Resident Evil Requiem Review

I picked up Resident Evil 2 in 1998, and since then I’ve stuck with the franchise through its ups and downs. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the franchise is at one of its highest points. The last game released, Resident Evil 4 remake, received massive acclaim, with many (myself included) calling it the biggest and best in the series to date. As such, Resident Evil Requiem is being released to huge expectations.

Unfortunately, Requiem is a game in search of an identity. It wants to celebrate Resident Evil’s past, while also ignoring and retconning major aspects of its lore. It wants to be a classic survival horror like RE7 while also capitalizing on what fans love about RE4. The result is a fun but confusing experience that’ll have you guessing just where the franchise is going next.

A New Outbreak

Requiem’s setup is that Outbreak alumni Alyssa Ashcroft’s daughter, Grace, has grown up to be an FBI agent. The game begins with the reveal that Alyssa was killed in a hotel eight years prior, and a murder victim has just been discovered there. Grace’s boss assigns her the case and encourages her to face her fears (which seems like a terrible and somewhat abusive idea).

Simultaneously, Leon Kennedy is investigating a string of deaths. The victims all had two things in common: they were survivors of the 1998 Raccoon City Incident, and were affected by a mysterious condition that causes black wounds. Leon, suffering from the same disease, heads to the same hotel hoping to find answers.

In a vacuum, Requiem’s story is enjoyable. Grace and Leon both discover references to a mysterious “Elpis” and must face their pasts to find the answers they seek. The dynamic between rookie Grace and veteran Leon is interesting and also affects their gameplay (as discussed further on). New antagonist Victor Gideon is also fun and brings to mind some of the series’s more flamboyant villains.

Where Requiem falters is its connections to previous Resident Evil titles. As of now, it’s the only Resident Evil title we know will be released for the 30th anniversary. So, it was expected to be a sort of celebration of the franchise. While there are plenty of callbacks and some welcome easter eggs, it overlooks major parts of the series while making some very strange changes to the canon.

GIF of Elaine from Seinfeld Saying “What the F***?”

By the time you reach Requiem on the Resident Evil timeline, there’s a ton of plotlines that beg for resolution. Entities like HCF, The Connections, The Family, and Blue Umbrella enter and exit the lore at random. Major characters go missing for decades. Earthshaking events like the discovery of B.O.W. BSAA agents in Resident Evil Village are ignored in favor of a mediocre DLC about Rose Winters. I didn’t expect all these things (or really any of them) to be addressed in Requiem, but I never suspected that one of the most puzzling retcons in video game history would occur.

There is a facet of Requiem’s story that’s so strange and contradictory to the rest of the series that I’m still in disbelief. I’ve convinced myself it’s a red herring to set up a future sequel or DLC. If you’re a longtime RE lorehound like I am, you’re going to probably think you’re losing your mind when you reach this part.

I wouldn’t normally vaguepost about something like this, but it’s enough to affect the score. So, feel free to mentally add a point if I end up being right, and it’s explained in a future twist. Otherwise, the writers don’t understand the franchise, and I have serious doubts about where Resident Evil is headed next.

Two’s Company

Grace and Leon’s segments showcase two different types of Resident Evil gameplay that fans will be familiar with. Grace’s sections are reminiscent of Resident Evil 7. Her offensive options are much more limited, and she has to rely on stealth and efficient item management to survive. When you take control of Leon, you’ll find his journey plays like a blend of the Resident Evil 2 and 4 remakes. As such, you’ll frequently find yourself taking on multiple enemies, but you have access to a much more diverse arsenal than Grace does to defeat them.

For the first time in the series (at least at launch), you can pick from a first or third-person perspective at any time. However, I highly recommend sticking with the default cameras for both characters during your first playthrough. Grace’s segments are designed around a first-person view, and the horror elements just aren’t the same if you can rotate the camera and look around corners by “cheating.” On the flipside, the parts featuring Leon are much more combat-heavy, and you’ll have a harder time keeping track of multiple foes if you’re limited to seeing directly ahead.

Grace Under Fire

Of the two playable characters, I preferred playing as Grace. Her sections took the best parts of RE7 and addressed many of the issues I had with the game. While she mostly faces zombies, encounters with them are way more interesting than they were with the Molded. There are also no sections in the game like the boat or the salt mines, and though there is backtracking (a series staple) it’s kept engaging and to a minimum.

The devs did a great job keeping the tension up during Grace’s segments, and even on Standard difficulty, I found some sections to be challenging. While it might not seem like it at first glance, almost all Resident Evil games give you way more than enough ammo to kill every enemy and have some left over. However, there were times when I felt close to softlocking as Grace because I assumed this would be the case with Requiem.

Leon the Professional

Leon’s portions are more action-heavy and play out like RE4 remake-lite. Instead of the item box Grace gets, Leon can purchase and upgrade weapons through a supply crate (no merchant, sadly). While there’s still an emphasis on exploration, and item management is a bit more essential than it is in RE4, you’ll find most of his gameplay centers around combat.

I played RE4 remake in preparation for Requiem, so I’m a bit spoiled by that game’s combat and progression system. In contrast, playing as Leon in Requiem seems like a step backward. You don’t have as many options when it comes to loadout (to be expected when you spend roughly half the game as Grace), and the gunplay overall feels a bit more sluggish.

The tone of the game also shifts considerably when you switch from Grace to Leon. Grace’s sections play it straight, with a serious survival-horror feel. When you take control of Leon, Requiem channels RE4, with one-liners and action-packed segments. Again, neither of these is bad alone, but it’s a bit jarring going from playing as Grace, who slowly creeps around and spends the game sounding like she’s on the verge of a panic attack, to Leon, who dips, dives, ducks, and dodges around every cutscene.

Not enough cash stranger!

Resident Evil 4 remake set a high bar for content. Its campaign took me around 18-20 hours to beat, and when later DLCs brought The Mercenaries and Separate Ways to the game, it became the most meaty game in the series to date.

Unfortunately, Requiem is significantly shorter than the RE4 remake. My playthrough clocked in at around 11 hours, and I was thorough in exploring every nook and cranny I could find. At launch, there aren’t any bonus game modes like Mercenaries or alternate scenarios, and none have been announced. So, once you complete the main story, aside from a few goodies, you’ve seen most of what Requiem has to offer.

I don’t usually harp on value when it comes to games since it’s such a subjective topic. However, when the RE4 remake launched in 2023 at $60 ($70 for the deluxe edition), and is roughly twice as long as the $70 Requiem ($80 for the deluxe edition), it’s hard not to feel disappointed.