Paint the world red in Resident Evil Requiem.

Whether you call it Resident Evil Requiem, Resident Evil 9, RE9 or Requiem, it’s clear that the latest entry in Capcom’s survival-horror franchise was hyped forwards and backwards. I remember seeing initial footage of the game featuring the first of two leads: Grace Ashcroft. The poor girl was seen sneaking carefully and quietly through a dimly lit hallway as she avoided a hideous monster that looked like it could tear her apart within seconds. Later, I learned that the second lead was Leon S. Kennedy. Our boy was back. The game had the cast and the pedigree, but did it live up to the hype? Short answer: yes, it absolutely did. This is one of the best games released this year.

Longtime fans of the series might see the surname “Ashcroft” and think that it sounds familiar. Indeed, Grace Ashcroft is the daughter of the reporter Alyssa Ashcroft from Resident Evil: Outbreak and Resident Evil 7. Grace is now working as an FBI agent in the intelligence division. Her latest assignment sends her to the Wrenwood Hotel. Unfortunately for Grace, this is the same location where a tragedy occurred in front of her years earlier. Even more unfortunate for Grace, this hotel is where multiple deaths due to a mysterious illness seemingly linked to the T-Virus have been reported. Her investigation goes to the left and she ends up in the bizarre yet sterile Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center. It doesn’t take long for the perspective to change to Leon S. Kennedy. He’s seen walking the city streets, taking out citizens that start to turn into flesh hungry zombies. He also ends up at the care center. Grace and Leon must work together to get to the truth behind this new terror. The dichotomy of Grace and Leon is emphasized throughout the game. The narrative is one example. Grace is timid yet determined. Leon is apathetic yet seasoned. (His one-liners have evolved since his last bout). They work well together in balancing plot. The two encounter other characters during their journeys that add to the narrative: creepy villains, helpful bystanders, and some familiar faces that fans of the series will enjoy seeing all grown up.

The differences between Grace and Leon are exemplified with the gameplay. For most of the game, the story will be shifting perspectives between Grace and Leon. (Leon gets a bit more playtime but his style of play is more fun so it’s all good there.) Grace’s journey is true survival-horror. She can only hold so much inventory at a time. Ammunition for the few guns she acquires is scarce. Players need to be careful and strategic with how they go about navigating areas as her. That said, there’s more than meets the eye with Grace. Along with finding ways to improve her stamina and control with firearms, Grace can use a blood injector to craft powerful solutions that instantly destroy most zombies in a satisfying explosion of blood and viscera. Offed zombies’ blood can then be absorbed into the injector, and eventually more of these lethal injections can be crafted. It’s a fulfilling gameplay loop that rewards patience, planning, and attention. Unfortunately, there are some tedious sections that require a lot of backtracking. This means a lot of map-checking and circling back to the save points and carrying cases to deposit inventory. Oftentimes Grace will have to hide from a stalker-type monster. It’s scary at first, but like other Resident Evils and the long-forgotten Haunting Ground, the hide-and-seek becomes more irritating than frightening.

Leon’s areas, however, more than make up for any of Grace’s shortcomings. His MO from the remake of Resident Evil 4 has been buffed, polished, and amplified for Requiem. He comes equipped with a powerful handgun called the Requiem that is about as satisfying to use as Graces’s injectors. He also has a handheld axe that lets him do impressive melee attacks and gruesome finishers. As he goes from area to area demolishing enemies, he earns credits that can be used to buy new guns, modify his current guns, expand his carrying case, and more. I was always happy to switch to Leon because it meant a bloodbath. However, moving back to Grace was enjoyable because it meant exploring new areas and seeing what horrors lied in wait. As Grace, I had to carefully plan my movements and be cognizant of inventory. As Leon, I went ham on anything that looked at me funny. Both characters can’t take much punishment, but healing supplies are never an issue on the standard difficulty.

No matter who was being played, I was always treated to the shiniest, detailed visuals. Grace and Leon looked great. The enemies ranged from bizarre to disgusting. But the best part of the visuals was the bloodshed. I can’t recall the last time this much red was splattered in a game; this includes other entries in the Resident Evil series. Every headshot, implosion and dismemberment just felt good. The enemies were ruthless and cunning, so seeing them fall in some form or fashion added to the fun going to a new area. Speaking of, there’s a variety of fun and haunting locations to explore. The above-mentioned healthcare center and hotel have plenty of haunts, but there are other areas that are just eerie.

I mentioned some of Grace’s segments being tedious. Another minor flaw is the camera. During some of the boss battles, the camera had a tough time keeping up with the action. As per usual, bosses seemed to take extra-long to take down. Otherwise, it’s hard for me to find fault in Requiem. In fact, by the time the game ended after about 15 hours, I was bummed because I would have happily played more. Of course, seeing the story end doesn’t mean the game ends. Finishing the game unlocks new modes, new content, and extra features for when you want to do a replay. With enough grit, you can unlock an option that gives you infinite ammo. This includes infinite rockets for a rocket launcher.

A few weeks before I started my file in RE9, I finished my first Leon-playthrough in the remake of RE2. Seeing how the series has evolved in such little time is impressive. It was fun seeing Leon go from rookie cop to hardened warrior. More importantly, going from a solid game (RE2 remake) to one that manages to be even more solid from every angle shows that Capcom is listening to their fans, taking the notes, and making improvements. As of this writing, a remake Resident Evil: Code Veronica has been recently announced. If things continue as they have been then I’m confident that it’ll be another excellent entry in the series.

Overall, 9.5/10: Resident Evil Requiem is a bloody fun game infested with zombies, mutants, and scares. This is Capcom at its finest.