. He is the complete opposite of Grace. When Grace aims her gun, her hands start shaking if she hears an enemy approach, thus making the encounter more difficult. Leon, on the other hand, is a killing machine with years of experience, and he shows that with his deadly kicks, the ability to finally use a chainsaw, and other moves capable of taking down even the toughest infected.
Naturally, Leon has a much larger arsenal, starting with his faithful handgun, and quickly getting his shotgun, rifle, and a few more. As the game progresses, you also unlock the ability to purchase new weapons and several upgrades. Now, while the armament doesn’t reach the number of options we saw in Resident Evil 4 Remake, I preferred it, as each one felt impactful, and not just an endless stream of new weapons that would eventually end up locked in a box.
Another new, shiny, and deadly part of Leon’s equipment is his axe, which thankfully doesn’t break. You can use it to parry every single attack in the game, putting several soulslike games to shame, and if it loses durability, you can just sharpen it up and use it again to slice some zombies. It isn’t the most effective offensive tool, as it serves more of a weapon to perform finishers and block attacks, but I liked how versatile it was. Plus, it lets you do sneak attacks, which is yet another thing I loved about it.
Beyond that, Leon can also use a few weapons that some infected enemies drop, such as axes he can throw to stun zombies and the aforementioned chainsaw, which, oddly enough, is the toughest enemy in the game, but you’ll discover that once you face this hellish weapon.
In terms of gameplay, Leon’s parts are a culmination of many of the things we’ve seen in modern Resident Evil games, mainly Resident Evil 4 Remake. Combat has vastly improved, making our agent feel more agile than before, and with some of the most jaw-dropping finishers we’ve seen in any game featuring Leon. Also, the parts where you play as him balance the chaotic action, similar to the last part of Resident Evil 4 Remake, but also the tense and scary moments of Resident Evil 2 Remake.
Furthermore, one thing many of us missed from the Resident Evil 2 Remake was how some of the things you did as the first character didn’t really affect the second playthrough. Here, they actually change a few things. Some enemies you didn’t kill will be the problem of the other character. Conversely, those you killed will end up clearing the route for the next protagonist. It doesn’t happen too often, but it was nice to see how your actions affect the situation each character faces.
What I will say, and it feels as if this is a trend from modern Capcom games, not only Resident Evil, is that the whole journey as Leon wasn’t particularly challenging, which made some of the boss fights feel underwhelming, gameplay-wise. While I could justify this by saying Leon is at the top of his game with decades of zombie-slaying experience, thus making every encounter a walk in the park, it still needs to be more challenging. It isn’t a big deal, as the whole exploration aspect and the hordes of zombies rushing toward Leon in several areas make up for this.
The Peak of Survival Horror
In the end, Resident Evil Requiem is a culmination not just of narrative threads, but of many gameplay aspects Capcom has crafted over the decades. Every part I played in reminded me of almost every Resident Evil game. Whether it was the art, the color palette, the playable sections, or the enemies, it was all a homage to the things that laid the foundation for the series.
Overall, Resident Evil Requiem is everything I had hoped for, and more. As someone who’s followed the series for decades and gets excited with every entry, be it a remake or a new installment, Requiem is the pinnacle of survival horror and the series itself. Its gameplay mechanics are unmatched, and the horror it delivers is, undoubtedly, the best of the series. This entry is easily a Game of the Year contender and an easy pick for one of the best Resident Evil games ever made.
Resident Evil Requiem (PS5 Reviewed)
Resident Evil Requiem brings the best of the franchise in terms of survival horror and action to deliver a memorable narrative full of nostalgia and peak survival horror experiences.
Pros
- The best combat system in the series
- Top-notch level design
- Grace's sections are among the scariest in the franchise
Cons
- The story feels rushed at the end
- Lack of challenging bosses
