The franchise’s formula perfected

Capcom has spent the last 10-15 years building itself back up after a streak of flops, commercial misses, and experiments that no one really asked for. Whether it is DmC: Devil May Cry, Street Fighter 5’s troubled launch, Umbrella Corps, or Resident Evil 5 and 6, the publisher is almost unrecognizable from a decade ago. It has consistently and constantly been putting out incredible games at a consistency that few others are able to maintain.

Resident Evil Requiem feels like the culmination of that journey, with one of Capcom’s most polished and cinematic games yet. It is filled with robust gameplay and a feeling that this is the “greatest hits” of the Resident Evil series, as it brings the last decade of the series’ lessons and learnings together. But, at the same time, it offers some fascinating new gameplay twists and set pieces that you won’t find in any other game in the series.

It feels like the ultimate Resident Evil game and the series’ formula perfected.

Structure Shakeup

Resident Evil Requiem feels heavily inspired by Resident Evil 1, 2, and 4, with the horror and tension of Resident Evil 7 thrown in there as well. But unlike those games, you play as two characters as part of one complete story. There aren’t separate campaigns or playthroughs; you simply hop between Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy throughout the 10 or so hour journey back to the heart of Raccoon City.

The former works for the FBI and has been tasked with investigating a series of deaths around the Wrenwood Hotel, where her mother, Alyssa Ashcroft (of Resident Evil Outbreak fame), died. Leon, who makes his long-awaited return to the franchise, has been tasked with investigating a murdered police officer at the same hotel.

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Alyssa and her work plays a key role in Grace’s backstory and the narrative at the heart of Requiem.

Eventually, their paths cross, and Grace gets taken by a mysterious man named Victor Gideon, while Leon seeks Grace out and tries to find out how Gideon might be connected to the murders at the Wrenwood Hotel.

This back and forth between the two characters begins almost right away, and the game is split fairly evenly between the two, although in a natural and organic way, such as when the story demands you to switch characters or when the opportunities to play as one character is more engaging than the other. You aren’t simply switching perspectives every hour or so.

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Grace’s side of the game focuses far more on survival horror.

Grace’s gameplay is far closer to the gameplay in Resident Evil 7 or the first half of Resident Evil 2: limited resources, a focus on horror over action, crafting, inventory management, and a wealth of cryptic puzzles to solve. Leon’s gameplay is much closer to Resident Evil 4, with flashy finishers, gory kills, big spectacle boss fights and set pieces, and less resource or inventory management pressure. It’s two very distinct halves that juxtapose each other well and offer the best parts of Resident Evil’s most beloved games.

In fact, these moments when the game switches characters feel impactful and like they come at the exact right time. Much of what has already been shown of the game involves Grace exploring a care home facility that Gideon is using to conduct experiments. This is a lengthy two-hour section as you slowly learn the layout of the facility with barely enough resources to get by and loop back on yourself, opening up shortcuts and unlocking new areas.

Right after that is a 30-minute cathartic release as Leon as you blow heads off zombies, shred them into pieces with a chainsaw, and murder everything in front of you. It feels perfectly balanced, and I never felt like these switches were poorly timed, odd, or came out of nowhere (bar a small, short story section later in the game).

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Leon’s range of weaponry, finishers, and the gory kills he pulls off make his half of the game feel incredibly distinct.

It’s just great to get to experience two halves of the franchise in one game, and the gameplay for both Leon and Grace feel like the best versions of the systems, crafting, and shooting in the series yet.

Surprises and Significance

Even though Grace and Leon’s gameplay don’t change much throughout the game, the settings around them, the enemies they fight, and the situations they are put in constantly do. For example, even when you go back to Grace after a Leon scene, the structure of the section isn’t a simple copy and paste of the one that came before. Capcom is constantly throwing in new ideas, set pieces, environments, and gameplay systems that stop Leon or Grace’s distinct halves from feeling monotonous.

Due to spoiler restrictions, I can’t really talk about much in the second half of the game. However, a change around five or so hours into Requiem is a major, exciting shift that I don’t think anyone will expect. It’s a huge swing and risk, offering a fascinating gameplay experience and an incredible fresh setting and environment that I have never seen realized as richly in the series before.

