Game Reviews

The Resident Evil series has always been about evolution. With RE4, the franchise shifted toward a more action oriented style while still holding onto horror elements, though not to the same extent as earlier entries. Requiem manages to retain that same high quality action from RE4 but cranks the horror dial way up and unlike their previous attempt with RE6, this time it actually works. When I first started playing, I was genuinely curious whether the constant transitions between horror and action would interrupt the flow of gameplay, but the devs did a fantastic job balancing perspectives. You play through Grace's survival horror segments first for a decent chunk of time, and then you shift into Leon's action horror parts afterward. After experiencing the sheer dread of Grace's sections, you'll honestly feel relieved to have more control with Leon, but don't let your guard down, because there are plenty of surprises waiting for him too.

Grace's segments are classic survival horror through and through: resource management, puzzle solving, that overwhelming feeling of powerlessness against zombies and monsters, and of course, the iconic save room where you can finally take a breather. Having Grace confront this nightmare makes perfect sense from both a story and character perspective. She's never really been put into a situation like this before, and you can tell by how she reacts to everything around her. If you played RE2 and RE7, you'll feel right at home, constantly running for your life, agonizing over what to bring, and debating whether to kill an enemy or conserve ammo. I played the game on Standard Classic difficulty, which I feel adds even more tension to Grace's parts since you now need ink ribbons to save. It just enhances the experience that much more. I completely understand if newcomers prefer the modern difficulty settings, but I really appreciate Capcom bringing this classic mechanic back and hope it makes more appearances in future games.

Now, Leon is a completely different beast. He won't be fazed by your typical zombie or monster. The man has been through absolute hell over the years, and he puts every bit of that experience into play. If you enjoyed Leon in the RE4 remake, you're in for an absolute ride, because I genuinely did not think Capcom could improve his gameplay any further but I was proven wrong. Leon's segments see you blasting through hordes of zombies with a diverse arsenal, using his physical strength to send enemies flying, and most importantly, his parrying ability returns. YES, the parry from RE4R is back and it feels just as satisfying as ever. And of course, he's still dropping his signature one liners. The boss fights will certainly keep you on edge too, even if you're fully decked out with the best gear.

The voice acting across the board is phenomenal. Grace and Leon absolutely killed it, along with the rest of the cast. I especially enjoyed Grace's performance, you can truly feel her pain, her struggle, and her confusion throughout the entire journey. Truly top tier voice work that adds so much emotional weight to the story.

I don't think I even need to say much about the visuals. The game speaks for itself. From the incredibly detailed character models to the vast, atmospheric environments, Requiem absolutely kills it in this department. You can definitely notice just how far the RE Engine has come since RE7, and that game still looks great to this day.

Speaking of environments, Requiem nails it with the opening Care Center area as Grace. It's a fantastic setting to explore and quickly became one of my favorites in the entire game. And of course, seeing the aftermath of Raccoon City after all these decades is an absolute sight to behold.

The puzzles felt a bit lacking or poorly designed compared to previous entries. The difficulty on Standard mode also felt a bit too easy overall. Even with these issues, I still thoroughly enjoyed myself and was engaged the entire time. Oh, and I think it's important to mention performance nowadays, especially with how PC ports often turn out. I'm happy to report that it ran flawlessly on my system with little to no hiccups.