It is hard to believe that a decade ago it seemed like Resident Evil might be a dying franchise.
The last mainline installment, Resident Evil 6 in 2012, had not been well received by the fans and, even worse, Capcom had released Umbrella Corps in 2016, one of the most reviled games in the series.
Then Resident Evil: Biohazard arrived like a godsend in 2017, returning the series to its survival horror roots and revitalizing the brand.
This was the game that first got me into series, and what a time to become a fan because ever since then, Capcom have been on a roll.
Over the years, they have released Resident Evil: Village and numerous remakes, which are considered among the best video game remakes of all time.
Well, now we have another banger with Resident Evil: Requiem, the ninth mainline installment.
After finishing my first playthrough, I am excited to say that Requiem is definitely in the top five best Resident Evil games.
It does a truly fantastic job of blending the survival horror of Biohazard with the over-the-top action of 4.
The story follows FBI Agent Grace Ashcroft (Angela Sant’Albano), the daughter of one of the previous game’s protagonists, Alyssa,
Tasked with investigating a mysterious disease tied to the Raccoon City Incident, Grace finds herself kidnapped by Umbrella scientist Dr Victor Gideon (Antony Byrne) and must survive his care facility of horrors.
Grace’s segments of the game are pure survival horror, and I found myself screaming many a time when faced with terrifying zombies.
What makes these zombies so unique is that they retain parts of their personalities from when they were alive.
A massive zombie chef tries to cook human flesh, a maid cuts herself repeatedly on glass trying to keep everything clean, and some zombies even apologise for trying to hurt you when they are killed.
It makes them not only scary but also pretty pitiable.
But the true horror of Grace’s segments is The Girl, a hag-like monstrosity with a weakness to light that pursues Grace throughout the facility.
With Grace’s limited stock of weapons, every fight with the undead could be her last.
It is a good thing then that she is not alone because the one-man army Leon Kennedy (Nick Apostolides) is also investigating Gideon, with Sherry Birkin (Eden Riegel) acting as his handler.
Leon’s segments of the game are when the over-the-top action comes into play and, I have got to say, after a few hours of hiding in the dark terrified as Grace, it is such a relief to kick zombie ass as Leon, shooting them, hacking them up, and cutting them apart with a chainsaw.
I never thought the survival horror of the series could blend so well into the action and yet Capcom achieved this.
They even provided different styles of gameplay for different playthroughs, with the choice between first or third person for both Grace and Leon.
I went with the recommended first-person for Grace and third-person for Leon, which felt perfect for their playstyle’s differing atmosphere.
Just as perfect was the game’s use of nostalgia, which can be a slippery slope.
Too much and it will feel like the game is just pandering to fans for cheap points, rather than doing something new.
Thankfully, Requiem offers plenty of new with that old, and the old content is lovingly handled.
Well, I have spent so long lathering this game with praise, you have to be wondering if I have any problems with it.
A few, but I really had to think about it for a bit.
For starters, I think we can all agree that there was one antagonist who deserved a boss fight but did not get one.
Along with this, there is one segment of the game which reminded me of the cannon section in the Resident Evil 4 remake.
Since that was my least favorite section of that game, you would be right in assuming it was my least favorite part of Requiem as well.
Finally, there is one reveal towards the end that feels like a bit of a copout, but it was a convenience that made me smile so I can let it go.
And that is it for my issues.
The rest of the game is so good that it overwhelmingly overshadows any bad.
THE REVIEW MONSTER 