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Title: Resident Evil Requiem feels very familiar, but it's so well made that
I respect the hell out of it

Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2025 18:00:22 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/gaming/resident-evil...

For nearly 30 years, developer Capcom has been redefining its particular
brand of survival horror for the Resident Evil series. Despite its tone
shifting between action-horror games and more pure horror entries, where
players face down grotesque moments with scant resources, the series still
manages to place players in tense encounters that define the series' against-
all-odds approach to horror. And with the upcoming Resident Evil Requiem ΓÇö
or RE9 ΓÇö appears to continue the series' current momentum in delivering
compelling horror experiences.

Just ahead of Gamescom 2025, I got to experience the opening of Resident Evil
Requiem, focusing on new protagonist Grace Ashcroft (daughter of Alyssa
Ashcroft from Resident Evil Outbreak) and her desperate attempt at fleeing a
horrifying clinic within a strange mansion. Capcom's return to traditional
survival horror was one of the best games showcased at Summer Game Fest 2025,
and spending more time with it recently made me appreciate the series'
renewed vision ΓÇö even if it's a bit familiar.

Much like recent core entries in the Resident Evil series ΓÇö VII and Village
ΓÇö Resident Evil Requiem places a keen focus on immersion, truly capturing
that sense of dread as you walk down the halls of an unnerving facility. The
larger story of Requiem seems to be pointing towards a homecoming of sorts
for the series' most pivotal event ΓÇö the destruction of Raccoon City in
Resident Evil 2 and 3. While Requiem's story will expand into a more
ambitious scope, the demo I played focused on Grace's harrowing attempt to
escape her abductors.

In this sequence, Grace frees herself from an inverted hospital gurney and
finds herself trapped in a ruined clinic filled with the bodies of dead
doctors. In keeping with the brand of horror from the Resident Evil 2 remake
and Resident Evil Village, I was being stalked by an imposing, grotesque
monster hiding in the ceilings. Without weapons and with only empty bottles
for distractions and sources of light to keep the beast at bay, the sequence
felt very much like a stealth puzzle sequence, where I had to examine the
movements of the beast and figure out a way to maneuver around it.

I had previously seen this particular sequence during Summer Game Fest 2025.
While I was impressed with its presentation ΓÇö which features some of the
most impressive lighting and character rendering I've seen from Capcom's RE
Engine ΓÇö I found the premise and scenario to be somewhat too familiar than
I would have liked. Since Resident Evil VII, the series has leaned heavily
into putting players in the series' most vulnerable moments, which often
entail being stalked by imposing foes without any means to defend oneself.

Capcom

That sense of vulnerability can often feel played out, especially within the
current horror game space, where running away from things is its sub-genre.
However, getting to play Resident Evil Requiem properly made me appreciate
Capcom's attempt to maintain the momentum from Resident Evil VII. And a lot
of that had to do with the fact that Requiem now stars a more fully defined
protagonist. Ethan Winters from VII and Village was a faceless protagonist
with somewhat generic motivations, but he gradually became more well-rounded
by the end of his story in Village. Now, with Grace, we're thrust into an
unfamiliar situation, as she's more of an active participant in the story ΓÇö
talking to herself throughout the demo ΓÇö and I felt a stronger connection
to her sense of vulnerability as a protagonist.

One of my favorite moments from the preview came shortly after I encountered
the monster for the first time. After evading it, I went to the clinic's
waystation to find a tool to open a fuse box. As I was wheeling a cart over
to an elevated toolbox, the creature came into the room. As I tried hiding
behind the cart, the monster spotted me and smashed the cart into me, which
sent Grace hurling back to the wall. The beast then grabbed Grace and took a
giant bite out of her shoulder. I used up my only health item and fled the
room, returning to the well-lit safe that started the preview. Once the
monster was gone, I snuck back into the waystation to retrieve the item ΓÇö
but more carefully this time around. It was a scary moment, but still totally
exciting, and it had me on edge for the rest of the preview.

Capcom

Much like Resident Evil VII and Village, Requiem is by default a first-person
game, which certainly creates a palpable sense of dread and uneasiness when
exploring with a limited perspective. However, Requiem also adds the option
to switch to third-person, which was introduced post-launch for Resident Evil
Village and its DLC, Shadows of Rose. Having played the demo from both
perspectives, I was impressed with how well the presentation feels tuned for
both styles. The third-person perspective captures that sense of dread and
adds in the expanded visibility, which gave me a clear and distressing view
of the monster stalking me from behind as I ran towards the safe room.

In the final stretch of my preview, I had all the tools I needed to make my
exit. However, the storm outside the building blew out the lights in the
area, allowing the monster to give chase. This sprint to the finish was tense
and riveting. Even having seen the demo hands-off months prior, playing the
sequence on my own made for a captivating experience. Once Grace made her
exit, she had one last confrontation with the monster before the demo came to
an abrupt end.

Capcom

So far, Resident Evil Requiem feels like a souped-up version of the immersive
survival horror found in recent entries of the series ΓÇö and it does very
well based on this preview. I appreciated just how atmospheric this one,
fairly limited, area of the preview was ΓÇö seeing the long stretch of the
hallway, with only my lighter and a dim red light illuminating in the
distance, made for a striking visual ΓÇö especially with the silhouette of
the monster looming in the distance.

That said, as well made as these sequences were, I'm already looking forward
to seeing what sort of other tricks and events Requiem has in store. While I
was a bit mixed on Village's Resident Evil amusement park-style structure,
I'm hoping Requiem will still take some big swings with its new twist on the
series' survival horror. I have plenty of questions about Resident Evil
Requiem, but I'm intrigued about what's to come for this series' next big
move ahead.

Resident Evil Requiem will be released on February 27, 2026 for PC, PS5, Xbox
Series X.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/resident-evil...
its-so-well-made-that-i-respect-the-hell-out-of-it-180022141.html?src=rss

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