Resident Evil Requiem Review

Capcom has an illustrious heritage when it comes to long-standing series that grip the masses. From the likes of Street Fighter to Dino Crisis, from Mega Man to Monster Hunter, Ace Attorney to Breath of Fire, as well as a plethora of arcade releases in-between and niche gems like Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure. The Resident Evil series, however, has a certain edge to it that helps every release stand out from the crowd, none so much as the now legendary Resident Evil 4 back on GameCube, and now Nintendo fans can get themselves excited as not only has the latest entry landed on Switch 2, it came day and date alongside other platforms, which hasn’t happened since that fourth entry came as part of the infamous Capcom Five. Cubed3 awarded Requiem a masterpiece award 10/10 score at launch on PlayStation 5 and the whole of the UK has gone a rather crazy for the series on whatever format it could be found on, with numerous older titles and remakes littering the Entertainment Top 40 in recent weeks. Now, after all the furore has started to die down, somewhat, it’s time to see how the Switch 2 version fares. 

This latest adventure all kicks off with players in control of Grace Ashcroft, an FBI analyst who has been sent out on an information-gathering mission, until she soon gets sucked into deeper, darker mysteries that lead her down a psychologically taxing route. Very quickly, she is questioning why she’s involved, who she is, and what really is going on under the surface. Her intrigue stems somewhat from events surrounding her mother, Alyssa Ashcroft, who featured in Resident Evil Outbreak. This leads her on an intricate path that eventually has her cross ways with Leon S. Kennedy, a veteran of the Division of Security Operations (DSO). The mix of the two personalities and overall styles is quite the juxtaposition, and yet it works marvellously throughout the tense escapade.

The setting is 28 years after Raccoon City has fallen, and events switch between first-person ‘investigative horror’ when controlling Grace, and the third-person ‘manic-action’ heroics of Leon (although there’s an option to change Grace’s viewpoint to the same as Leon’s, if so desired). Everything is dripping with atmosphere. Whilst the soundtrack of Requiem isn’t exactly prominent, per se, the sound effects and voice work are top notch. Listening to the uncertainty tremors in Grace’s voice is captivating, as she mutters nervously to herself or sometimes heavily pants from dashing around in creepy areas, both breathless from not being her usual style of investigation, yet also from intense fear of the unsightly creatures faced as she delves deeper and deeper on her travels.

The same goes for Leon’s more brusque utterances and grunts as he battles on resiliently, no longer the youthful rookie of Raccoon City Police Department (RPD), instead wearied by time and a relentless battering from biohazard incidents over the years. Everything is so realistic and mesmerising that the pent up ambience pours out of the screen and envelopes those in control to the point where they will undoubtedly feel like being personally in the world, traversing the likes of Wrenwood Hotel, the ruins of Raccoon City, and the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Centre. Mix in creaks, groans, haunting gusts of wind, random bumps and bangs, and even small touches like the sound of broken glass being trodden on out of the blue, and there is a magnificent package here that is truly a thing of beauty, with the audio team pouring its heart and soul into making everything as immersive as humanly possible.

For those accustomed to traditional ‘tank controls’ of old, Resident Evil Requiem will come as a major shock to the system at first, especially when getting underway, guiding Grace along rain-drenched streets. The game defaults to a first-person viewpoint, which may catch most off-guard. However, given how luscious the visuals are, it’s understandable why this approach was taken. The feeling of being stood in the rain yourself is quite remarkable, hustling and bustling along the crowded pavement, pushing past people, swiftly spinning around to scour every tiny detail around, trying to figure out in which direction to head. It feels like you being the one to tread the tarmac. Now, Capcom not wanting to disappoint the ever-faithful fans of yesteryear, there is actually an option to switch her to the standard over-the-shoulder, third-person viewpoint. Saying that, though, it’s highly recommended to stick with the suggested view as sensory perception is upped considerably when actually seeing through Grace’s eyes. With even detailed raindrops landing so perfectly on surrounding surfaces, it will more often than not leave players thinking they are stood there, getting drenched instead of Grace, and may find a shiver takes over from time to time.

The other main character you get the chance to fill the boots of is, of course, the veteran DSO Agent, Leon. Now, it’s not the archaic controls of days gone by, but he is still somewhat stilted in comparison to young Grace. Being slightly beyond his prime now, beleaguered, bruised and battered by time, and stricken with all manner of inflicted bio-concerns from the demands of his role, it adds to the realism. He’s a brute of a fighter, a dab hand with firearms – particularly the heavy-hitting Requiem gun – and knows how to wield a hatchet in ways that only legendary butchers could imagine. On the flip side, he is ageing and the stiffness of certain movements accurately reflects that, all without impacting adversely on the action at hand.

There is a general air of excellence to absolutely everything found within Resident Evil Requiem. For those returning after many moons – this reviewer included – it’s a delight to see how the craftsmanship has been honed since back in the Resident Evil 4 days, a game that itself was spectacular in its own right. Here, though, Capcom has reached the upper echelons of development, with a core team that undoubtedly has a passion for both the genre and the narrative that unfolds whilst working through proceedings. The attentiveness to minute details is sublime, with a certain craftiness to puzzles, numerous hidden elements that will delight new and old alike, an unerring intelligence in the layout of the maps traversed, and a sheer magnificence in terms of the artistry of the visuals that make up the various locales. You could say this is a love letter to fans of the series, but it actually feels like the development team wrote a love letter to itself! Rather like taking a step back and admiring the wonders created with total elation, in the same manner that Team Cherry held its hands up and admitted that Hollow Knight: Silksong was delayed so much due to the team having so much fun piecing it all together.

