Video game fanatics around the world are buzzing as the new horror game, Resident Evil Requiem, is already in the running to become the game of the year in 2026. The ninth Resident Evil game in the series follows the very popular Resident Evil Village back in 2021, which managed to sell 10 million units in three years. Resident Evil Requiem has already sold half that in just five days, but how?
The game takes place in Raccoon City, the same setting as multiple other Resident Evil games. Unlike other video games, there are two playable main characters in this game; FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy, a returning character, who has become the fan-favorite in the Resident Evil franchise as a police officer and special agent. Leon is a third-person, fast paced character with more action-oriented gameplay, while Grace is a slower paced, first-person character, focused on the horror aspect of the game. Sam Smith from Soundsphere says, “The end result is an experience that is essentially two games in one, and while it sounds disjointed on paper, it works remarkably well.”
During the first half of the game, players spend most of their time controlling Grace as she attempts to escape a care center. But, all of the staff and patients have turned into zombies from a mutated strain of the T-virus. The care center is a terrifying, dark building, full of puzzles and mutated zombies. Grace does not have many resources, so for her part, it is important to ration bullets and try to run from monsters rather than shooting them. It is not until the second half of the game where Leon gets most of the play time, and it does not disappoint. Leon makes a return to Raccoon City where he tries to detonate a gate rigged with explosives all while fighting off zombies and monsters. Leon’s part is not just focused on survival, but a quest to uncover the secrets of Raccoon City.
Despite the game’s early success, some have argued that the game is relying on previous Resident Evil versions, instead of being its own game. This is because the main playable character; Leon, is a returning character along with Raccoon City. Additionally, there are also many easter eggs throughout the game that refer back to previous games. So for some, Resident Evil Requiem is too repetitive and relies on the other games in the series to hold itself up. Smith continues to describe how “Resident Evil Requiem is a triumph, feeling like the greatest hits of the series rolled into one game, but also managing to be fresh. The experience celebrates the series’ past but doesn’t rely on it.” With the combination of classic characters, complex locations, and intense survival horror, Resident Evil Requiem has not only made a huge impact on the franchise, but the horror genre as a whole.
