Resident Evil Requiem review: A love letter to the franchise

Resident Evil Requiem’s release day couldn’t get here quickly enough for me as a long-time survival horror nerd, and I’m sure I’m not alone in that. The game takes players back to iconic Raccoon City and features Leon Kennedy, but it also introduces a new protagonist, Grace Ashcroft.

With dual perspectives that dip between action horror and survival horror, the game feels consistently engaging, scary, and intense. Below, you’ll find The Escapist’s full review of Resident Evil Requiem, looking at everything from the combat to the gorgeous visuals.

The Escapist recaps

• Resident Evil Requiem is the latest addition to the storied Resident Evil franchise, following up Resident Evil Village.
• The game has two protagonists – series veteran Leon Kennedy and new character, Grace Ashcroft, daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft.
• Requiem elegantly balances survival horror and action horror, with constantly shifting perspectives that tell a single, consistent story.
• Requiem’s story is dark and foreboding; while there are lighter moments, usually thanks to a quip from Leon, it’s generally intense and heavy.
• Combat in Requiem is beautifully responsive, with melee and ranged combat feeling equally powerful.

Two stories in one game

Resident Evil Requiem is an utter delight to rip through as a fan of the franchise. Taking players back to Raccoon City and bringing back seasoned protagonist Leon Kennedy alongside Grace Ashcroft, the game deftly hops between survival horror and action horror with ease.

Grace Ashcroft is on a mission to find out who murdered her mother and why, being sent on an investigation as part of her role as an FBI analyst. In contrast, Leon Kennedy is investigating a handful of intense, mysterious murders in the area, and the two end up crossing paths as they battle hordes of the undead.

This is a spoiler-free review, so I won’t dip too heavily into the lore, but the writing is high-quality, with some intense and unnerving cutscenes. The game expands on Grace’s story meaningfully, but it adds a new level of depth to Leon’s character, too.

Something dark is hanging over Leon as he attempts to work on his DSO case, and Grace is battling demons of the past while battling literal, bloodthirsty demons in the present. Grace’s mother, Alyssa Ashcroft, will be familiar to fans of the Resident Evil series. 

The duality between Grace and Leon’s perspectives admittedly concerned me a little before I got to properly spend time with the game. As noted in our preview of Requiem, I was worried it might feel disjointed – and I’ve never been happier to be wrong.

The game switches regularly between Grace and Leon, giving both characters time to shine while ensuring the story rolls smoothly. 

The duality between the characters’ play styles helped add an extra layer of horror to the game, as swapping from Leon’s more powerful skill set to Grace’s less combat-seasoned style of play felt unnerving, particularly in the earlier stages of the game. She feels stronger by the end of the game, but in the early game, she stumbles and struggles in battles and chases.

Elegant, dark, and gristly

While I was happy to be back playing as Leon in Requiem, I found Grace’s sections of the game to be a lot more compelling. 

Grace’s segments were much more tense and felt like a strong homage to classic survival horror, making me consider each move carefully, monitor my inventory, and make use of the new and improved crafting system. Crafting in Requiem is based on collecting and analyzing blood, making use of Grace’s skill set. 

Combat felt exquisite as Leon, though, particularly in boss fights. Something that stood out with Requiem is its impressive use of scale to create tension and panic; some bosses and monsters were gigantic, but they would force themselves through tight doors and hallways, tripping over themselves to get their hands on the player.

Requiem’s variety of enemies was notable, too. The zombies in this game felt much more emotional and grounded, in a way, with emotive faces, vocalizations, and behaviours that mimicked their human lives. 

The game was visually impressive overall. A number of set-pieces stood out as masterful – gory banquets of flesh in ornate hotel rooms, elegant grand pianos in a room dotted with beasts, foreboding hospital hallways – and I spent a fair amount of my time in the game sneaking around just to take nice screenshots. 

Performance-wise, there were no notable issues, quirks, or glitches. I completed this review on PlayStation 5 and had a pleasant experience overall, finding the menus and interface to be intuitive. 

If you’re a seasoned survival horror geek, Resident Evil Requiem might still worm its way under your skin like a persistent centipede. The game is dark and startling, with a rich story that unfolds smoothly between the dual perspectives. 

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