5 Things We Learned From Playing Resident Evil Requiem (That I’m Allowed to Share With You)

Resident Evil Requiem has a lot of pressure on it. On top of following up the well-received Resident Evil Village, the new title is also bringing back fan-favorite Leon S. Kennedy, establishing new characters like Grace Ashcroft, and paying tribute to three decades’ worth of horror games. That might be why the developers hedged their bets and split the game’s focus between the two characters, with each of them displaying different approaches to their shared legacy.

During a preview event held in Los Angeles, ComicBook got the chance to try out a few hours of Resident Evil Requiem. While we can’t share everything we experienced — including a few story beats that seem particularly intriguing — there are some elements of the gameplay and presentation that we can talk about. Most importantly, we can confirm that Resident Evil Requiem is a horror game through and through, regardless of whether you’re playing as a nigh-unstoppable agent or a scared FBI analyst.

Requiem Is Building On The Legacy Of Resident Evil

Resident Evil Requiem is more than just a sequel to the long-running Capcom series, but a solid distillation of what has made the series so enduring over the last thirty years. At its core, the gameplay of Resident Evil Requiem seems to be rooted in trapping capable but unprepared survivors in a massive building full of monsters and puzzles. It’s the sort of core mechanics that have been present since the earliest days of the series and the Spencer Mansion. That’s not to say the new setting feels like a retread — the hospital run by Victor Gideon is brimming with a unique personality that reflects the mysterious nature of the villain. As players make their way through surgery suites, high-end offices, and tight corridors, they will feel a sense of familiarity with past titles. At various points, gameplay felt inspired by everything from the intense first-person horror of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard to the run-and-gun tactics of Resident Evil 4. Lore connections to everything from the first game in the series to spin-offs like Resident Evil Outbreak underscore just how much the new game is pulling from the history of the series for this new chapter.

Gameplay Style Alternates Based On Character

The gameplay that the press got to test out for Resident Evil Requiem highlighted the stark difference between the game’s two main characters. Leon S. Kennedy is back and as bombastic as ever, with some quippy wordplay and roundhouse kicks fleshing out his arsenal. The Leon segments are fast-paced action sequences, with players forced to quickly maneuver around enemies or parry attacks if they want any chance of creating distance between them and the monsters looking to rip their throats out. Leon’s gameplay is very reminiscent of the more action-heavy titles in the series, as well as the modern remakes. Grace, by contrast, is a significantly more grounded character. Her segments are more in line with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and other survival-horror games, where stealth is key. Players only get a few weapons and have far fewer offensive capabilities than Leon. It’s a good way to reflect Grace’s relative inexperience against the undead through gameplay, speaking to the natural way Resident Evil Requiem approaches its narrative.

You Will Get Killed — A Lot

Resident Evil Requiem is not afraid to kill off the player, with the very first sequence of gameplay made available to players at the event opening with a chainsaw-wielding infected attacking Leon. It’s an action-packed opener that is even more chaotic than Resident Evil 4’s infamous masked assailant, courtesy of the smaller available space. Failure to properly fight back the horde or parry the chainsaw strikes results in a grisly fate for Leon. Similarly, Grace can very easily be cornered by enemies and taken down with just as bloody results. Requiem is even pulling from older games with the return of typewriter ribbons. The mechanic debuted in earlier titles, with the players limited in their number of available saves unless they found more ribbon. This seems to be more important in Grace’s storyline, putting emphasis on the danger she’s in and the stress the player should feel while controlling her. It’s all a great way to heighten the tension for Grace — and make Leon’s more action-packed sequences pop all the more effectively.

A New Form Of Crafting Is Key To Survival

One of the notable beats in Resident Evil Requiem was the way it streamlined the game’s crafting mechanic. As Grace discovers early on, a specific device allows her to recover a certain amount of infected blood from buckets and piles of gore across the mansion. Although only a certain amount could be held at any time, this blood was the key ingredient for crafting health packs and bullets for your gun. It’s a clever little tweak, as it puts a lot of emphasis on smart resource management. Going too far in on one type of item can blow through the collected blood, leaving the player grasping for straws if they suddenly run out of bullets. However, reserving too much might leave the player without enough options to survive a chance encounter. While it remains to be seen how far the game takes the mechanic and experiments with it, it’s a clever way to streamline the experience and create a recognizable resource that can be hunted and collected all around the map.

Resident Evil Requiem Doesn’t Forget To Be Scary

At the end of the day, Resident Evil is a horror series. It works best when it doesn’t try to back off from that, even when it embraces a more action-heavy approach. That’s what makes Requiem such an exciting title for long-time fans, as it seems to be focused entirely on scaring players regardless of their preferred gameplay style. The action sequences are as bombastic as you would expect from Leon, but there’s still a sudden jolt that comes from being surprised by a zombie. Even the boss battle pitting an overpowered Leon against a giant enemy had moments of terror, especially as Leon’s ammo grew more scarce. Even then, Leon’s segments feel like a break in the tension after the terror that Grace has to deal with. Grace’s sections are all about stealth, luring enemies into opportune locations or injuring multiple enemies at once with a lined-up shot. Even then, her sequences were just as often defined by simply turning and running from the giant chasing after you. Resident Evil Requiem is a horror game through and through, and fans are going to be ecstatic about just how creepy it can really get.