“Resident Evil Requiem” Review
A picture of the slipcover and steelbook for "Resident Evil Requiem." Photo by Nicholas Ferguson '28
Released on Feb. 27, “Resident Evil Requiem” is the latest game and ninth mainline installment in the “Resident Evil” franchise.
In “Requiem,” you play as two separate main characters, Grace Ashcroft and Leon Kennedy.
Ashcroft is a new protagonist to the series who works for the FBI and is tasked with investigating a death that took place in the same hotel where her mother, Alyssa Ashcroft, was murdered. Unlike most protagonists in this series, Grace is socially awkward and gets nervous in stressful situations.
While playing as the young, less experienced Grace, the player will be limited in resources and must plan their routes carefully and be mindful of which enemies to take out. These sections play closer to games like “Resident Evil 2” (2019) and “Resident Evil 7: Biohazard” (2017).
The early game horror segments as Grace are well crafted with a good use of jumpscares, stalker enemies (enemies that are strong and you're better off running from them than trying to fight), and audio design to create one of the most well-crafted horror experiences in recent gaming. These sections prompt the player to think and plan the most efficient way to spend their resources.
Later in Grace’s sections, you get more resources, especially with the help of the blood collector, which allows you to craft items. But it is still always limited enough that the player never truly feels safe and needs to plan accordingly.
Leon Kennedy is a returning fan favorite character. In “Requiem,” it is revealed that Leon has an unclear disease that has been known to recently be causing multiple unsolved deaths. Leon is looking for any information he can on this disease to try to figure out what is causing it and how to stop it.
When playing as the series veteran Leon, the gameplay focuses much more on the action side of things. Leon’s gameplay works closely to the 2023 remake of “Resident Evil 4,” which has you plowing through groups of enemies. When playing as Leon, the player will also encounter many complex boss fights.
While playing as Leon, the player will never have to worry about their resources. You will always be provided a good amount of healing items, guns, ammo, grenades, etc. On top of this, the merchant system from “Resident Evil 4” (2023) returns, where every enemy you kill will give you credits, which you can spend at an item box to upgrade your guns. On top of upgrading your guns, you can also purchase new guns, as well as ammo and healing items.
One other thing the game does well is having great voice acting all around. It does a really solid job at doing a 50/50 split between the survival horror-based gameplay as Grace and action based gameplay as Leon. This decision provides a good middle ground for the fanbase, as one half seems to prefer the survival horror gameplay, while the other prefers the action.
This leaves most players with something to look forward to. Being able to switch from first-person to a third-person over-the-shoulder camera is an innovative addition that helps keep the game feeling fresh even on repeated playthroughs.
Although this game has its strong suits, it does not come without flaws. One problem is with Leon’s side of the game with the merchant system, which feels like a lesser version of how it worked in “Resident Evil 4” (2023).
An example is “Requiem,” with a lower variety of weapons to buy and fewer upgrade options for the guns in general. “Resident Evil 4” also had a charismatic merchant character to greet you every time you wanted to buy something. But in “Requiem,” it is basically a soulless gun vending machine you buy and upgrade your weapons from.
Despite not being perfect, “Resident Evil Requiem” is another strong entry in the “Resident Evil” series. I would recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of the series. For newer players, I would recommend holding off on this one for now, only because this game has a lot of fan service moments that would be best enjoyed after first playing other installments in the series.
If I had to score this game out of 10, I would give it an 8.7. Whether you prefer the more survival horror-type gameplay or action-based gameplay, you will be happy with what you get in “Resident Evil Requiem.