Resident Evil Requiem Feels Very Familiar, But It's So Well Made That I Respect The Hell Out Of It

For astir 30 years, developer Capcom has been redefining its peculiar marque of endurance scary for nan Resident Evil series. Despite its reside shifting betwixt action-horror games and much axenic scary entries, wherever players look down grotesque moments pinch scant resources, nan bid still manages to spot players successful tense encounters that specify nan series' against-all-odds attack to horror. And pinch nan upcoming Resident Evil Requiem — aliases RE9 — appears to proceed nan series' existent momentum successful delivering compelling scary experiences.

Just up of Gamescom 2025, I sewage to acquisition nan opening of Resident Evil Requiem, focusing connected caller protagonist Grace Ashcroft (daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft from Resident Evil Outbreak) and her hopeless effort astatine fleeing a horrifying session wrong a unusual mansion. Capcom's return to accepted endurance scary was 1 of nan champion games showcased astatine Summer Game Fest 2025, and spending much clip pinch it precocious made maine admit nan series' renewed imagination — moreover if it's a spot familiar.

Much for illustration caller halfway entries successful nan Resident Evil bid — VII and Village — Resident Evil Requiem places a keen attraction connected immersion, genuinely capturing that consciousness of dread arsenic you locomotion down nan halls of an unnerving facility. The larger communicative of Requiem seems to beryllium pointing towards a homecoming of sorts for nan series' astir pivotal arena — nan demolition of Raccoon City successful Resident Evil 2 and 3. While Requiem's communicative will grow into a much eager scope, nan demo I played focused connected Grace's harrowing effort to flight her abductors.

In this sequence, Grace frees herself from an inverted infirmary gurney and finds herself trapped successful a ruined session filled pinch nan bodies of dormant doctors. In keeping pinch nan marque of scary from nan Resident Evil 2 remake and Resident Evil Village, I was being stalked by an imposing, grotesque monster hiding successful nan ceilings. Without weapons and pinch only quiet bottles for distractions and sources of ray to support nan beast astatine bay, nan series felt very overmuch for illustration a stealth puzzle sequence, wherever I had to analyse nan movements of nan beast and fig retired a measurement to maneuver astir it.

I had antecedently seen this peculiar series during Summer Game Fest 2025. While I was impressed pinch its position — which features immoderate of nan astir awesome lighting and characteristic rendering I've seen from Capcom's RE Engine — I recovered nan premise and script to beryllium somewhat excessively acquainted than I would person liked. Since Resident Evil VII, nan bid has leaned heavy into putting players successful nan series' astir susceptible moments, which often entail being stalked by imposing foes without immoderate intends to take sides oneself.

That consciousness of vulnerability tin often consciousness played out, particularly wrong nan existent scary crippled space, wherever moving distant from things is its sub-genre. However, getting to play Resident Evil Requiem decently made maine admit Capcom's effort to support nan momentum from Resident Evil VII. And a batch of that had to do pinch nan truth that Requiem now stars a much afloat defined protagonist. Ethan Winters from VII and Village was a faceless protagonist pinch somewhat generic motivations, but he gradually became much well-rounded by nan extremity of his communicative successful Village. Now, pinch Grace, we're thrust into an unfamiliar situation, arsenic she's much of an progressive subordinate successful nan communicative — talking to herself passim nan demo — and I felt a stronger relationship to her consciousness of vulnerability arsenic a protagonist.

One of my favourite moments from nan preview came soon aft I encountered nan monster for nan first time. After evading it, I went to nan clinic's waystation to find a instrumentality to unfastened a fuse box. As I was wheeling a cart complete to an elevated toolbox, nan animal came into nan room. As I tried hiding down nan cart, nan monster spotted maine and smashed nan cart into me, which sent Grace hurling backmost to nan wall. The beast past grabbed Grace and took a elephantine wound retired of her shoulder. I utilized up my only wellness point and fled nan room, returning to nan well-lit safe that started nan preview. Once nan monster was gone, I snuck backmost into nan waystation to retrieve nan point — but much cautiously this clip around. It was a scary moment, but still wholly exciting, and it had maine connected separator for nan remainder of nan preview.

Much for illustration Resident Evil VII and Village, Requiem is by default a first-person game, which surely creates a palpable consciousness of dread and uneasiness erstwhile exploring pinch a constricted perspective. However, Requiem besides adds nan action to move to third-person, which was introduced post-launch for Resident Evil Village and its DLC, Shadows of Rose. Having played nan demo from some perspectives, I was impressed pinch really good nan position feels tuned for some styles. The third-person position captures that consciousness of dread and adds successful nan expanded visibility, which gave maine a clear and distressing position of nan monster stalking maine from down arsenic I ran towards nan safe room.

In nan last agelong of my preview, I had each nan devices I needed to make my exit. However, nan large wind extracurricular nan building blew retired nan lights successful nan area, allowing nan monster to springiness chase. This sprint to nan decorativeness was tense and riveting. Even having seen nan demo hands-off months prior, playing nan series connected my ain made for a captivating experience. Once Grace made her exit, she had 1 past confrontation pinch nan monster earlier nan demo came to an abrupt end.

So far, Resident Evil Requiem feels for illustration a souped-up type of nan immersive endurance scary recovered successful caller entries of nan bid — and it does very good based connected this preview. I appreciated conscionable really atmospheric this one, reasonably limited, area of nan preview was — seeing nan agelong long of nan hallway, pinch only my lighter and a dim reddish ray illuminating successful nan distance, made for a striking ocular — particularly pinch nan silhouette of nan monster looming successful nan distance.

That said, arsenic good made arsenic these sequences were, I'm already looking guardant to seeing what benignant of different tricks and events Requiem has successful store. While I was a spot mixed connected Village's Resident Evil amusement park-style structure, I'm hoping Requiem will still return immoderate large swings pinch its caller twist connected nan series' endurance horror. I person plentifulness of questions astir Resident Evil Requiem, but I'm intrigued astir what's to travel for this series' adjacent large move ahead.

Resident Evil Requiem will beryllium released connected February 27, 2026 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S.