Grace brings the fear, Leon brings the fight
By Paul Hunter
Resident Evil has been part of my gaming life for decades, so any time Capcom gives a new mainline entry, especially one that brings us back to Raccoon City, I'm there on day one. Resident Evil Requiem takes place thirty years after the original outbreak and sheds new light on that pivotal moment in history.
The story drops you into a fresh mess and asks you to investigate it through two sets of eyes. On one side you play as Grace Ashcroft, an FBI analyst walking into her first real encounter with Umbrella’s bioterrorism legacy. On the other you have Leon S. Kennedy, the long-running federal agent who has survived these viral disasters since his rookie days. Requiem has you hopping between them, with Grace's side focused on terrifying stealth horror while Leon's portions are action-oriented with his vast arsenal of weapons. So, is this a worthy return to Raccoon City? Let’s dive in and find out!
In Leon’s parallel arc, he is chasing Dr. Victor Gideon, an ex-Umbrella scientist who is believed to be trying to unleash a potentially deadly new virus called Elpis. At pivotal moments during the campaign you'll switch between characters, and the further you get in the deeper Umbrella's cover-up of Elpis seems to go.
Resident Evil lore fans are in for a treat here as Requiem ties up some longstanding loose threads in the timeline, while revealing more details about key figures from the Raccoon incident and beyond. By searching environments you can find optional scenes, small conversations and 75 files that shed light on Elpis and Raccoon City's destruction. There are also some returning characters that show up that not only provide great fan service, but also help shape where this franchise could potentially go next.
Grace starts out completely empty-handed with not even a gun or knife to fend off the infected. Early on Leon hands over his customised Requiem handgun so she at least has a sidearm, but she still leans heavily on a blood siphoning injector tool used to craft items like pistol ammo or Molotov cocktails. Before you can craft items you need to analyze blood specimens in lab terminals and complete a short logic puzzle mini-game. My favourite craftable items are the Hemolytic Injectors, which cause an infected head to explode, both preventing the corpse from returning as a Blister Head and acting as a silent way to burst an enemy clogging your route. All of this plays out while Grace is being hunted by the Girl for big stretches of her campaign, along with other horrifying stalkers like the grotesque Chunk and Butcher that also roam certain sections.
Leon’s half lets you cut loose and is focused on action horror combat. His attache case is bigger, his weapon list grows fast, and he wears a bracelet that counts every kill and converts them into points that can be used to purchase weapon upgrades, new guns, or extra ammo. His hatchet can be used to parry incoming attacks and stunning enemies lets you run up and hack off their heads, killing them instantly in brutal fashion. Across his story you face plenty of tough, multi-phase bosses that chew through ammo and force you to make every grenade toss or weapon upgrade count. All in all, the two campaigns are extremely well designed with different gameplay styles that need to be employed and mastered.
Looking at the infected enemies, their details also stand out. Regular zombies look rotten and tragic, with gaping wounds and blank stares, while Blister Heads and Chunks twist into something nastier if you let bodies sit too long. The game offers both first-person and third-person views, so you can choose how close you get to the terror. By default, Grace is set to first-person view to heighten the terror, while Leon has a pulled-back view suitable for crowd control and really showcasing the larger battles.
As far as audio goes, everything in Requiem is top notch. You'll hear the infected muttering or bang around in the background, which can be terrifying when playing as Grace. The voice cast is also excellent across the board, but Grace and Leon stand out thanks to strong line delivery and emotional range. Angela Sant’Albano gives Grace a nervous edge, with stutters and big emotional swings that match her intense fear. Nick Apostolides brings back Leon’s tired delivery and sharp one-liners that sound better than ever. And then there's Victor Gideon, whose scenes are extra uncomfortable thanks to his calm, almost clinical tone, which fits his role perfectly. The soundtrack backs all of this up with tense tracks for chases and boss fights and quieter calming music when you finally reach a safe room. As for the game's performance, on PS5 Pro it's buttery smooth with no noticeable dips, no matter how hectic enemy encounters get.
Final Score: 10/10 - Masterpiece
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Genre: Survival Horror
Modes: Single-player
A key was provided by the publisher.
By Paul Hunter
Resident Evil has been part of my gaming life for decades, so any time Capcom gives a new mainline entry, especially one that brings us back to Raccoon City, I'm there on day one. Resident Evil Requiem takes place thirty years after the original outbreak and sheds new light on that pivotal moment in history.
The story drops you into a fresh mess and asks you to investigate it through two sets of eyes. On one side you play as Grace Ashcroft, an FBI analyst walking into her first real encounter with Umbrella’s bioterrorism legacy. On the other you have Leon S. Kennedy, the long-running federal agent who has survived these viral disasters since his rookie days. Requiem has you hopping between them, with Grace's side focused on terrifying stealth horror while Leon's portions are action-oriented with his vast arsenal of weapons. So, is this a worthy return to Raccoon City? Let’s dive in and find out!
