Game Review: Resident Evil Requiem (Xbox Series X)

The Resident Evil franchise has been riding high for some time now, and Capcom’s confidence in their marketing machine made sure that we all knew that this latest entry was going to be the best yet. Called Resident Evil Requiem, the ninth entry in the mainline series arrived with a ton of hype. So much hype that it seemed inevitable that the game wouldn’t live up to expectations. Yet impressively it has. Resident Evil Requiem is an excellent entry in the series, combining many of the best elements of the past few games and being an overall love letter to the franchise as a whole. While it is not without its faults, many of which come in the latter nostalgia-laden second half, it more than makes up for them with some fresh, exciting ideas too.

So, where are we at in the overall story? It’s back to focusing on Umbrella, the T-virus, and the Racoon City outbreak. Although you wouldn’t know that necessarily at first as the game puts you in the shoes of the young, nervous, FBI agent Grace Ashcroft who is sent to investigate a dilapidated hotel where a body was recently found. One linked to several other deaths, hence why it has got the attention of the FBI.

So, why send Grace? Her boss sees it as a tool to help her face some demons related to the hotel as it’s also where her mother died.

That is part of the bigger picture though, one that she has no idea that she is part of, until she meets Victor Gideon. An ex-Umbrella researcher, he has targeted Grace as he believes she holds the key to unleashing something called Elpis. Their paths are intertwined, but someone else is along for the ride. Resident Evil icon Leon Kennedy makes his return to the franchise older, just as quippy, and also investigating the mysterious deaths. Except his reasons are different. The victims? All survivors of the Racoon City incident and all suffering from the same infection that is slowly killing Leon.

He needs answers, not just for himself, but for Sherry, who is also infected. Answers that he will get (sort of) when his paths cross with Grace and Victor leading him to face his past by going back to Racoon City.

Phew. It’s not easy to talk about the story of Resident Evil Requiem and avoid spoilers. Rest assured that it is a roller-coaster ride filled with crowd-pleasing moments, and even though it does peter out a bit in the end, it satisfies. Part of the reason it satisfies is that it combines a really likable new protagonist with one of the franchises favourites.

Grace is an excellent addition to the series, a character who hasn’t lived in shadow of Umbrella and a character who isn’t used to the horror that comes from these experiences. She’s scared, anxious, and emotional, and it makes her so endearing, especially as we see her grow as a person. Whereas Leon comes fresh off two impressive remakes that reimagined his character, bringing the experience and levity that seasoned players will be craving. Partially because so much of Grace’s gameplay is based in fear. They are the stars, and they are backed up by a solid group of supporting characters that include some old favourites (it’s always great to see Sherry) and plenty of new ones.

Alas, it’s on the villain side of things that the characters are found lacking in my opinion. Victor ends up being far less complex than his introduction suggests he will be and later, the game decides to introduce a villain that feels extremely half-baked. I won’t go into spoilers here, but this guy is a good example of nostalgia running wild without much thinking.

He’s not what I will remember about Resident Evil Requiem long-term. What I will remember is how the game scared me, how the game made me sad, how the game made me joyful, and how the game made me roll me eyes in classic Resident Evil fashion (one section in particular).

A game of two halves, players take on the role of Grace and Leon, and both characters have distinctly different gameplay. The first half of the game puts Grace in the driving seat with occasional jumps to Leon-based gameplay. Whereas the second half is more focused on him, with Grace taking a backseat. A little something for everyone.

If I was reviewing the first half of Resident Evil Requiem, it would be given a score on par with the best of the franchise. That’s how I strong I think the first half is. A return to proper survival horror with some the franchises most unique and terrifying zombies. It turns out that zombies who retain some of their personality was an inspired direction for the franchise to go adding a whole new level of fear and emotion to these creatures.

If that wasn’t enough, they’re also deadly, and when the ‘Blisterhead’ variations start to appear, things get even more desperate. I genuinely think the Care Home section of Grace’s gameplay is up there with the franchises most terrifying moments.

There are plenty of other great moments when in control of Grace, such as the basement, but nothing ever reaches the highs of that part of the game. Certainly not any of Leon’s gameplay segments, even though there’s a ton of fun to be had here and the more action-orientated aspects are welcome after so much sneaking, hiding, and blubbering with Grace.

It’s fun as hell, and still scary in certain places, to be gunning down zombies, doing battle with giant spiders, and facing off against a tyrant while making quips. That’s Leon and I don’t think anyone would want him to be any other way. Even if his story does stagnant as he arrives in Racoon City, the halfway point. For me, this is where Requiem loses ground on some of the other games in the franchise. Once the initial wow factor goes, you’re left having to follow a very familiar formula that goes on for far too long.

Once you do get through it, the game reaches levels of hilarious absurdity that rivals Resident Evil 5 briefly, before hitting nostalgia overload for the most-anticipated return to the RPD. Is it cool? Absolutely. Did I love it? Without a shadow of a doubt. Was it necessary? Probably not.

Requiem never quite manages to recover afterwards as the endgame becomes a bit of a Resident Evil box ticking exercise. Underground lab? Check. Old enemies resurfacing? Check. Final boss battle that comes in mutated stages? Check. It’s all very Resident Evil, but truth be told, I’m not actually complaining. I’m stating a fact. I thoroughly enjoyed all these aspects. I was more than willing to buy into the nostalgia factor and just enjoy the ride as it felt like a culmination. Or at least it did until the ending. No spoilers, but I was hoping for something a bit more definitive regarding certain characters and storylines.

What will Resident Evil 10 be about? No idea, but I suspect we’re a good few years and several other remakes away from that. For now, let’s us bask in the glow of an excellent new mainline Resident Evil game that will thoroughly please fans, old and new ones alike. For many, it will likely be their favourite. For me there’s still no touching the OG RE2, the RE remake that landed on the GameCube back in the day, Resident Evil 7 because it reinvented the franchise, and the recent remake of RE4. Those are the pinnacles of the series to date, but I tell you what, Requiem isn’t far off them, which is the highest praise I can give it.