REVIEW
RESIDENT EVIL REQUIEM
Resident Evil Requiem is a return-to-form entry in the series that adds gameplay additions and a stronger storyline, including the return of classic Umbrella Corporation involvement, and gives more depth to the older storyline that is far superior to just being some nostalgia trip.
GAMEPLAY
The introduction of the new character, Grace, acts as a brilliant addition to the classic, high-tension survival horror elements. By contrasting her terrifying, resource-strapped segments with Leon's high-octane sequences, Capcom successfully satisfies both halves of the gameplay experience. One of the villains is a nod to a fan-favorite classic villain in the series. The main villain felt like a Hollywood movie villain in a good way.
While Grace is equipped with firearms fairly early in her campaign, she frequently struggles for ammunition during the game's opening hours, successfully building that classic, tense survival horror atmosphere. While playing as Leon, the gameplay shifts mostly toward high-octane, action-oriented sequences, though his segments still feature plenty of engaging puzzles to solve along the way. Typical zombie enemies are faster now and harder to deal with. There are a few excellent boss fights. Gameplay-wise, however, mechanically inferior to Resident Evil 6, where you had way more melee options and movements too.
The gameplay loop remains faithful to the series' roots; the moment you solve a puzzle or clear a progression roadblock, you are immediately thrown back into combat. While the overall enemy variety is fairly limited, Capcom introduces several interesting mechanics to their AI behavior. For instance, basic enemies will now dynamically pick up and use chainsaws if they find them on the ground. There is also a particularly lethal spear-wielding variant capable of executing a devastating finisher if you are caught while surrounded and wounded. Interestingly, the developers have woven a dark sense of humor into the horror; early-game enemies will frequently voice mundane personal grievances as they attack, such as a mutated patient complaining about keeping the noise down or an infected maid obsessing over her cleaning duties.
GRAPHICS & AUDIO
The RE Engine shines as usual; early on, a brief segment in a small city area brilliantly showcases the game's graphical prowess, and that visual fidelity remains consistently high with solid, stable performance throughout the entire experience. Later on, there is another open city-like segment, but it is a deserted, destroyed city, so there is not much going on there, but the game looks good in both the outside and inside environments.
STORY
I always thought Capcom needed to include the Umbrella Corporation in the Resident Evil games, and they finally brought them back in Resident Evil Requiem. That alone makes it a solid entry in the Resident Evil series.
While it inevitably ends in a typical laboratory setting, the opening acts of the narrative are vastly superior to Resident Evil Village, kicking off a storyline that stands as one of the very best in recent Resident Evil history. Grace & Leon both journey through almost the same areas, but there is little to no backtracking as you play as the other character.
While the story is excellent, it has a few major inconsistencies, as Capcom seemed to have slightly flipped the script from the past canon storyline, and there is the usual nonsensical part; it still remains a classic storyline that actually matches the original Resident Evil saga.
OVERALL
Resident Evil Requiem is a return-to-form classic entry that is well worth playing for any fan of the series.
