With the triumphant return of Leon Kennedy, Resident Evil Requiem is compelled to straddle a clumsy line between all-out motion and methodical survival horror. I’ll be sincere, earlier than getting my palms on the sport and seeing the transition in motion, I used to be extraordinarily skeptical that Capcom would be capable to create a coherent expertise involving each Leon and Grace, the collection’ newest, extremely susceptible protagonist. The switching between their polar reverse kinds sounded jarring, which is nearly by no means a very good factor, and though it has been some time, it’s not like we haven’t been burned by Capcom’s need to push the collection in direction of motion earlier than. However I’m happy to share that, from my all-too-transient three hours of palms-on time with Resident Evil Requiem, not solely does this design actually, actually work, however there’s much more happening than only a merging of Resident Evil’s best hits.
My playtime began with a brief check drive of Leon, and Resident Evil 4 muscle reminiscence kicked in instantly. Make no mistake, this performs similar to the latest remake, enhanced with some intelligent new additions appropriate for a veteran badass. Leon is extra useful than ever, with a lethal hatchet that he can swing mercilessly added to his common arsenal. Leon also can heave axes discovered on the earth, can carry out new contextual ending strikes similar to a handgun shot to the chin, and lastly wield the violent chainsaw. There was as soon as a time Leon feared the chainsaw, however now, Leon has turn out to be chainsaw, destroyer of ghouls. After a brief quarter-hour, the gameplay shifted perspective to Grace Ashcroft, Requiem’s second protagonist, choosing up her journey instantly after the occasions of the earlier demo I wrote about in August final 12 months. Grace and Leon are polar opposites. Gone have been the tense gunfights and ahead momentum of Resident Evil 4, as I used to be instantly thrust into what felt like a sterile, white, clear model of Resident Evil 7. For the following two hours, I explored the Rhodes Hill Continual Care Middle, a considerably conventional Resident Evil mansion that comprises a lot of what you would possibly anticipate amongst its rooms and corridors, however with loads of new surprises. Surprises that largely come up because of Grace’s skills, or somewhat, lack thereof.
Very similar to within the earlier demo, Grace’s part was centered virtually completely on survival horror. She is armed with small pistols she finds within the surroundings, however her firepower and fight abilities are negligible in comparison with our favourite floppy-haired icon. The place Leon can spherical-home kick zombies within the face, Grace makes do with a careless push. Leon is all-out assault, however one of the best plan of action for Grace is gradual and deliberate stealth, as a result of if you happen to do attempt to take a few of the new enemies head-on, you’re going to have a nasty time.
Final 12 months’s demo revealed a brand new and far-celebrated stalker enemy, a towering, hunched, bug-eyed warden, however even inside the span of my quick three-hour session, I used to be launched to a different two, giving me the impression that Resident Evil Requiem received’t have one Mr. X or Nemesis-like persistent menace, however somewhat a number of smaller pursuers that appear to protect sure wings of the Rhodes Hill Continual Care Middle. Most notable was a hulking mass of blubber known as Chunk, who burst by means of the wall and into my coronary heart as he very slowly, however certainly, floor his manner by means of halls, stairwells and doorways in pursuit of me. Uniquely, Chunk fills the area fully, so your solely likelihood of survival is to seek out and navigate the loops constructed into the extent design with a purpose to outmaneuver the strolling lardarse. It’s a intelligent design that generates a (considerably) residing, respiratory wall of terror, and one you possibly can’t merely sidestep or fight roll away from.
Very similar to the stalker I escaped final 12 months, Chunk is cleverly carried out within the context of conventional secure rooms. The place the room’s vibrant mild triggered the earlier stalker ache, Chunk merely can’t bodily squeeze his sheer mass by means of the door, ensuring there’s a logical in-world justification for a room of respite.
In addition to Chunk, I additionally ran right into a 7-foot-tall hulking unit masquerading as a chef, who, till he observed me, was utterly centered on his chopping chores. This quickly-to-be stalker wasn’t but in looking mode; somewhat, he was fulfilling, I assume, his pre-an infection duties. This type of conduct isn’t distinctive to the chef: It seems in Resident Evil Requiem, the normal zombie fodder is simply as a lot the star of the present. You see, zombies not solely discuss now, but in addition have their very own personalities.
The undead are not unlucky, generic misplaced souls, however somewhat husks that retain a smidge of residing personalities, hanging out within the area they as soon as occupied. There’s the lounge singing shrieker within the bar space, who, earlier than being alerted, entertains herself by belting out a ditty. There are the zombies who have been previously sufferers in restoration that insist on wheeling round their drip stands, that are then, unsurprisingly, wielded as weapons after they’re aggro’d. Some zombies hate loud noises and can repeatedly yell at you if you happen to even a lot as smash a vase, after which there’s one which loves nothing greater than turning lights on and off till you rudely interrupt him.
