*Mild spoilers ahead for Resident Evil Requiem. I will not be spoiling the story, but I will discuss the characters and mechanics in some depth. This game is best experienced blind, so if you’re interested in it at all, I’d highly recommend playing it for yourself before reading this article.*
I’ve been on something of a Resident Evil kick this last month. Leading up to Requiem, I went back and replayed my favorite entries in the series. Namely every game starring Leon, because… I mean, come on.
Now, I’m hardly an expert on the RE series. I’m very much a casual fan. I’ll play through the games once, maybe twice, then move on with my day. Grinding for better times or infinite ammo weapons never appealed to me personally.
At least, I thought I didn’t. But now I’m on my third playthrough of Requiem, and I’m armed with an infinite ammo arsenal. So… I guess I’ve been got.
‘Resident Evil: Requiem’ is two games for the price of one. The first is a terrifying survival horror, a masterclass in dread and resource management. The other is a Doom game set in the RE universe. And I cannot get enough of either one.
Our first game stars Grace Ashcroft, an analyst for the FBI. God only knows how this woman got that job, because she is a nervous wreck. She can hardly finish a sentence without stuttering. Even before being thrust into a waking nightmare.
Jokes aside, I really like Grace as a character. Like Ethan before her, she’s an ordinary person faced with unimaginable horrors. But unlike our favorite mold-man, she actually reacts accordingly. Despite how terrified she is, her heart is genuine twenty-four karat gold, and she’ll always face her fears to help someone else. She’s a wonderful leading character.
Her voice performance is especially impressive. Angela Sant’Albano sounds legitimately terrified! I swear to god, they released actual zombies into the recording studio! This is one of the best performances I’ve ever seen in any horror movie, show, or game. If this isn’t award worthy, I don’t know what is.
Grace’s sections are classic survival horror at its best. Zombies are dangerous as hell, and there are a lot of ’em. You will never have enough resources to take them all out. If you want to survive, you’ll need to sneak quietly, run quickly, and get creative with your tool kit. But be careful; you’ve only got so much space in those pockets.
Like prior RE games, you can craft supplies to give yourself an edge. Your primary resource: blood. Sometimes you can find it in the world, but more often you’ll need to kill enemies to get it. This creates an excellent balance of risk and reward; do you fight a dangerous zombie to build a more powerful item, or do you save those bullets and play it safe?
On the subject of blood: boy howdy, there is a lot of it! I haven’t seen blood this good since ‘Bloodborne’! This game is so damn visceral, it feels amazing! It is equal parts satisfying and disgusting to paint a whole room red. Especially when you make a zombie pop like a gruesome balloon!
It’s been a long time since graphical fidelity has impressed me. I much prefer style over realism. But god damn, man, I can’t deny that this game looks good! Some environments legitimately look like photography. And the whole game runs at a buttery smooth 60 FPS. The RE Engine has always been incredible, and it has never looked better.
Even when you can’t see a damn thing. This game is a prime example of how to use dread in a horror game. Grace must often brave impenetrable darkness, or enter spaces no one in their right minds would want to go. The ambiance is so strong that a statue of a horse had me frozen in my tracks! I haven’t been so scared playing a horror game since ‘Silent Hill 2 Remake’. The opening scene in the Wrenwood Hotel actually had me screaming like a little girl!
Speaking of: let’s talk about the Girl. This twelve-foot tall monstrosity will be chasing you for the majority of Grace’s sections. Mechanically, she’s your typical stalker enemy. An unkillable menace you can only run away from. Your only protection from her is the light. A precious commodity in this labyrinth of darkness.
Of all the stalkers in the RE games, this one scared me the most by far. Her design is incredible, utterly grotesque and horrifying. She doesn’t just stomp after you everywhere you go; she’ll crawl up into the ceiling, burst out of vents, even attack other enemies for a quick meal. There are even unique death animations depending on how she kills you
My favorite piece of the puzzle is the zombies. These poor sops maintain some semblance of their old selves, even in undeath. They’ll mutter phrases they did in life, work a twisted version of their day jobs, or beg for mercy and salvation. Worst of all are their faces; some of them come at you with wide eyes and broad grins, like the T-Virus made love with Joker gas. Ironic, isn’t it, that the dead bring this world to life.
This is, in my opinion, the scariest Resident Evil game to date. The sheer terror I felt playing as Grace nearly gave me a damn heart attack! If this was the whole game, it would go down as one of the best survival-horror experiences ever made!
But that is only one half. There’s still a whole other game to talk about. Starring none other than the man, the myth, the suplex legend himself: Leon S. Kennedy!
