With final gameplay preview reports trickling in, Capcom’s Resident Evil Requiem is shaping up to be one of the franchise’s most intriguing entries ever.
A new gameplay sequence set in Rhodes Hill hospital, and featuring RE icon Leon Kennedy, has offered a fresh perspective on weapons, inventory, and new play style to that of the original first look feature showcased several months ago.
Two game leads in Grace Ashcroft and returning favorite Leon, who are not simply dual protagonists but counterpoints to one another, as well as a choice to play in either first or third person all point towards a game that is fully committed to telling its story through two very different gameplay lenses, alternating between tone, tension, and play style, depending on who’s on screen.
Grace Ashcroft: Survival Comes First
Grace’s sections lean heavily into classic Resident Evil tension. An FBI analyst with little real-world combat experience, she’s thrown into the outbreak with minimal resources and no margin for error. It’s clear the game wants players to feel that pressure and sense of vulnerability.
Grace’s gameplay is built around careful decision-making:
- Combat is limited and often avoidable, with scarce ammunition making every encounter a risk.
- While Grace does gain access to a powerful revolver later on, its limited ammo supply keeps it firmly in “use only when absolutely necessary” territory.
- Environmental interaction plays a key role, with distractions and improvised tools often proving more valuable than firepower.
- A crafting system tied to infected blood and scavenged materials encourages players to think creatively, blurring the line between puzzle-solving and survival.
- Grace’s tight inventory space means tough choices are constant, reinforcing the feeling that you’re never fully prepared.
Grace’s animations and reactions further sell the experience. She moves cautiously, reacts audibly to danger, and often sounds overwhelmed, making her chapters feel tense, grounded, and intentionally very uncomfortable.
Leon S. Kennedy: Experience Changes Everything
Leon’s return brings a noticeable shift in energy. This is a character who has survived multiple bioterror crises, and Requiem reflects that history through more confident, action-forward gameplay.
“The team gave [Leon aging] a lot of thought,” said Director Kōshi Nakanishi. “He’s been fighting biohazards since RE2 where he got his sudden start there. Now it’s been close to 30 years of Leon’s life that he’s been doing that. He’s seen a lot of sacrifice, a lot of tragedy. He couldn’t save everyone in RE2 or RE4. He’s seen a lot. He’s been through a lot. So that’s a weight that weighs down on him. So you’ll see that Leon that that weight is something that the development team wanted to express with Leon’s appearance and personality in Requiem. So you’ll notice he does carry that weight, and he’s maybe a little bit more pessimistic.”
Leon’s chapters are built for momentum:
- He carries a much broader arsenal, including pistols, shotguns, and grenades designed to handle larger enemy groups.
- Weapons feature clear stats like power and precision, giving players more control over how each encounter unfolds.
- His version of the Requiem revolver is a high-impact weapon built to deal with tougher threats head-on.
- Traditional ammo crafting makes resource management feel proactive rather than restrictive.
- Melee combat gets an upgrade thanks to a new combat hatchet, which replaces his classic knife and adds new options for staggering enemies and interacting with the environment.
- Stealth takedowns and the ability to briefly wield enemy weapons add extra flexibility in combat-heavy scenarios.
Leon’s larger, more flexible inventory reinforces this approach, letting players stay equipped and aggressive without the constant pressure to retreat.
“Leon’s hatchet is another way that the team wanted to show that Leon now has a lot more experience fighting bio-weapons than he did in previous games,” explained Nakanishi.
What will likely make Resident Evil Requiem work won’t simply be the contrast between Grace and Leon, but rather how the game uses that contrast to keep things fresh. Locations that feel oppressive and dangerous during Grace’s chapters are looking to be action-driven set pieces when Leon arrives, reframing well trodden ground and familiar spaces in new and creative ways.
Rather than choosing between survival horror and action, Requiem appears to be leaning into both, using Grace to build tension and Leon to release it. The result will hopefully be an experience that feels flexible without being unfocused, and familiar without feeling repetitive.
If the final release delivers on this balance, Resident Evil Requiem could well end up on 2026’s Game of the Year lists.
Resident Evil Requiem lands February 27 on Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2.
