Resident Evil Requiem is so beautiful that I almost cried — not because I was scared, I swear. The ninth and most recent entry in the Resident Evil series from developer Capcom has been flying off shelves.
What a great time it’s been to be a Resident Evil fan. With Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Resident Evil Village, and all the remakes interspersed, we’ve been eating so deliciously. Requiem is no misstep, delivering an equally disgusting and distinguished game.
Apportioned amongst two different characters, the story shifts from Grace’s timber-shivering sequences to series mainstay Leon’s glorious geriatric gunplay. And yet, the tone never jars you as much as sudden outbreaks baffle evil pharmacists. Following Grace as she tries to uncover her violent past — with Leon helping her along the way — the game takes the player through horrific cityscapes and laboratories as the characters battle bioengineered creatures and make their way to a pharmaceutical company’s final secret.
Grace’s sections are indebted to the gameplay of Biohazard and Village, adhering to the lingering presence so dreadfully set by the stalkers, enemies who chase you around the game, originally pioneered by the Tyrant in Resident Evil 2. One of Requiem’s antagonists, the Girl, subverts the classic stalker behavior Resident Evil has become famous for. Whereas echoing footsteps behind closed doors heightened the Tyrant’s threat, the Girl creates unease through her uncertain absence. Her ability to climb through vents means she can appear wherever without you knowing, forcing you to constantly crane your neck up to the ceiling.
While enemies like Jack Baker and Lady Dimitrescu were intimidating imitations of this archetype in past games, the Girl adds a new aspect to the horror. She’s avoidable in the safe rooms like other stalkers — until she snuffs out the lights. You’ll realize, with her, nowhere is safe.
Leon, on the other hand, offers the opportunity to plow through enemies with cinematic satisfaction. His finishing moves blow players and zombie minds alike.
The periodic switches to Leon throughout the game were always a welcome sight after sweating through my seat, allowing me to clean up the creatures I’d crept behind for so long. I highly recommend playing his portions in third-person, giving you both sides of this series’ style.
There’s so much Leon here. He’s grayer, greater and gorier. The heroic cornball drops one-liners between moments of dying from sickness and riding motorcycles off skyscrapers. Is it ridiculous? Yes. Is it the best I’ve seen him in this series? Probably yes (though Resident Evil 4 comes close).
Requiem also presents gorgeous graphics. I don’t know what Capcom is doing, but I haven’t seen a game look this good in a long time. This game hits every mark with a bazooka. The art department, sound design, lighting, environments, story, whatever else you can think of. There is no weak link in this sprawling experience. The music was especially notable, with sparing house music humming whenever Leon rocks off.
Resident Evil fans, you will find something here from every game. Homages parried by newer mechanics create a yet unseen experience for this series. For everyone else, you will find a horror game wherein you’ll go from fretting to fighting in the best ways.
10/10