Resident Evil Requiem Preview: Leon’s Last Stop in the Shadow of Raccoon City

Resident Evil Requiem Heroes

Grace Ashcroft is the daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft, the brave journalist who survived the Raccoon City disaster in Resident Evil Outbreak, and her mission is to investigate the mysterious death of her mother. Based on the previews, you can consider her a cowardly and cautious character who isn't ready to face the events of Resident Evil. You start Grace Ashcroft's storyline in Resident Evil Requiem at Rhodes Hill Hospital.

Leon S. Kennedy on the other hand is an older, more tired, and way more brutal character, and his mission is to investigate the suspicious deaths that are happening in the American Midwest. He has infected wounds known as Umbrella Syndrome and suffers from them, and because of constantly being exposed to viruses, he's become a carrier of mutated strains. With him, you go back to the Raccoon City Police Station and he brings back past memories for us.

The Antagonist and Project Elpis

The game's villain is Dr. Victor Gideon, who's a former Umbrella Corporation researcher. After Umbrella went under in 2003, he continued his research in secret to finish "Project Elpis". In Greek mythology, Elpis was the symbol of hope that remained in Pandora's box, but in Resident Evil Requiem, it's the code name for a virus or biological entity connected to Grace's bloodline.

Changes in the Resident Evil Requiem Gameplay System

In this game, we're seeing a risky and revolutionary move from Capcom, and that's mixing two different styles, and those who've experienced it have talked about its appeal and good experience.

Grace's Classic Survival Horror Sections

Grace's storyline brings back the traditional principles of survival horror in Resident Evil Requiem. You have a first-person view that gives you more of a feeling of vulnerability. This character can't fight enemies directly, and you have to use different strategies including hiding, and you also have to carefully manage your resources. This style of gameplay reminds you of Alien: Isolation or RE7. Grace's main mechanics include the following:

• Blood extraction system: Using special syringes to take blood from downed enemies

• Making Injectors: Turning blood into explosive compounds or healing items

• Making enemies explode: Injecting tough enemies stops them from coming back as Blister Heads

• Environmental interaction: Messing with light switches to guide or blind light-sensitive enemies

• Strategic hiding: Moving in shadows and avoiding fights when possible

Leon's Action-Focused Combat

After you've dealt with the excitement and stress of Grace's gameplay, it's time for the thrilling part and Leon's combat. The camera angle and variety of weapons along with Leon's fighting skills and abilities give you an exciting and action-packed atmosphere. You have lots of abilities. With the axe, you can both deal heavy blows to enemies and parry their attacks. Another ability Leon has is disarming enemies and being able to temporarily use their weapon. The flashy and brutal moves and strikes in this game make it even more interesting and create a unique Resident Evil experience.

The Zapping System Upgrade in Resident Evil Requiem

The Zapping system was first introduced in Resident Evil 2 (1998), and in Resident Evil Requiem, this system has been heavily upgraded. According to this system, your actions as Grace directly affect your experience with Leon in the same location. These changes are based on the following:

• In terms of resource management, whatever Grace collects in a place is no longer available for Leon. Based on this, you have to collect items smartly and with foresight.

• At times when Grace traps enemies somewhere, it causes Leon to face that same enemy, and an angrier version of it.

• The changes you make in the environment, like unlocking things or creating obstacles, all affect the path ahead for the second character.

This system helps you have very different experiences in one environment and makes the game super dynamic.

Evolution of Zombies and Them Getting Smarter

Unlike previous experiences where zombies were just mindless, moving dead creatures, in this installment they've kinda kept some of their former human intelligence. A janitor zombie cleans, or a cook zombie cuts up meat. A point that could be dangerous for you is their skill in hiding and striking at you. For example, they hide using darkness or scream to alert other zombies. Using AI makes your fights and challenges more interesting and dangerous.

Types of zombies that cause you problems:

• Screamers: Produce ear-piercing screams that confuse the player and call in backup.

• Masses: Huge zombies that act as bullet sponges and need specific strategies.

• Blister Heads: Zombies that weren't killed properly and come back to life with swollen, poison-filled heads.

• Stalker: A more advanced enemy than Lady Dimitrescu or Mr. X, capable of tracking you through ventilation systems and destroying obstacles.

Rhodes Hill Hospital: A Classic RE Location

The main environment, Rhodes Hill Hospital, works as a semi-open area with east and west wings connected by a central Atrium that's a safe zone. The design focuses on exploration and backtracking using keycards, locked boxes, and environmental puzzles—reminding you of the Raccoon City Police Station in RE2 Remake, but with more dynamic tension curves.

Both from a gameplay perspective and a story perspective, Requiem will have a deep connection with Resident Evil 2 and makes it a spiritual successor that celebrates the franchise's roots while pushing boundaries.

Resident Evil Requiem Technical Specs

Capcom's newest product gets its power from the RE Engine. Environmental lighting has noticeably increased the gameplay level and plays a big role in the environment's aesthetics. The impact of shadows and lighting as factors for hiding or creating defensive strategies has managed to take the quality of gameplay to a higher level. All the environmental elements, from skin textures to sweat drops and environmental reactions, are at their highest quality and show off the high capability of this graphics engine.

What platforms will Resident Evil Requiem be released on?

An important point about the release of Resident Evil Requiem is that it's being released simultaneously on all platforms:

• PlayStation 5

• Xbox Series X/S

• PC (Windows/PC via Steam)

• Nintendo Switch 2

When is the release time for Resident Evil Requiem?

The release time for Resident Evil Requiem is February 27, 2026. For consoles, it's announced as midnight local time, but for PC, the exact time hasn't been given and only the date February 27, 2026 has been announced.