Playing as Leon is pure catharsis. While Grace is solving puzzles and running for her life, he’s a few steps behind her. Did those zombies give you a headache? Well, now you are the monster! This is an action game now! Rip and tear until it is done!
Requiem introduces us to a Leon on his last legs. My man is getting old, and he is so damn tired. This game really puts him through the wringer. Yet however dire the circumstances, he never falters, not even for a second. His will is iron, his determination unbreakable. He’s always got a cheesy one-liner ready, even in the grim face of death.
Nick Apostolides returns from the remakes to voice our favorite rookie once again. I’ve always enjoyed his portrayal of the character, and he is in top form here. He perfectly balances Leon’s grim demeanor with his sense of humor. His calm confidence is a perfect foil to the sheer terror in Angela’s performance.
See, Capcom? This is why you keep your voice actors.
Leon’s sections feel like a celebration of the whole RE franchise. There are a ton of callbacks, references, and Easter eggs, some subtle, others blatant. Your mileage on this may vary, depending on your feelings for fan-service. Personally, I liked it; it works well for the game’s themes of confronting the past.
Having just replayed the remakes of Resident Evil 2 & 4, I thought I’d be a Leon master straight away. I was wrong. While knowledge and skill from those prior titles does carry over, Requiem Leon is an entirely different beast. He’s not as fast as he used to be, but he more than makes up for that in sheer power and versatility.
In place of a knife, you now have a hatchet. Gone are the days of light stabbing; now, you get to chop zombies up like logs of wood. Of course, you can still parry with it. In fact, you can parry just about everything, so far as I can tell!
This weapon feels so good to swing around! There’s nothing in the world more satisfying than cracking zombie skulls! Be careful: it only has so much durability. You can sharpen it again at any time, but doing so in the heat of battle leaves you vulnerable. Mastering the axe is your first step in becoming an undead Doom Slayer.
Of course, Leon’s still got enough firepower to fill out an armory. The gunplay feels as fantastic as ever. Hell, it’s even better! Because now he’s got unique finishing moves for every single gun! Hurt a zombie enough, let them get in close, aim, shoot, and enjoy the fireworks! These animations are absolutely badass, and I, for one, cannot get enough of ’em!
The combat sandbox is more open than ever before. Kill a zombie with a weapon? Well, now you can pick it up and use it against their pals! After twenty years of being murdered by chainsaw dudes, Leon’s finally decided that turnabout is fair play! But be warned: the sandbox is as open to the zombies as it is to you. Leave that chainsaw on the ground for too long, and someone else is gonna pick it up and put it through your chest.
Where Grace gets the puzzles, Leon gets the boss fights. I really enjoyed these. Gameplay wise, they’re all pretty simple; shoot the weak point until it dies. But in terms of visual flare, variety, and challenge? They’re all excellent.
You’ll swap between these two play styles throughout the campaign. The first time through, I definitely preferred Leon’s sections; they were a much-needed reprieve from the horror. But on a second run, I found myself enjoying Grace’s sections more.
Both games can be played in either first or third-person perspective. The devs recommend you play Grace in first-person and Leon in third. I do think this makes the strongest experience for a first playthrough. However, both modes work equally well for either character. Third-person Grace feels just as good as the RE2 Remake, and first-person Leon is a really fun FPS game. The fact that both modes work so well is genuinely astonishing to me; it adds so much replay value to an already very replayable game.
The few complaints I have are minor at best. Some sections drag on for too long, and a few combat encounters are really annoying. The inventory screen is kind of disappointing, too. Compare it to the attache case of RE4, and you’ll see how flat and dull it is. That’s honestly my biggest criticism, and it’s just a nitpick. Hell, someone will probably make a mod to fix it sooner or later.
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There’s also not much to do beyond the main campaign. Yes, there is a ton of post game unlocks and challenges to add replay value. But some of the most fun I have with RE games are the extra modes, like Ghost Survivors and Mercenaries. Hopefully Capcom will add something like those later on.
Honestly, my biggest complaint is that I want more. The game is fairly short, especially once you know what you’re doing. I wanted more puzzles to solve, monsters to blast, more challenges to complete. Personally, I do feel that I got my $70 worth, which is more than I can say for a lot of games at that price. The meal was delicious; but I’m still hungry!
I absolutely loved ‘Resident Evil Requiem’. It’s a wonderful addition to the franchise. Terrifying, exhilarating, and a ton of fun from beginning to end, I cannot recommend this game enough. It’s a strong early contender for game of the year.
Sadly, ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ pretty much has that on lock. Assuming it actually comes out. Honestly, I still don’t believe it will.
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