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While the game starts out in one central location like Resident Evil 2 and 7, it quickly experiments and pushes the boundaries of what the series is known for.

But, throughout the whole game, there are so many moments that are just unforgettable, batshit, but entirely coherent for the series and ultimately feel earned. Capcom really threads the needle just right with everything in Resident Evil Requiem.

It is all tied together by a narrative that feels like an ode to an entire saga of Resident Evil games. Requiem feels embedded within the world and lore Capcom has spent decades building in a way games in the franchise haven’t felt for quite a while. It doesn’t feel loosely connected as 7 and 8 did at times. And, specifically, the choice of two protagonists that have been in previous games, in Leon’s case, or born from the lore in other games, in Grace’s case, really helps bring the entire package together and make it feel like an integral part of the franchise’s past, present, and future.

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Grace and Leon’s stories intersect and become more intertwined as the game goes on.

That is helped by two incredible performances from Nick Apostolides (Leon) and Angela Sant’Albano (Grace), who carry the weight of the entire game on their backs. You really feel and see how everything Leon has been through has taken a toll on him, especially as the game goes on. With Grace, you slowly see and can trace her mental state as she jumps from hopeful to hopelessness as she is faced with horror after horror and escape after escape. The unified story and the fact that both of them spend a fair bit of time with each other ensure Requiem offers the best dual character narrative in the series yet.

Detailed Direction

The one final area I have to highlight with Resident Evil Requiem is how premium, sleek, and well-oiled everything feels. The most obvious way this shows up is in the visuals, as Requiem outshines pretty much anything else on the market right now. The RE Engine has just become so visually impressive that you can’t help but be amazed by the level of detail and fidelity everywhere. While you can glare at a wall and see the fine details of the woodwork, the RE Engine really shows off what it can do with the gory finishers Leon performs or when zoomed in close on Victor Gideon’s cracked, scarred face.

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The level of detail in every scene and level is unmatched by virtually anything else available right now.

But in reality, Resident Evil Requiem feels like the best the series has ever felt structurally because of the cinematic, focused direction that cutscenes, gameplay shifts, and set pieces are given. I get the sense that Capcom was heavily inspired by Remedy’s work on Control and particularly Alan Wake 2.

Whether it is the title cards that pop up and fill the screen when you switch characters or the fact that zombies and their clothes and actions feel rooted in the world, nothing feels like fodder or filler. A maid might scream, “Who made a mess?” as she walks into a room and sees a bunch of blood on the floor. A patient-turned-zombie who has his face bandaged won’t see you, but will quickly come after you when you make a noise, swinging a giant IV pole around. They will mutter phrases relevant to the lives they led before becoming zombies or retain small parts of their previous jobs.

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Zombies and enemies feel connected to the places they exist in to a greater extent than what we have seen from the franchise before.

The enemies don’t all feel like the same zombie just in different clothing; they have different behaviors, responses to you, and even abilities, and that is almost always backed up by later reveals, notes, or lore that makes each location and area you visit feel fully lived in and realized. You can see the effects of Gideon’s work at the care facility, for example, which feels heavily inspired by Alan Wake 2 and how the enemies in that game behaved. But, because of Resident Evil’s unique tone, it never feels like a carbon copy of that inspiration.

Finally, the many locales in the game are supported by an incredible soundtrack that really gives each section of the game and each area its own character. The care facility feels very different from the basement of the same facility, and a major area in the second half of the game has an aura and an eeriness that feels unlike anything else in the series. Simply walking through some of these areas sent chills through me and it’s an experience you don’t often get to do in games, granted by Resident Evil’s long and storied past.

Resident Evil Requiem is the best complete package in the series and a perfection of its Je ne sais quoi. It never makes one misstep, it never sets into a lull, and the entire experience feels balanced and aligned thanks to its two protagonists and their distinct gameplay experiences.

Requiem’s consistent quality, commitment to the series’ legacy, alongside its constant surprises and shakeups that innovate and push the franchise into uncharted territory, make it the ultimate distillation of what makes the series so special. To top it all off, it feels vital to the world and events of the previous games, while providing a clear sense of direction for where the series should head next. Resident Evil Requiem is one of Capcom’s best games ever.