The latest entry in one of the most popular horror game franchises, “Resident Evil Requiem” hit store shelves last Friday, bringing a fresh protagonist to the series and creating a smooth blend of gameplay that combines elements of action and survival horror.

The general plot of Requiem follows series newcomer Grace Ashcroft, an FBI agent investigating a series of grisly deaths in the town of Wrenwood. Ashcroft realizes she is connected to a conspiracy that traces back to the Umbrella Corporation, the main antagonists of the franchise, and their work developing biological weaponry.

Compared to the secondary protagonist and series veteran, Leon Kennedy, Grace is the first protagonist in the series who seems to have a normal reaction to the visceral carnage laid before her. “Resident Evil” tends to have stoic heroes who crack one-liners after smashing a mutant’s skull in, but has found itself moving away from the trope recently. Grace is the true antithesis to the original games’ protagonists in the best way imaginable.

She is a panicked girl who lacks any confidence in her abilities in this situation and finds herself on the verge of giving up or breaking down, which may not be best for an action game, but it works extremely well with Grace. 

Her state of mind is perfectly portrayed by her first-person survival horror style of play. While you are armed and able to take down zombies, there is a constant dread that you’re severely underpowered in the face of the monstrosities that roam just around the corner. Meanwhile, you are constantly stalked by a giant mutated human only known as “The Girl” who travels through the interiors of the hallways you explore in an attempt to get the jump on you, multiplying that feeling of doom.

Her fear is portrayed through this gameplay, where you can understand the panic she expresses through how powerless the game makes the player feel during her sections.

The pressuring fear of your lack of firepower against the zombies and a monster that is consistently breathing down your neck adds more to the relief and satisfaction of solving the puzzles riddled throughout the environment. Each solution you find puts you one step closer to escaping and having a second to breathe before you jump back into the next horror the story throws at you. 

Where Grace’s sections of the game are some of the most horrifying in all of Resident Evil, Requiem offers relief in the form of sections where the player controls Leon.

In complete contrast to Grace, Leon is a tank of a man who, with experience from three previous main-line entries, is a master at zombie dismemberment. His segments mirror the third-person perspective and controls of Resident Evil 4.

His play style is the epitome of an action hero. You are given more devastating weapons and moves to use against the waves of zombies, and each enemy takedown animation is done with an effectiveness and smoothness that makes this situation feel like a normal Sunday for Leon.

These are such satisfying segments where you finally feel free of Grace’s chains of weakness and can let loose hellfire upon the hordes of mutants that kept you in constant fear during the first-person survival horror parts of the game. 

The only gripe in my seven hours of play is the lack of screen time with Leon’s action. Still, it helps create a great sense of pacing and develops more of a motivation to push through the stress of Grace’s sections. 

Overall, Requiem feels like the perfect blend of the two styles of play introduced throughout the franchise, but still focuses on what made the original so special: the suspense of survival horror. For fans of both the original third-person and the recent first-person entries of the series, this is a worthy continuation of the legendary game franchise that will satisfy your need for a heart-stopping horror experience.

Categories: Arts & Entertainment