If it’s not clear by now, Resident Evil Requiem, except for being full of motion and concern, is now additionally humorous, one thing the collection has by no means (a minimum of deliberately) achieved earlier than. As Grace creeps across the hospital, there’s the continuous menace that round each nook awaits horror, or laughter, or generally even each! When you possibly can hear the undead nattering away in a room you recognize you must enter to attain your subsequent goal, it’s onerous to know whether or not to be scared or have a very good chuckle. On paper, this sounds prefer it might be terrible – I’m conscious of that, however actually, it’s so good! I laughed so onerous after I caught one significantly dopey zombie purple-handed (each actually and figuratively), lifting a big and, importantly, purple canister to throw my manner. I’m positive you possibly can think about what occurred subsequent.
The zombie fodder isn’t simply round to entertain and shortly be disposed of, although. As Grace, the undead are a major menace, at all times shifting a bit of sooner than you anticipate. Their fallen corpses additionally pose a major conundrum, as they’ve the flexibility to show into “Blister Heads,” a reinvention of the Resident Evil remake’s Crimson Heads for a brand new technology that reanimate with a bulbous skull and turn out to be considerably harder to take down. Luckily, Grace has a brand new instrument at her disposal: a Hemolytic Injector that weaponises the buckets of blood mendacity across the place (critically, it’s in all places), making a deadly injection that can be utilized as a safety measure towards Blister Heads when injected into fallen enemies, and as a stealth assault towards something shifting.
Past the brand new enemy varieties, enjoying as Grace does really feel very acquainted if you happen to’ve performed both Resident Evil 7 or Resident Evil 2, though clearly it leans extra in direction of the latter if you happen to select to play as Grace in third individual. You’re exploring an enormous mansion with locked doorways, there are obtuse puzzles to unravel, vintage cash to seek out that may improve your gear, Mr. Raccoons to shoot, secure rooms with a typewriter for saving and a storage field for stock administration, and so forth. Leon, nonetheless, can brute-drive open sure doorways that Grace can’t and is way extra aggressive with fight in comparison with Grace’s methodical stealth. You can additionally select to play as Leon in first individual, although after a short dabble, it felt very unnatural to take action. I can’t assist however assume Capcom constructed this sport with Leon in third individual and Grace in first individual in thoughts, nevertheless it’s onerous to complain about extra selection, regardless of realizing deep down the event workforce certainly has a choice.
My demo ended with a second, all-too-quick stint as Leon, which allowed me to revisit sections of the Care Middle I’d beforehand skilled with Grace. Curiously, this part demonstrated maybe my favourite ingredient of this hybrid expertise. Leon can also be uncovered to a few of the harder fight encounters that I’d suffered by means of as Grace, though the attitude (very like my viewpoint of selection) may be very totally different. After I met Chunk as Grace, I instantly retreated and was compelled right into a sport of cat-and-mouse. The menace is intimidating and encourages you to tread calmly. As Leon, nonetheless, emboldened by my newly acquired shotgun, I felt immediately set off-completely happy, unloading shells proper up in Chunk’s face and launching hatchet assaults on his head as a part of a combat that felt considerably harking back to the El Gigante encounters of Resident Evil 4. To Grace, Chunk and his fellow creeps are stalkers; to Leon, they’re targets. This ethos was reaffirmed when taking up a wave of Blister Heads with Leon on the finish of my play time. With Grace, I waited patiently for a stealth assault alternative; with Leon, I used to be hurling hand grenades and throwing axes for enjoyable.
This 12 months is the thirtieth anniversary of the Resident Evil collection, so it seems like no coincidence that 2026’s Resident Evil Requiem is combining one of the best concepts of the saga into what seems to be a fantastically constructed tribute to all the pieces that makes the collection so nice. Do you want tense survival horror? It’s right here. Wanna go all weapons blazing with intense motion and a quip-obsessed hero? You get that too. Do you favor enjoying RE video games in first or third individual? Doesn’t matter; you are able to do both. All these selections, together with my fears of a jarring play expertise being largely squashed, make it simple to consider that Capcom’s daring transfer to have its cake and eat it will repay in an enormous manner.
Dale Driver is an Affiliate Director of Video Programming at IGN. Be totally bored by following him on Bluesky at @daledriver.bsky.social