Story and Narrative
Story-wise, Requiem fast-forwards the timeline to 2028, and begins with Grace walking into the Wrenwood Hotel to investigate recent murders. For her, the case is deeply personal, since the hotel is where her mother Alyssa was killed years earlier.In Leon’s parallel arc, he is chasing Dr. Victor Gideon, an ex-Umbrella scientist who is believed to be trying to unleash a potentially deadly new virus called Elpis. At pivotal moments during the campaign you'll switch between characters, and the further you get in the deeper Umbrella's cover-up of Elpis seems to go.
Resident Evil lore fans are in for a treat here as Requiem ties up some longstanding loose threads in the timeline, while revealing more details about key figures from the Raccoon incident and beyond. By searching environments you can find optional scenes, small conversations and 75 files that shed light on Elpis and Raccoon City's destruction. There are also some returning characters that show up that not only provide great fan service, but also help shape where this franchise could potentially go next.
Gameplay and Mechanics
Resident Evil Requiem practically gives you two campaigns in one considering how different the Grace and Leon sections are. Grace is all about pure survival horror, she moves slower, carries less, and resources are limited so you often think about whether it is worth clearing a hallway or slipping around enemies. Since her inventory is so tight, save rooms contain item boxes that let you stuff healing items or ammo away for future use, and you are constantly unlocking safes, hunting key items, and opening locked doors to push deeper into each area.Grace starts out completely empty-handed with not even a gun or knife to fend off the infected. Early on Leon hands over his customised Requiem handgun so she at least has a sidearm, but she still leans heavily on a blood siphoning injector tool used to craft items like pistol ammo or Molotov cocktails. Before you can craft items you need to analyze blood specimens in lab terminals and complete a short logic puzzle mini-game. My favourite craftable items are the Hemolytic Injectors, which cause an infected head to explode, both preventing the corpse from returning as a Blister Head and acting as a silent way to burst an enemy clogging your route. All of this plays out while Grace is being hunted by the Girl for big stretches of her campaign, along with other horrifying stalkers like the grotesque Chunk and Butcher that also roam certain sections.
Leon’s half lets you cut loose and is focused on action horror combat. His attache case is bigger, his weapon list grows fast, and he wears a bracelet that counts every kill and converts them into points that can be used to purchase weapon upgrades, new guns, or extra ammo. His hatchet can be used to parry incoming attacks and stunning enemies lets you run up and hack off their heads, killing them instantly in brutal fashion. Across his story you face plenty of tough, multi-phase bosses that chew through ammo and force you to make every grenade toss or weapon upgrade count. All in all, the two campaigns are extremely well designed with different gameplay styles that need to be employed and mastered.
Presentation and Audio
Requiem is one of the best-looking Resident Evil games ever, especially the PS5 Pro PSSR support. The RE Engine pushes extremely detailed faces, so much so that you can even see sweat on people's foreheads during intense scenes. Grace really sells her fear, too, from her shaking hands when she aims to the way she stumbles after sprinting. Leon, on the other hand, has an older, hardened look that tells you he has fought through decades of outbreaks. Environments like Wrenwood Hotel, Rhodes Hill, and the ruined streets of Raccoon City are loaded with incredible details that easily make this the best-looking Resident Evil game yet.Looking at the infected enemies, their details also stand out. Regular zombies look rotten and tragic, with gaping wounds and blank stares, while Blister Heads and Chunks twist into something nastier if you let bodies sit too long. The game offers both first-person and third-person views, so you can choose how close you get to the terror. By default, Grace is set to first-person view to heighten the terror, while Leon has a pulled-back view suitable for crowd control and really showcasing the larger battles.
As far as audio goes, everything in Requiem is top notch. You'll hear the infected muttering or bang around in the background, which can be terrifying when playing as Grace. The voice cast is also excellent across the board, but Grace and Leon stand out thanks to strong line delivery and emotional range. Angela Sant’Albano gives Grace a nervous edge, with stutters and big emotional swings that match her intense fear. Nick Apostolides brings back Leon’s tired delivery and sharp one-liners that sound better than ever. And then there's Victor Gideon, whose scenes are extra uncomfortable thanks to his calm, almost clinical tone, which fits his role perfectly. The soundtrack backs all of this up with tense tracks for chases and boss fights and quieter calming music when you finally reach a safe room. As for the game's performance, on PS5 Pro it's buttery smooth with no noticeable dips, no matter how hectic enemy encounters get.
The Verdict
Resident Evil Requiem is one of the best Resident Evil games ever and a clear Game of the Year contender. You get two epic campaigns with very different playstyles and a satisfying story that ties up some long-running threads while setting the stage for the next chapter. To top it off, the level of visual and audio polish is outstanding so don't be surprised if you snap dozens of photos along the journey. After finishing my first run, I immediately dove back in to complete the tougher challenges and unlock my rewards, which says a lot about how excellent the overall experience is.Final Score: 10/10 - Masterpiece
Resident Evil Requiem details
Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 2Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Genre: Survival Horror
Modes: Single-player
A key was provided by the publisher.