Today I am sharing my experience playing Resident Evil Requiem for the first time. I’m currently working my way through all the modern games, including the remakes. Eventually, I will rank them all. I have been a big fan of this franchise for years; having seen many a playthrough on YouTube. However, I had never played them myself. Requiem is the latest instalment in the series; released late February 2026. I played it on casual mode (amateur gamer here!) and these are my thoughts. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

The Story

We follow FBI analyst, Grace Ashcroft and veteran, Leon S. Kennedy, who uncover a conspiracy by the evil Dr. Victor Gideon, involving a new virus called Elpis. The story deeply intertwines with the legacy of the Raccoon City incident. I would add more but as this game is new, I will keep my review spoiler-free.

Requiem is a melting pot of all the best Resident Evil games (Village, Biohazard, Resident Evil 2 etc.) There really is something for everyone. It combines horror, action, puzzle-solving and nostalgic moments throughout the entire game. If you’re concerned it won’t live up to the hype, don’t be. You’re in for a wild ride!

Casual Mode/Gameplay

Casual mode in Requiem was very different to my experience playing Village. For one, RE9 requires you to switch between Grace and Leon throughout the game. By the end, you will have played both roles for an equal amount of time. Grace is less combative, so expect a lot more sneaking, limited supplies and hemolytic injectors. Leon, on the other hand, is ready for action! He takes on the majority of the boss battles and swarms of the undead. He even has a system for weapon and armour upgrades. The more foes taken down, the more credits earned to cash in. Going from Leon to Grace can be challenging. All of a sudden, you have a significant decrease in inventory slots and only a handgun to protect you. What Grace has on her side is the element of surprise. As mentioned above, she can draw infected blood into an injector; eliminating enemies by stealthily coming up behind them. Once injected, they explode with no opportunity for resurrection.

Furthermore, RE9 gives you the option to choose between different playing perspectives. It is recommended to play Grace in first-person and Leon in third-person. However, you can decide what works for you. I thought that was a really great addition to the mechanics.

Overall, I found casual mode a lot more difficult and unforgiving in Requiem. It was a genuine challenge at times, which I enjoyed. It made the experience of completing the game that much more satisfying.

‘The Girl ‘

The main antagonist of Resident Evil Requiem is a terrifying, gigantic mutated creature named ‘The Girl.’ I don’t want to spoil anything but I’ll just say, she has a lot to do with the overarching story and Grace in particular. Throughout the game, you will come up against her multiple times. She’s blind but her hearing is sharp! If you stick to well-lit areas and make minimal noise, you’ll be fine. Be warned, she travels through spaces in the ceiling. There will be moments where she drops down right in front of you with no warning. It’s horrific. In my opinion, her segments are the best part of RE9. I love this franchise for its horror. I want to feel genuinely scared and thanks to ‘The Girl’, I did!

Across Raccoon City

When Requiem was first announced, I read it would take place within a haunted hotel. That had me very excited. Haunted hotels are very much my kind of thing. I was envisioning a vast single location, similar to the Baker house in Biohazard or the Spencer Mansion from the original. That was far from what we were given. The hotel is an extremely small part of the game. Blink and you’ll miss it small. Instead, you travel across several areas – from the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Centre (pictured below) to the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Raccoon City to the underground ARK lab. I’ll admit, at first I was disappointed. However, by the end, I loved how fast-paced RE9 was. There were always new places to explore and fresh puzzles to solve. It never got stagnant. Switching between Grace and Leon really helped with that too. It’s extremely replayable.

Overall, Resident Evil Requiem gets an 8/10 total score. I am so impressed with the final product. My main critique lies with Grace’s voice acting. She is a great character but her wobbly, jittery tone started to grate on me after a while. Leon Kennedy? No notes!

Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know your experience playing Resident Evil Requiem. I will be back very soon with my review/breakdown of Biohazard.

Peace & Love xoxo