During the current generation of gaming, it feels like a good cluster of once-mainstay franchises have started to fall by the wayside. Either by declining in quality or simply due to a less-frequent launch schedule, many of the AAA franchises I grew up playing on Xbox 360 and Xbox One just don't deliver what they once did for me. However, in Resident Evil, Capcom has consistently delivered fantastic big-budget experiences all throughout the Xbox Series X|S era, and in Requiem, it hasn't stopped. This is another brilliant series entry that gives me pretty much everything I want from modern RE.
From the off, Capcom leaned into this being a more horror-focused entry in the series, particularly with its early marketing being centred around Grace Ashcroft; just one of the protagonists in this game. Whilst it's true that Grace's sections of Requiem are darker, tighter and full of the kind of tense encounters you love to see in RE, those areas of the game aren't quite as creepy as I was expecting. Think more Resident Evil 2 remake, rather than Resident Evil 7 here.
Indeed, Grace's biggest playable section — where you're trying to escape the Rhodes Hill clinic by finding a trio of relics — has massive Racoon Police Department vibes from RE2. This area of the game has you creeping around, exploring and backtracking throughout the clinic, and I really loved the throwback to the R.P.D. here. Requiem has plenty of other tricks up its sleeve, but it always knows when to lean on what fans love from past entries, and I definitely loved playing this section as Grace. A special shoutout to Grace's voice actor too — Angela Sant'Albano — who delivers a very, very convincing performance throughout.
As Capcom revealed further into the game's marketing cycle though, franchise legend Leon Kennedy plays a huge role in Resident Evil Requiem; you're playing as him for roughly half of the experience overall. As expected, Leon's sections are more action-focused, playing a lot more like Resident Evil 4 remake than the slower, Grace-led parts. This gives Requiem fantastic pacing; the game never feels too slow as a result of Leon turning up and taking names whenever he seems to feel like it.
And, taking names our guy does. Requiem's Leon is older, smarter, more battle-hardened - and he certainly knows how to take the fight to the enemy. Decked out with shotguns, snipers and a boot more in-sync with an opponent's chin than Shawn Michaels', you rarely feel underpowered as Resident Evil's poster boy. These sections are a perfect juxtaposition to what Grace delivers elsewhere - and while at first I was slightly worried about how it'd all mesh together, I really didn't need to be. Requiem often feels like a 'greatest hits' of Resident Evil, and somehow, Capcom has learnt how to become a jack of all trades, master of them too. It's thoroughly brilliant stuff.
Having said that, I can't really pretend to know what's going on with Resident Evil's storyline these days. Honestly, I kind of take each game as it comes now; a standalone story, if you will. In this regard, Requiem is fine if somewhat unremarkable - you're escaping ludicrous villains, discovering strange biohazards and overcoming seemingly impossible odds along the way. It's typical Resident Evil narrative, then, without going too much into spoiler territory here. I'm sure that fans of the deeper RE lore will probably find more to take from the story than me, but as someone who's mostly here for the fantastic mix of action and horror, Requiem's narrative does enough to move things along nicely.
I want to circle back around to the two protagonists again for a moment here, and how their blend is an almost-perfect mix. Grace has less at her disposal and is definitely a more vulnerable character throughout, and this comes across in the gear you carry and how the story unfolds. Most of your time as Grace will be spent skulking around with a knife and a pitiful amount of bullets, bringing in plenty of that classic RE tension. As I previously mentioned, Grace's voicework is just top-tier; she manages to sound utterly terrified without being overbearing, which isn't the easiest balance to strike.
And then, you move back to those Leon sections, and it's just a completely different vibe. Mr. Kennedy is so assured in his actions, his ability to deal with anything that's thrown at him - and his cheeky one-liners of course; Requiem sneaks those in wherever it can. The team really has nailed this mix of RE styles in a way I didn't quite expect, and it's one of my favourite series entries as a result. Its highs might not be quite as high as the likes of RE4 and RE7, but back-to-front, this is just a superb Resident Evil experience that caters to fans of all styles of the franchise.
The one main complaint I have here is that... I just wanted Requiem to go on a little bit longer. Its final segment felt like it ended rather abruptly, and while I'd definitely rather see that than something that goes on to outstay its welcome, I would have liked a bit more build up to the game's conclusion. By the time all of the Grace and Leon sections wrap up, things come together pretty quickly — once the pair's stories become intertwined — and I'd have liked to see them together for just a little bit longer as everything gets figured out.
Conclusion
Resident Evil Requiem is another supremely confident survival horror experience from the folks over at Capcom. Whether you like the slower, more puzzle-focused elements of RE2 or the bombastic set pieces of RE4 (or both, if you're like me), you're going to be well-served by this new entry in the franchise. Whilst not the strongest narrative in series history, Requiem does enough to build intrigue throughout its roughly 10-12 hour experience, and the Grace and Leon sections are masterfully intertwined. Capcom really knows what it's doing with Resident Evil nowadays, and that shows in one of the best AAA survival horror games you can play on Xbox Series X|S.
Comments 23
Awesome. So glad to see this write up.
Excellent review, @Kezelpaso. I am very much looking forward to the game, but I am not a huge fan of creeping around trying to avoid enemies, or indeed, those sections you sometimes get where you have no option but to run. I think I probably find them a bit stressful, which I think is probably the aim, but I don't find that particularly enjoyable. I am much happier when I am killing stuff. Maybe that speaks to a hidden character flaw... 😂
Sounds very good I'll pick this up at some point down the line wanna play re4 remake first.
