When RE9’s trailer dropped, I was skeptical. I liked what I saw overall – a new character in Grace Ashcroft, as well as the return of an old one from Outbreak, of all things. More emphasis on horror, the aging and progression of an iconic character…the list goes on.

But I was also a bit put off by the “half-action, half-horror” approach. We’d seen this idea in RE6, which is not only my least favorite entry in the franchise, but my least favorite entry in any franchise. It seemed to me that Capcom was leaning into repeating old mistakes.

THE GOOD

Well, I’ve completed the game and can say with confidence that, much like Grace and Leon, Capcom felt guilt over their past failures and did everything in their power to correct them. Speaking solely about things the game re-attempts: swings and misses from RE6 and even Resident Evil 3 Remake are given a second chance here, and while the execution isn’t always perfect, they’re much better than their counterparts. This is an anniversary and love letter to the franchise that resurrects old ideas in fresh ways, opening wounds in the best possible way, while also breaking new ground.

The first thing I have to praise is the character writing. RE characters have never been especially deep, and while you won’t have Silent Hill-deep psychological discussions here, my partner and I did end up discussing Leon’s guilty and psychology partway through the game, which is a first, and hopefully not the last.
Grace’s side of the story is pure, RE7-style horror. And if you think you’re immune to RE7’s scares because you’ve mastered the Baker House…well, I thought the same thing right before I threw my controller into the air.

Grace’s side is a perfect blend of old and new: you can have your typewriters, but the game won’t always give you ink ribbons. So you have to make them yourself. If you want to craft, then prepare to do field research: taking blood and tissue samples, decoding DNA, and scavenging for scrap and empty containers. Grace is a terrified woman who knows she is way out of her depth, is plagued by guilt and just barely scraping by, and her voice acting, gameplay, and motion capture sell me on it. I used to imagine what it would be like to have Rebecca return as a playable character with her modern skillset.

Well, Grace answers that question, and it’s wonderful.

Leon’s side of the story is the flip-side of the coin in all the best ways possible. He’s also plagued by guilt, but for different reasons. It’s no secret that we return to Raccoon City, and revisiting old areas was not only nostalgic, but it was…bittersweet. Without spoiling much, you aren’t just trekking through old territory. You really get to see the effect that Raccoon City had on Leon in RE2, and things he uncovers and has to revisit have an emotional impact on him that also made an impact on me, which isn’t something RE typically does. Not like this, anyway. Surprisingly, it’s not just the RCPD we revisit. If you remember certain locales from other games – including Outbreak – then you’ll be able to pause and really appreciate their recreation and update here. Some of these
moments seem to be missable if you don’t have the 1998 Letters DLC, and even then, you’d have to be curious to see what’s become of past locations from previous games.

Requiem won’t just hand you all these moments.

When Requiem was first shown, I’d expressed concern about Leon’s gameplay
reminding me a bit of RE6, in a bad way. So now that I’ve played it, I can safely say that while movement is a bit more fluid, the camera and controls aren’t much different than in RE4R. Leon’s kicks have more Hollywood oomph to them, but that’s intentional and necessary because of how enemies behave. I played on Classic and felt like I was playing a professional out of his prime: able to handle his own, but also still very able to be overwhelmed if not careful. Leon is older, and the story puts him in a vulnerable spot.

His movements, the way he handles wounds, and even the way he carries himself all show this. Much like RE2R and RE4R, this game is full to bursting with tiny details that reveal so much about the characters throughout the game, and it’s worth playing in both 1st and 3rd person to see these minor details and differences brought to life (for instance, there are some animations that don’t exist with alternate costumes due to missing clothing, a section where you can see a wound on Grace’s ankle that doesn’t exist with other costumes, etc.)

My only complaint about Leon’s gameplay is the weapons upgrade system, which is presented out-of-the-blue in an arcade-y way that relies on points gained from
kills…which is the exact opposite of Grace’s story-based crafting. The inclusion makes me wonder if it was done later in development. My only complaint about Grace’s?

…Give me more, please.

There was a long stretch where I nearly forgot Leon was in the
game, but then that gets reversed at a pivotal point in Grace’s story, and I found myself wanting to play her just an hour or two longer before the game’s end.

