Ok gang, let’s talk about Resident Evil Requiem. For starters, I’m a big fan of Capcom and have been playing their games for about 8 years now. I was first introduced to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, and my initial reaction when I started playing it was something along the lines of “what the fuck?” and “why doesn’t anything die in this game?” I reckon that’s a pretty common reaction for most people who try Resident Evil for the first time.
That being said, I still think RE7 is one of the best entries in the series. Exploring the Baker house was incredibly memorable, especially with all the puzzles scattered around the place. The boss encounters were genuinely challenging, and I still remember them vividly.
In Requiem, the story follows Grace Ashcroft, an FBI agent who travels to the Wrenwood Hotel to investigate a series of mysterious deaths. Meanwhile, Leon S. Kennedy is investigating the strange deaths of survivors from Raccoon City that appear to be linked to an Umbrella scientist named Victor Gideon, which eventually leads him to the same hotel. The two characters eventually cross paths, allowing you to experience the story from both perspectives.
I thoroughly enjoyed the gameplay for both characters. With Grace, resources are extremely limited. While it is technically possible to defeat most enemies with a gun, it’s often better to avoid confrontation unless you have a fuck ton of Hemolytic Injectors, to sneak up on enemies and permanently kill them. If you use a gun, they will return as blister heads unless you’ve blown their head off. You can really feel the tension and scarcity of resources while playing as Grace. The developers also did a great job with the audio design for the zombies—it honestly feels like they’re right in the room with you.
Leon’s sections switch to a third-person perspective, and his combat abilities make the experience feel much more ruthless. Two major threats appear in the hospital’s east and west wings — The Chef and Chunk — who are one-shot kills if you use the Requiem. Personally, I felt the boss encounters were a bit too short and easy, and they lacked the depth that usually makes these moments memorable. Because of that, the sense of tension and uneasiness during those sequences wasn’t as strong as I expected.
I also want to mention the layout of the hospital. It felt very similar to the police station from Resident Evil 2, which made parts of it feel slightly repetitive. The section where you revisit the RPD also seemed to drag on longer than necessary. It was cool to see Mr. X again, but the fight itself was almost identical to the one in RE2. Overall, I enjoyed playing the game and would definitely recommend it.
