Resident Evil Requiem Game Review – Leon’s Back Kickin Ass
Okay, I’m not usually one to complain about this – but there has been an absolutely stupid amount of games dropping lately.
Between the Monster Hunter Wilds Anniversary Update, jumping into Phasmophobia’s Tanglewood Drive rework, and finishing up my review for Fear the Timeloop (which ended up being way better than I expected btw), my schedule has been ridiculously packed with games that refuse to let me sleep like a normal human being.
And of course, sitting quietly in my Steam library this entire time is Poppy Playtime Chapter 5…staring at me, menacingly like an unpaid credit card bill that I keep pretending doesn’t exist.
It has been one of those weeks where every time you finish one game, two more pop up like some kind of funderfully cursed gaming hydra.
Sigh…but I digress.
Resident Evil Requiem | Capcom
Somewhere in the middle of all that chaos, I finally sat down with Resident Evil Requiem, Capcom’s newest entry in its long running survival horror franchise.
And after spending a good chunk of time crawling through infected…well, everythings (that’s right, you’re not just stuck in one map for once) and trying not to waste my last three bullets on some particularly annoying monstrosity that looks suspiciously like your mother…I can confidently say this is another strong entry in the series.
Resident Evil Requiem Story
Resident Evil has always had a weird sort of balancing act when it comes to its storytelling.
On one side you have grounded survival horror. On the other side you have the increasingly ridiculous and convoluted lore of biological weapons, secret labs, and corporations that apparently learned absolutely nothing from the last 12 1/2 catastrophic outbreaks.
Resident Evil Requiem leans into both sides in a way that actually works. The game follows two playable characters:
Leon Kennedy
One is my boy – Leon Kennedy, a familiar face for anyone who has spent time with the series, or hell, Dead by Daylight for that matter. This guy has been dealing with zombie outbreaks and mutant nightmares for literal decades at this point, so stepping back into his shoes feels like catching up with an old friend who (unfortunately) still works the worst job on the planet.
Resident Evil Requiem | Capcom
Grace Ashcroft
The second protagonist is Grace Ashcroft, a newcomer to the series and an FBI analyst investigating a string of bizarre deaths tied to old biological weapon incidents.
Grace also has a connection to Resident Evil history. She is the daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft, the journalist from the old Resident Evil Outbreak games. Long time fans will probably appreciate that little piece of lore.
Resident Evil Requiem | Capcom
No Spoilers Allowed
Without getting into spoiler territory, the story slowly pulls both characters into the same unfolding nightmare involving a new bio-organic threat of doom and the kind of shady experimentation that Umbrella would probably call a normal Tuesday.
What makes the narrative structure interesting in Requiem though, is how the game alternates between the two protagonists. Instead of sticking with one character for the entire campaign, RE: Requiem constantly shifts perspectives back and forth throughout the game.
One moment you are pushing forward as Leon with an arsenal and a jaded attitude…the next, you’re creeping through the hospital as Grace, hoping whatever is breathing down the hallway does not notice you while you’re looking for blood pools like the most vanilla vampire ever.
That constant shift keeps the pacing fresh and does an interesting job of preventing the game from settling into a predictable rhythm.
RE: Requiem Gameplay
If you’ve ever played a Resident Evil game before, you probably already know the basic idea:
Limited ammo. Creepy environments. Puzzles that somehow involve rotating statues and ancient keys in places where absolutely no one would logically install them.
Resident Evil Requiem pretty much sticks to that formula but adds one interesting twist – each character uses a different camera perspective.
When you’re playing as Leon, the game uses the familiar 3rd person perspective that fans of Resident Evil will recognize immediately. You’re still managing resources, but Leon is more than capable of handling himself in a fight.
Resident Evil Requiem | Capcom
Grace’s sections are completely different though.
Her gameplay is presented in 1st person, which instantly makes everything feel more intense. When you turn a corner in first person and something horrifically deadly is waiting for you, there’s nowhere to hide from it…except behind your rapidly decreasing supply of ammo and the limited use of bottles for distractions.
Capcom clearly designed this split intentionally – Grace’s sections lean harder into survival horror. You are sneaking, hiding, solving puzzles, and trying not to attract attention from things that could basically turn you into lunch.
Resident Evil Requiem | Capcom
Besides the perspective switch, the gameplay feels extremely polished. Shooting feels tight. Movement feels smooth. Map traversal rarely becomes frustrating.
The only thing I wish the game explored a bit more is stealth combat. You can avoid enemies and sneak around, but dedicated stealth kills are not really heavily emphasized.
Then again, giving players too many silent takedowns would probably completely break Resident Evil’s classic “enjoy the scarcity of ammo” economy where every bullet feels like it’s worth more than a diamond instead of something that you waste for funsies.
Aesthetic and Graphics
One thing Capcom continues to do extremely well is environmental design.
Resident Evil games have a long tradition of taking normal everyday locations and turning them into absolute nightmare fuel, and Requiem is no exception. The Hospital becomes a claustrophobic labyrinth filled with flickering lights and questionable life choices behind locked doors.
The Wrenwood Hotel, that probably used to host vacationing families, is a charred mess that now feels it could be like the setting for a very cliche ghost story.
There are more places, but I don’t want to spoil anything (oh, how I really want to spoil everything), but what I will say is that the environments are all extremely detailed, atmospheric, and constantly shifting between quiet tension and sudden chaos.
Resident Evil Requiem | Capcom
Visually, the game looks fantastic (most of the time) thanks to Capcom’s RE Engine.
Character models look great. Lighting effects help sell the horror atmosphere. Environmental textures hold up nicely even in close quarters.
I did run into a few graphical issues early on, related to path tracing settings. My game had a few moments where things looked a little…confused. Grainy? Bad.
Turning off Path Tracing and switching to High Ray Tracing solved the problem immediately though, so just remember that for yourself if everything starts looking wonky.
Once that was sorted out though, everything ran smoothly and the game looked exactly how a modern Resident Evil title should.
Dark, detailed, and occasionally disturbing…in the best way possible, of course.
Resident Evil Requiem Verdict
Resident Evil Requiem is another really fun entry in the franchise and another reminder that Capcom has seemingly figured out a pretty damn reliable formula for modern survival horror.
More than once I caught myself saying “one more section before bed” only to realize an hour had passed and my responsibilities as a meat popsicle (aka adult human) were being aggressively ignored.
Resident Evil Requiem gets a solid 8.8 out of 10 from me.
If Capcom decides to expand on this with DLC in the future, which I’m sure they will, I will absolutely be back with bells on for another round of zombie bashing.
Hopefully, with fewer asshats trying to eat my face off…but we all know that’s not gonna happen.
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