Oh, and you can drive a vehicle again, and it doesn’t suck this time. Hilariously, my
partner (who usually criticizes me for criticizing media) sarcastically noted that physics and gravity just stopped existing during one of the motorcycle scenes. But I always abide by the Rule of Cool when I see it, and this was nothing but, so I had a blast.
Believe it or not, multiple endings are back! And you can do something I thought
unthinkable in an RE title. That being said, it’s incredibly obvious which ending is meant to be the canon one. My only issue with this is that, while you can tell what you’re supposed to do if you’ve picked up on the lore hints, a character hints that they have an idea…but they’re so vague in their statement that, for the first and only time in the game, there was a bit of disconnect between what that character was thinking and what I was thinking.

THE BAD

While the redone areas of the city are amazing to behold and bring back lots of old
enemies – and a few old foes – the news ones are…eh. Being able to explore the semi-open world city is fun, but there’s a particular section that just reminds me of a bland shooter in its color palette and layout, and I apparently am not the only one who thought this.

The part I was bored with didn’t last long, and it quickly introduced more interesting elements, and was maybe a 30-minute section I disliked out of a 10.5 hour run that I loved. Not a big deal, and I’m not dreading returning to it on a replay.

Some areas have very specific gameplay mechanics that pop up and are never seen again, but unlike in RE6, they’re not forgotten – they’re simply segmented to the areas that make the most sense, and the game sort of tells you this with unmissable tutorials. They’re a little annoying, but cool gameplay inserts.
I’ve praised the story for being bold in its direction, and one thing I have to note is that (minor spoiler) it humanizes Spencer, of all people, in a very interesting way…but a way that directly contradicts his characterization in RE5, as this happens via flashback. If I reinterpret his words in RE5 in a way that barely makes sense, then it works. But, his humanization is not only welcome due to how Saturday morning cartoon-y the new villain is, but also fits the theme of the story.

My fear was that Capcom would hit “theme” really heavy again and try to recontextualize everything around it in a way that didn’t make sense, as they’ve done before (Revelations 2), but here, it’s organic. This is a story about people not being in their prime and having to look back at their past decisions, and wishing they done things differently. And being in Raccoon City just makes that make sense.

THE UGLY

The initial revisit to Raccoon City, while it has lots of references and callbacks for older fans to chew on, looks…bland. Yes, it was bombed, but the Fallout 3-esque color palette and uninspired zombies make this section feel like a drag until you reach the RPD.

Story-wise, there’s a major cop-out toward the end that makes no sense from two
different angles. The first: I thought they were about to do something that I previously had said wasn’t ever gonna happen. No way, no how, and they’d be creatively bankrupt if they did it. But Requiem had bought so much good will from me that by the time they introduced this element, I was actually okay with it. They kept it mysterious, but it looked like a duck, quacked like a duck, had feathers like a duck…so I called it a duck.

It was not, in fact, a duck, but a chicken pretending to be one.

…How this happened or why is not only never explained, but it leaves several
implications and questions that Requiem was in no way fit to answer. I thought they were closing a loose end from RE4, but it turned out I was wrong – they were tying up a loose end I didn’t even know existed. More baffling is that this confusing plot point and resolution were completely avoidable, as you didn’t need this character to tell the story of the game.

My last complaint, and by far my biggest outside of the duck/chicken dilemma, is that there’s currently no bonus gameplay mode. I’m reminded that Mercenaries was added to RE4R later on as free DLC, and Requiem has a lot of optional stuff in the main game.

Challenges are also worded in an oddly specific way that indicates there should be
more than one gameplay mode. So it’s likely coming…but for now, if you want to have more fun as Grace, you’ll have to stick to the story.

VERDICT

This is, barring the original titles, one of my top three favorite RE games – it sits solidly with RE2 Remake and RE4 Remake (Original Remake gets a pass because it’s in such a nebulous area).

The story, characters, gameplay, and set designs are amazing. The score has some
high points that stuck with me. That being said, the story and gameplay each of a critical miss that, while they detract from the overall experience, don’t ruin it.
I don’t have a great rating system, but I’d give Resident Evil Requiem an A-, or a 9/10.

My biggest complaint? Give me Mercenaries or an additional gameplay mode, because I’m not done playing as Grace or Senior Kennedy, and as I play through the game again, I learn and see so many minor things that make it that much more excellent.