Resident Evil Requiem Review — Evil Reignited

Resident Evil is a franchise that’s had a few shifts in identity in its 30-year run. When the first game was released, it was something of a serious piece of horror media, made slightly campy by technological limitations at the time. As the franchise grew, it leaned more into that camp, making later entries more action-heavy, horror-themed titles rather than outright scary experiences. Resident Evil 7 saw the series return to a more serious horror experience, and while the eighth installment held on to some of the seventh entry’s vibe, it arguably stepped back into a more action-oriented adventure rather than the more survival-horror gameplay of the title that came before.

Through all of these tonal shifts back and forth, it’s easy to say that Resident Evil is a franchise that means something different to a lot of people. To some, nothing will ever come close to the shock and fear of reading “Itchy. Tasty.” in the Spencer Mansion, while to others, the epic standoff Chris Redfield has with Wesker in the maw of a volcano is the ultimate in video game action and cinema. These are two very different kinds of Resident Evil, serving as a franchise where horror and campy action just find a way to intersect.

Never have they intersected quite so well, however, as in Resident Evil Requiem, a game that I can say not only captures both the horror and action that Resident Evil fans have come to love, but does it better than any title in the franchise has before, all the while bridging the gap between modern and classic Resident Evil gameplay into something unique and new.

Resident Evil Requiem follows dual protagonists, the returning star Leon S. Kennedy and newcomer Grace Ashcroft, across two very different but intersecting adventures.

See, the most brilliant aspect of Resident Evil Requiem is the way it seamlessly combines everything the franchise has been over the years by splitting the focus of the game between two very different characters with very different perspectives. When playing as Leon, you’re delving into the familiar Resident Evil action that players have come to love with titles like Resident Evil 4 to 6, gunning down zombies and executing sick melee attacks with Leon’s trusty new hatchet. It’s a combat-heavy survival experience that anyone who has played any of the recent remakes will instantly slide right into, with some improvements thrown on top.

Meanwhile, fans of Resident Evil 7 and 8 will find the survival-horror segments for Grace much more familiar. These segments tune the action way down and instead put you into desperate survival situations full of tension and horror. I can honestly say that Resident Evil Requiem managed to scare me like no horror game has in a long time, and it won’t take you long to get to the point in the game where I started to actually jump in my seat.

While you can play the game from any camera perspective you want, the game suggests you play in preset, specifically designed camera rules that emphasize the difference in the two styles of gameplay; Leon’s levels are to be played in the third person, putting emphasis on the action and his sick combat animations, while Grace’s are better played in the first person, where the tension and fear become all the more personal.

Beyond an incredibly clever mix of two iconic styles of Resident Evil gameplay, the game itself is just a fantastic execution of the Resident Evil formula. The game is gorgeous, the monsters are genuinely scary, and the story is incredibly interesting, expanding on existing stories in the Resident Evil universe while also introducing new characters.

Speaking of new characters, I have to say how much I absolutely adore Grace Ashcroft as a protagonist. She is the antithesis of a lot of what we’ve come to expect from Resident Evil characters; rather than a bold badass, Grace is a timid, terrified young adult who genuinely feels the fear of her situation, made all the more real by the incredible performance of her actor. Watching her struggle to hold eye contact with strangers, awkwardly stumble through her backpack, and whimper, shiver, and scream at the horror she’s faced with makes it all the more satisfying when she overcomes herself and the terrible situations she is forced into.

She’s anxious, awkward, and scared, but she isn’t a burden, and she doesn’t just shut down and die or wait to be saved. She’s like a modern Ash Williams in the original Evil Dead, the sort of loser you don’t expect to pull through, but who still does, and wins you over for doing so.

As far as bugs go, my playthrough of Resident Evil Requiem was relatively unbothered, with one exception. Occasionally, in the first playable area of the game, I would find that the lighting in a room would be way brighter than what it was meant to be, or a room that was pitch black when I entered it would light up like the sun was shining when I left and came back. I’m not sure what caused this issue, but it was gone after a quick reboot of my computer, and I didn’t experience it again afterward.

I had high expectations for Resident Evil Requiem, but even still, I found myself impressed. The game is everything I love about Resident Evil, presented in a way that feels like it honors the entire past 30 years of the franchise while still being completely new. It’s a clever twist on the formula, it runs great, it looks great, and it is, above all, another incredible Resident Evil story for fans to love. While I do protest the $70 price tag on any modern game, I think Resident Evil Requiem is worth playing, and fans of the franchise will absolutely adore it.

Try Hard Guides was provided a Steam code for this PC review of Resident Evil Requiem. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page! Resident Evil Requiem is available on Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and the Nintendo Switch 2.