Resident Evil Requiem Review — The Culmination of a 30-Year Franchise

The ninth Resident Evil is a project that only a series with a long history, dozens of experiments, and several shifts in creative direction could have produced. Resident Evil Requiem was conceived as a gift to fans: much like Umbrella Corporation’s bioengineers creating unstoppable mutants, Capcom’s developers selected the most striking ideas and references from past entries and combined them into a special anniversary title celebrating thirty years of the franchise. The game is not flawless, but it draws intelligently on nostalgia and accumulated experience to reward longtime fans.

RE9 opens as a noir detective story — with a string of mysterious deaths investigated separately by the story’s two protagonists: FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft and the fan-favorite special agent Leon Kennedy. Over the years, Leon has survived so many nightmares that little can still surprise him. This time, however, he is struggling with the effects of a virus that has taken hold of his body. At the same time, the looming prospect of an early death has hardened him; in every dangerous situation, he pushes himself to the limit.

Their paths cross when Grace is abducted by the enigmatic antagonist Victor Gideon — a figure once tied to the now-bankrupt Umbrella Corporation.

Resident Evil series has rarely been known for subtle dramatic writing. Still, Capcom’s stories are consistently gripping — largely because of their unpredictability and the steadily escalating, almost feverish pace of events. Requiem follows that tradition. In the opening hours, when the focus is on Grace — for whom zombies and monsters are entirely new, and when the full picture remains unclear — the tone feels darker and more restrained. In the second half, the spotlight shifts to Leon, and the game embraces full-blown blockbuster energy — complete with large-scale action set pieces, trademark camp, and twists that may not always be logical but are invariably entertaining.

Midway through the campaign, Requiem moves the action to an apocalyptic version of Raccoon City, and from that moment the developers begin flooding the player with references to earlier Resident Evil entries. These callbacks extend beyond the games to include the CGI films — something few would have expected. The level of fan service is remarkable: familiar locations, characters, and monsters appear one after another in unexpected contexts. Fans would do well to treat this stretch as a spectacle of surprises rather than dissect every detail for strict internal logic.

I am not usually drawn to sequels that lean heavily on past references. In this case, however, we are dealing with a legendary series spanning dozens of distinct entries. The franchise has earned the right to indulge in nostalgia. Requiem feels less like a gimmick and more like a deliberate, respectful tribute to its audience. At times, I even found myself wishing the game had gone further: several major characters closely tied to the Umbrella saga and Raccoon City are noticeably absent. Perhaps they are being saved for DLC.

Players new to Resident Evil may find the campaign slightly less impactful, but it remains engaging throughout. Grace Ashcroft effectively serves as a narrative entry point for newcomers. Although she initially comes across as overly hesitant, she grows considerably by the finale. The actress portraying Grace delivers one of the most convincing performances in the series’ history, conveying genuine fear and vulnerability.

My main criticism of the script concerns the underused second antagonist introduced near the end. His presence feels underdeveloped to the point that his purpose is unclear. RE9 also technically features two endings, yet one of them feels abrupt — as though included merely out of obligation.

Resident Evil Requiem draws from its predecessors not only in narrative themes but also in gameplay systems. Capcom has assembled under one roof nearly every major design concept the series has explored since its inception.

Given the franchise’s age, the diversity among Resident Evil titles is unsurprising. Some emphasize survival horror and level design that borders on metroidvania structure; others focus on cinematic, high-intensity action. Even the camera perspective has evolved — from fixed angles to third person, then first person. Different installments resonate with different segments of the fanbase, and today there is no single definition of what the “correct” Resident Evil should be.

Capcom has long sought a unifying entry that could appeal to all camps within the fandom. A previous attempt was Resident Evil Village — a popular installment that blended ideas from multiple eras. Yet Village struggled with internal tension: its mechanics were tuned for slower horror, making large-scale combat encounters feel awkward.

Requiem resolves this by dividing the experience between two protagonists with fundamentally different mechanics, arsenals, and combat rhythms. In effect, it offers two distinct gameplay styles within one campaign. The camera can also be switched freely between first-person and third-person perspectives — as in Resident Evil Village Gold Edition. Personally, I associate the series with the over-the-shoulder view, and I completed both characters’ segments that way. The perspective enhances the cinematic quality — for instance, you can see Grace stumble as she runs from monsters.

Grace’s sections, set largely within the Rhodes Hill Medical Center, pay clear tribute to Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, and Resident Evil 7. Players explore the labyrinthine structure of a sprawling complex, search for keys and access cards, ration ammunition, and plan carefully how to avoid enemies. Her limited inventory encourages frequent backtracking in the spirit of the classic entries.

These segments emphasize survival more heavily than many recent installments. Grace has access to only two firearms — pistols and the Requiem magnum, best reserved for emergencies. The absence of heavy weaponry shifts the focus toward stealth and resource management. A robust crafting system supports this approach, allowing players to create items such as Molotov cocktails. At times, her gameplay recalls Alien: Isolation, particularly when she must hide from an unkillable predator stalking her through confined spaces.

One of RE9’s strengths lies in its pacing. Just as tension peaks in Grace’s chapters, the narrative shifts to Leon, offering a release valve. His missions feel like a natural evolution of the Resident Evil 4 remake, featuring a comparable inventory system, parries, melee finishers, and even elements reminiscent of Resident Evil 6, such as the ability to throw objects at enemies.

While Grace’s sections encourage avoidance and restraint, Leon’s chapters push players to clear every threat in sight. Capcom even revives the reward system from Dino Crisis 2: defeating enemies grants currency that can be spent on expanding Leon’s arsenal.

Crucially, the two halves complement each other. Together they create tonal and mechanical variety without clashing design philosophies — something previous entries struggled to achieve within a single title.

Even so, uniting multiple design schools does not automatically make Requiem the definitive peak of the series. It can confidently compete for a place in the top five, yet entries focused on a single philosophy remain stronger in certain respects.

For fans of pure survival horror, the Resident Evil 2 remake captures the genre’s essence more precisely — partly because it features significantly more elaborate puzzles, whereas Requiem offers surprisingly few. Conversely, the Resident Evil 4 remake remains superior as an action experience. Leon’s gameplay in RE9 feels polished, but the relative scarcity of large-scale encounters limits its impact. The absence of a Mercenaries mode is also noticeable.

Taken as a whole, however, Requiem is a triumph. Setting remakes aside, it stands as perhaps the most compelling and well-crafted original Resident Evil installment of the past two decades. Some critics point to its lack of radical innovation, yet the achievement of reconciling opposing design philosophies within a single cohesive experience is unprecedented.

Resident Evil Requiem serves as a fitting tribute to a franchise that has delivered memorable games for thirty years. Not every entry was flawless, but each contributed lessons that shaped what we see today.

What are your thoughts on the game? Share your impressions in the comments.