Rather than a blunt jump back and forth between Grace and Leon, the narrative is smoothly drip-fed to gamers through careful progression. There are moments where the tale naturally progresses to a pause point before roles switch, or key moments are played out in the exact timeline, just from a different perspective to flesh out the experience and give those in control a deeper insight into what’s afoot. Leon and Grace do cross paths eventually, but along the way they have their own, separate interactions with non-playable characters, such as Grace having to save a blind girl by the name of Emily who is being held captive in a ‘Care’ facility, or Leon constantly in communication with Sherry Birkin, a fellow DSO agent who he actually saved as a child in the past.

Then there are the antagonists who rear their head, be it ghastly transformed beasts that lurch about causing mayhem and constant palpitations, to super powered foes. There are also the likes of a former Umbrella Corporation scientist by the name of Victor Gideon who menacingly appears from time to time, or the Albert Wesker-esque Zeno, a special operative who seems almost invincible, with superhuman speed. The cast is kept tight so as to not detract too much from the journey and intense adventure at hand, but those included certainly leave their impact, especially when certain twists and turns are finally revealed as the game progresses.

One point of contention for the Resident Evil series has always been its saving function, with limited opportunities to reach special typewriters that record the current state of play. Here, in Requiem, it has been made more user-friendly and accessible than ever before, and there is a mix of auto-saving as certain scenes shift and general typewriter- or laptop-accessed save points being of higher frequency. They may not be as accessible as being able to save absolutely anywhere at will, but the amount of backtracking required to reach them is less draining than in other recent releases, like Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake. What is slightly frustrating still – and only so due to it being realistic – is the item management element. Grace can barely carry anything, which proves to be quite problematic when being harangued by some drooling giant of a creature constantly stomping around and grabbing her for a midnight nibble… Saying that, once used to the careful management of item positions on her storage grid, and realising there are tactics to how best to collect health boosts, upgrades, ammunition, and so on, you start to get a feel for it all. After that, it’s rather like its own puzzle element, similar to the classic Professor Layton conundrums about fitting many items into a reserved space. Leon can store a bigger stash, but his scenes are faster-paced anyway, complete with more action content, meaning he has a greater requirement for extra ammo and other useful healing (and killing!) utilities.

Some people will blast through both Grace and Leon’s sections as quickly as possible, feeling comfortable to progress through the gruesome and fear-filled escapade with nary a pause for breath. Sometimes that helps in overcoming, pushing past, or downright dodging the hordes. Doing so will probably see the game wrapped in less than 10 hours. However, there are moments where that tactic can backfire as dead ends are hit and, suddenly, there’s a cavalcade of zombies launching themselves in your direction. Plus, so much of the finesse poured into Requiem will go wasted. The slowly, slowly, catchy monkey approach is great for soaking up everything, but also has its ups and downs. On a personal note, this approach was indeed favoured as it allowed every detail to be absorbed and appreciated considerably more than otherwise it would have been. A slower pace also provides the opportunity to spot potential future threats! If you have enough bullets or a spare knife / sharp hatchet, it is wise to whack seemingly incarcerated zombies that still have their heads attached… before they have chance to rise up after you’ve passed them and find yourself deeper into a trickier situation.

Whilst some may feel that ‘a zombie is a zombie’ and dealing with them might prove to be repetitive, there is considerable variety included throughout. From the regular stumblers that pick up the pace to chomp necks, to chainsaw-wielding fiends, crafty monsters that gang up on the lead, and specially mutated horrors that regenerate into something even harder to destroy than the first time round! Mix in the boss-style encounters that all require varying levels of skill and panache to despatch, and others that know how to use long-range weaponry, and Requiem will be keeping everyone on their toes, even on the supposedly ‘easy’ setting. Throw in the bonus of some heart-pounding quick-time events where nerves are tested as the correct button must be slammed, and it’s a rollercoaster ride for anyone’s emotions. All the while, the action purrs along without any signs of creaking hardware in both handheld and docked modes. This is one of those journeys that runs smooth like butter and is testament to both the expertise of the team in charge and the actual powerful Switch 2 hardware boost from Nintendo’s original iteration.

Stealth approaches can also help for some of the more mindless fiends, attempting to sneak up and almost screw their noggins off. Taking this stance, it’s intriguing to note many of the zombies aren’t just mindlessly milling around. The slower pace allows players to notice that the undead are actually stuck in the tasks they were undertaking at the moment of death. A cleaner still wiping windows, for instance, or a butcher still working away in the kitchen, all bring the realisation that the developers have even given gruesome beasts some personality. Listening from a distance to one former hotel worker complaining that the lights have been left on is, firstly, smart in that the light hurts the undead, but, secondly, very impressive to find out that was his actual role when alive. It’s moments like this that elevate Requiem to a loftier position than its genre counterparts. The level of care and consideration is exemplary, which is why taking 20+ hours to gently work through is advisable, purely because this is such a sublime title that it warrants the extra time investment.

It’s hard to even find any real faults, and it would be somewhat pernickety to highlight the graphical flaw related to character hair as being troublesome. Sure, there are minor instances of pixellated hair flapping in front of the screen when in Grace’s first-person mode, or catching Leon’s reflection and seeing how it’s not rendered that well compared to the glorious visuals elsewhere. However, to do so is indeed asinine and merely clutching at straws to find fault with something so deftly pieced together with loving hands from a team that has distinct passion for crafting a true masterpiece that they can be proud of for many years to come.

The intensity of Grace and Leon’s characters developing throughout is almost hypnotic. Watching a young FBI agent losing her mind to a certain degree as she wrestles with what is real or not, then having flashback scenes that are filled with trauma and fear, then seeing how Leon has been deeply affected over time and how that plays out in this particular story is simply harrowing…and yet ultimately so enthralling and addictive that multiple playthroughs will be so tempting, and additional story content is high on the list of requests upon completion.