Push Square felt like the back half was mostly focused on Leon. Was that your experience too?
Thanks Ben, great review. I'm not the biggest resi fan, but I think I might enjoy this one!
Glad we left behind the 7-8 plotline and MC, but will wait for a big sale.
@Smackosynthesis The game frequently switches between the two of them, but yeah - the first half is a lot more Grace and the second half a lot more Leon.
I didn't have a problem with that though, personally.
What are your thoughts on overall replayability?
I’m getting a good energy from how the design sounds, but what’s obviously crucial for RE fans is that the game’s design (level, AI, side quests) practically invites you to jump back in for another play-through. All of the modern RE remakes come to mind, as well as 7 and 8. Would you add 9 as a loyal iteration to the series’ replayability?
Looking forward to playing this Friday. I need to stack up on drinks and snacks.
@Enriesto I think 9 feels pretty replayable, yeah. I'm already thinking about doing another run this weekend!
The only thing I'd say is that if Requiem split Grace and Leon's sections like the RE2 remake did with Claire, it'd perhaps be even more replayable. As it is, you're going to have to play through both of the styles in each run.
I have not played a RE game since 5. I'm not sure I'll start back up with this one.
@Gemini53 Just bought it myself ha I'm going to complete high on life 2 first and I'll want something a bit different after that so I'll start Re 4 I played the hd remaster on 360 way back when and enjoyed it so I should enjoy it again!
Happy gaming buddy.
Wow, only 10/12 hours?? That is almost half of what they claimed it would be, they said around 19 hour's- with it being equally split down the middle with leon getting 50% and grace getting 50%.
So to hear it is only 10/12 hr....man is that a let down, sounds more like 5 to 6hr Per protagonist.
That is barley a re game, seems more like a dlc nowadays.
And what about the enemy's- is there a lot of variety there? Or is it like 7 that hardly has anything?
Same with weapons, is there a lot or just a few?
I was worried about almost all this stuff, plus a lot of other stuff, esp replay value, enemy variety, boss battles, how varried set pieces, combat encounters and mobs would be, then when the og reports were that it was 2 campaigns sort of like re2, that could be chosen at will, like if you want to play as just leon you could and his journey was more action focused, and then grace had her own adventure separately that felt a lot more like a stealth experience,
I was a bit more at ease thinking I wouldn't have to play graces sections unless I really wanted to, thinking we'll if it is separate im sure they will still give grace some good stuff and not just the stealth or di type of gameplay I'm not really into, and leons journey should be pretty epic.
Then they said the story would be 19 ish hour's with the roles being split down the middle, so like 9.5hr for each protagonist, definitely does not seem like a lot for what is supposed to be a AAA survival horror action game.
Dead space and the evil within series are longer.
then they clarified that it was just 1 story that makes you switch back and fourth, I lost a ton of hope there, now the 1 story is 10/12hr total, on top of all the other worries based on that directors previous game, idk if it will be worth it for the price.
this one is being made by the same director who did the very boring, tame, mundane and repetitive re7- witch had a story very focused on family drama and dysfunction, a fp camrea perspective, very few enemy types, barley a handful, almost no boss fights, hardly any set pieces and very slow pacing in like 2 locations that left zero chance for replays, it was definitely a 1 an done game.
It was resident evil in name alone because it felt nothing like a traditional masterful resident evil game.
So yeah all in all, my hope for it is in the gutter, the only thing that may save it is a ton of enemy variety & combat encounters, lots of fun weapons, great set pieces, good boss battles, and lots to unlock.
Even still just knowing how short it is and that graces sections are mandatory & mixed throughout the story is a huge turn off.
Everyone dies at the end and ends the series.
Xbox Game of the Year!
To be honest, I was a lot more interested before they announced Leon and the action element. Though I’m glad to hear it’s linear and isn’t excessively long. Maybe on sale.
What is a shaun michaels?
I'm one of the biggest fans of classic Resident Evil games, not so much of 7 and Village, but of course Requiem belongs to my collection for me to own, play and judge.
7 basically killed what I love the most about Resident Evil games, and relied on first-person gore and disconnected boring characters and story, although the demo was terrifying as its own thing, more than the game. Village was kind of a joke, with some very bad segments and, unlike 4, the action parts were boring. Village is the only Resident Evil game that I haven't replayed. The remakes, 5 and 6? Once every 1 or 2 years.
This is probably why I'm most excited about the rumoured Code Veronica remake and, next month, the remake of Fatal Frame II comes out!
@Brigurugi Quite down or you will be hearing some sweet chin music my lad!
This has to be one of the only games that Pure Xbox, Nintendo Life, and Push Square have all reviewed
Capcom's roll continues. RE and Tekken were the reasons I bought a PS back in '96. I've got my Steam key for Requiem and preloaded last night.
I kinda like how this is a return to form for RE. RE7 was well received but it always felt like an unofficial first person Texas Chainsaw Massacre game more than an RE game. Village felt closer to RE4 at least.
It was the Survival Horror that made this series so great but Capcom over the years lost the plot with adding a more heavy action focus…I knew when they announced 2 main characters that it would be a balancing act between the two to try to cater to everyone…this series needs a full return to its roots
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