The Return to Raccoon City
Since the controversial pivot of Resident Evil 6, Capcom has spent the last decade meticulously rebuilding the trust of its fanbase. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard returned the series to its claustrophobic, first-person roots. The RE2 and RE4 remakes redefined how classic action-horror should feel on modern hardware. Village offered a gothic, roller-coaster synthesis of both.
But with Resident Evil Requiem (stylized brilliantly to hide the “IX” in the title), Capcom has attempted its most ambitious high-wire act yet. Released in late February 2026 to “Overwhelmingly Positive” acclaim, Requiem is a dual-protagonist, dual-perspective epic that serves as a victory lap for the entire Umbrella saga.
It asks a difficult question: Can a game successfully blend the helpless, methodical dread of classic survival horror with the cinematic, suplex-throwing action of the modern era? The answer, unequivocally, is yes.
Grace Ashcroft: The First-Person Nightmare
The first half of Requiem is squarely focused on a brand-new protagonist: FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft.
Grace is a breath of fresh air for the franchise. In a universe populated by boulder-punching super-soldiers and acrobatic secret agents, Grace is just a desk worker thrust into a nightmare. She is investigating a string of mysterious deaths at the abandoned Renwood Hotel—the exact location where her mother, Alyssa Ashcroft (a deep-cut nod for Resident Evil Outbreak fans), was murdered years prior.
Grace’s campaign is played entirely in the first person (though the game generously allows you to switch to third-person if you prefer) and represents survival horror at its absolute peak.
The pacing here is agonizingly slow and methodical. Ammo is practically non-existent. You spend your time carefully managing your inventory, solving intricate puzzles, and hiding from enemies rather than fighting them. The environments, particularly the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center, are a masterclass in level design, rivaling the Spencer Mansion and the RPD in their interconnected brilliance.
But what truly elevates Grace’s campaign is the introduction of The Girl (often referred to by the community simply as “Marie”). This unkillable stalker enemy is genuinely terrifying. She reacts to light, stalks you through the ventilation shafts, and forces you into prolonged, nerve-shredding stealth sequences that feel like Alien: Isolation dropped into the middle of the Resident Evil universe. It is the scariest the franchise has been since the Baker family house.
Leon S. Kennedy: The Third-Person Action Hero
If Grace’s campaign is about hiding in the dark, the second half of the game is about kicking the door down and blowing the darkness away.
Enter Leon S. Kennedy, now a seasoned DSO agent in his 50s. Leon has returned to the Midwest and, eventually, to the irradiated ruins of Raccoon City to investigate the resurgence of the Umbrella Corporation’s legacy.
When the game shifts to Leon, the perspective locks into the familiar, over-the-shoulder view of the RE4 Remake, and the pacing accelerates to Mach 5. Leon isn’t scared; he’s annoyed. He parries chainsaws with a hatchet, drops corny one-liners mid-combat, and utilizes a massive arsenal of customizable weaponry.
The transition between these two incredibly different styles of gameplay is seamless. The game builds an overwhelming amount of tension during Grace’s segments, only to provide massive, explosive catharsis when Leon takes the stage. It is a brilliant pacing strategy that prevents the 12-hour campaign from ever feeling stagnant.
A Technical Marvel
From a technical standpoint, Requiem is flawless. The proprietary RE Engine remains one of the most impressive pieces of software in the industry.
The lighting, specifically, deserves an award. Whether you are navigating the pitch-black, blood-stained corridors of a hospital using only a flickering flashlight, or driving a motorcycle up the side of a collapsing skyscraper while bombs drop around you, the visual fidelity is staggering.
The gore system has also seen a significant upgrade. Enemies deform realistically under gunfire. You can blow the jaw off a mutated “Blisterhead,” or sever the legs of a classic zombie and watch it drag itself toward you. The introduction of the “Hemolytic Injector”—a craftable item that permanently destroys mutating corpses—adds a fantastic layer of risk-reward resource management to the combat.
Even with the settings maxed out and path tracing enabled on high-end PCs, the game holds a rock-solid framerate, proving Capcom’s optimization team is second to none.
Fan Service and a Rushed Finale
Requiem is not without a few minor missteps.
The game leans incredibly heavily on fan service. While seeing characters like Sherry Birkin and HUNK return is a joy for long-time fans, the narrative occasionally twists itself into knots to justify their presence. The overarching plot involving Oswell E. Spencer, a secret cure named “Elpis,” and a Wesker clone named Zeno, feels a bit messy and rushed in the final act.
Furthermore, while the Raccoon City section is visually breathtaking, it functions more as a linear set piece than a deep, explorable sandbox. You spend most of your time in the city collecting key items to blow up a gate, rather than uncovering new secrets in the ruins.
Lastly, the game currently lacks a true “New Game Plus” mode, instead offering a weird middle ground where you retain some unlocked bonus weapons but not your fully upgraded arsenal from a previous save file.
The Good, The Bad, & The Infected
| The Good | The Bad | The Ugly |
| Dual Perspectives: Blending Grace’s first-person horror with Leon’s third-person action creates perfect campaign pacing. | Rushed Ending: The narrative relies heavily on lore dumps and fan service in the final two hours. | No True NG+: The lack of a traditional New Game Plus mode limits the replayability of maxed-out arsenals. |
| The Atmosphere: The Rhodes Hill Care Center is one of the best, most terrifying locations in franchise history. | Linear Raccoon City: The highly anticipated return to the ruined city feels more like a linear action set-piece than an explorable hub. | |
| The Stalker: “The Girl” is a terrifying, dynamic threat that demands careful stealth and spatial awareness. | ||
| Combat Mechanics: Leon’s combat loop—featuring parries, contextual melee attacks, and deep weapon customization—is incredibly satisfying. |
Should You Buy It?
Yes, if: You love the puzzle-box design of RE2 Remake, the action of RE4, and want to experience the ultimate culmination of the Umbrella Corporation storyline.
No, if: You suffer from severe anxiety and cannot handle high-tension, unkillable stalker enemies chasing you through dark corridors.
Recommended for fans of: Resident Evil 2 (Remake), Resident Evil 4 (Remake), Alien: Isolation, Dead Space, The Evil Within.
Resident Evil Requiem: Resident Evil Requiem is a triumph. It successfully caters to both factions of the divided fanbase, offering the terrifying, puzzle-heavy dread of the early games alongside the slick, bombastic combat of the modern era. Grace Ashcroft is a fantastic addition to the lore, and Leon S. Kennedy remains the undisputed king of survival horror action. With its breathtaking visuals, incredible sound design, and near-perfect pacing, Requiem is an essential experience for horror fans and a crowning achievement for Capcom. – Obsidian