This review may contain spoilers.
I grew up playing Resident Evil 1 and 2 but for some reason, I stopped after that. I dabbled with RE4 and Code Veronica. It is possible I rented 5 and 6 and gave them only a few moments of my time. For some reason, I had a falling out with the series and I can’t quite explain it. The closest I came to coming back was with the release of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and even then, I didn’t give it a real shot.
For some reason, Resident Evil Requiem caught my eye. Perhaps it was the blend of horror playing as Grace and the action of playing as Leon. I’m not quite sure, but I was tempted to immediately jump in. However, I did what any sensible person would do and I sat down and played RE7 and RE Village. In hindsight, I probably should have played through the entire series, but I did it this way and I have almost no regrets. Playing through RE7 and Village has reignited my love for this franchise that sat dormant for almost 25 years. After rolling credits on both games, I picked up Requiem and started immediately.
I can’t quite put my finger on what I like most about Requiem. I am definitely the most engaged when I am fearing for my life as Grace as I navigate the halls of Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center. Added onto the fact that when you start as Grace, you are unarmed. You must hide and outsmart your enemies to survive. I would like to say this is where the game truly excels: making you feel very underpowered to take on the horrors that await down each and every hallway and room. However, you’re then given opportunities to play as RE legend, Leon S. Kennedy. With him, you feel overpowered, but it doesn’t matter. It is a nice contrast to some of the truly terrifying Grace moments.
Requiem is certainly one of the best looking games this year and so much of that is due to its detailed sets and locations. The amount of detail that went into constructing the game, specifically the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center is astonishing. While many of the hallways and rooms are well lit, it doesn’t stop you from feeling like death is lurking around every corner, mainly because it is. The detail doesn’t stop with the high graphical quality. The sound design from each zombie lurking, the sounds of the guns firing, and the footsteps of what lurks around each corner. This game is truly immersive and it is a shame that Capcom has yet to release (or even announce) a VR version.
Narratively, this game is right up there with Biohazard and Village. We are given an extensive amount of backstory regarding the T-Virus outbreak and how Grace and her backstory ties into everything. We get to revisit Raccoon City as Leon and it’s funny because even though it had been decades since I had last played the older games, everything still seemed very familiar.
One issue I had with Biohazard and Village was while the game and narrative themselves were very good, they did feel like they fell a little flat near the final act. I did not get that impression at all during Requiem. In fact, I feel like the final act of this game was just as strong as the rest of the story.
Going back and playing Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil 8 before jumping into Requiem has given me that itch. It has inspired me to go back and revisit the entire series including the titles I’ve missed in between. In the meantime, Resident Evil Requiem is one of 2026’s best titles. I can’t wait to see what Capcom has in store for us next!
