This is how to do horror.
Resident Evil Requiem is basically Capcom doing a victory lap and showing off exactly how much they’ve mastered the horror genre lately.
It’s this weirdly perfect hybrid that manages to bridge the gap between the “I’m terrified to open this door” vibes of the newer first-person games and the “let’s suplex a cultist” energy of the classic action era.
You’re bouncing between two completely different perspectives, and honestly, it’s some of the best pacing I’ve seen in a long time.
You start out with Grace Ashcroft, an FBI agent who is definitely having a worse Monday than you are. She’s trapped in the Rhodes Hill Care Center, and playing as her is pure survival stress.
You’ve only got eight inventory slots, which means you’re constantly playing that heartbreaking game of “do I keep the herb or the extra bullets?”
It feels very much like RE7 or Village, where you’re a total underdog just trying to stay quiet and solve puzzles while things go bump in the night.
The environmental storytelling here is top-tier, too. The RE Engine’s lighting is doing some heavy lifting, literally acting its heart out to make every basement corner look like a death trap.
I spent way too much time creeping through hallways, heart in my throat, just because a shadow shifted the wrong way. It’s the type of horror where the tension itself feels like it’s trying to kill you before whatever’s lurking in the dark even gets a chance.
Then, just as you’re about to have a nervous breakdown as Grace, the game tag-teams in Leon Kennedy. The shift is immediate and glorious. Suddenly, your inventory expands into that iconic briefcase we all love, and you’re no longer just hiding; you’re on a mission.
Leon’s sections are way more action-heavy, pitting you against massive bosses and hordes that would make Grace stand no chance. It’s the perfect palate cleanser that lets you blow off some steam before the game inevitably throws you back into the dark.
The game suggests you play with Grace in the first person camera mode and Leon in third person. Which is probably the most immersive way to play requiem, but if some sections get a little too heart racing then switching Grace to third person should help drop your heart rate down by about 5-10bpm.
What I loved most was how the story uses these swaps to mess with your head. You’ll uncover some massive conspiracy as Leon, and then the game immediately cuts back to Grace, who has no idea she’s walking right into the middle of it.
It keeps the mystery moving at a breakneck pace. Plus, the replayability is huge, there’s a ton of gear to unlock with achievement points, giving you plenty of excuses to jump back in for a second (or third) run.
