If Capcom maintains the level of the Requiem demo, we are in for the most atmospheric Resident Evil in years

My first encounter with the Resident Evil series was at my friend's house, where we played Resident Evil 4 (Ultimate HD Edition) on PS3. Probably this is the reason I have a sentiment for the whole series - for me, the Resident Evil games are horrors that, although sometimes silly, even meme-like, always managed to scare me. And of course, let's not forget that these are also very good action games (well, maybe not all of them - I'm looking at you, RE 7). After finishing the Resident Evil Requiem demo twice, I would like to say that this will be another installment of the series that will evoke this sentiment in me, but unfortunately I can't do that. And honestly speaking - that's good.

Grace is not Leon Kennedy

After launching the demo version of Resident Evil Requiem, I immediately came across a window asking in which perspective I want to play. The game itself suggested choosing the FPP mode - however, I decided to go for the over-the-shoulder view, because I wrongly thought it would save me from jump scares, which I'm not a fan of.During the game, we can change the view at any time if we wish to do so. Interestingly, some scenes in the game look completely different depending on the perspective from which we experience them; the same is true for animations, which I realized during my second playthrough of the demo, when I chose the FPP mode. Watching the game world through the heroine's eyes allows you to immerse yourself more in the situation and offers a much scarier experience that I had to move away from the screen a bit. Sneaking and moving in TPP view was definitely more comfortable and seems easier to me, but I also think it will depend on how someone likes to play - I rather prefer the "over-the-shoulder" option. I would also add that it was easier for me to notice and pick up some items in TPP mode. I'm not sure if this was a deliberate move by the developers, or if it's something that Capcom is still working on.

After choosing the perspective, a scene appeared in which Grace, the protagonist of this installment, was hanging upside down in some strange room. After a short while and without any help from the player, our heroine managed to free herself. And this is when I could start playing. The first thing that struck me was how well this version of the game looks. Drops of sweat visible on Grace's temple or the blood-soaked bandage looked almost real. The same applied to the interior design project. The game also maintained stable 60 frames.

You can quickly understand that Grace is not a typical RE heroine. She has no military experience, moves very slowly, even sluggishly, which may bother some players, but also fits well into the context of the whole situation. She is just an ordinary young woman, not some superhuman doing backflips at every opportunity. And this is probably the reason it is easier to understand her.

The corridors we move through turn out to be extremely claustrophobic and dark, we hear all kinds of disturbing sounds from everywhere; I could also constantly feel how terrified Grace was, which did not calm me down at all. Fortunately, she is not one of those characters who keep talking to themselves; her justified annoyance shone through her body language and shouts. After assessing the situation, a few minutes of exploration, and reading a few notes that didn't give a very clear idea of where we were, I knew that my main goal would be to find a circuit breaker in order to open the grate blocking the escape route.

Run!

During exploration, I came across a lighter that could illuminate my way through the dark corridor, which I previously saw no sense in entering because it was simply too dark. So I reached the door, from which a corpse of the "infected", as Grace called it, jumped out, and then a gigantic monster appeared, which snatched the dead man and bit off his head. Fans of the Resident Evil series, and certainly not only them, are familiar with Lady Dimitrescu from Resident Evil Village or Mr. X from RE 2. The ninth installment of the series introduces a similar adversary, who terrifies with his mere presence and relentlessly chases us, even cornering us, and at the same time is so terrifying that it's hard to describe him.

He is so big that his whole body takes up most of the corridor, leaving no room to slip by. In the building, we find glass bottles that we can use to distract this monster. It works decently and forces you to plan carefully where to throw the bottle to give yourself enough time to search for the necessary items. We can also come across green plants, which as usual in this series, serve as a medicine. The weakness of the gigantic monster is light, so entering lit rooms was my main strategy for dealing with this three-meter problem that wouldn't leave me alone. Sometimes he disappeared only to appear right in front of me.

My anxiety was intensified by the sounds - both those made by the creature and those generated by Grace while she was interacting with the environment. At some point, I discovered that I needed an item that was hidden in a metal box on the top shelf of the cabinet. To get there, I had to move the cart that Grace could climb on - of course, along the way, in a rather scripted sequence, the main character bumped into every possible piece of furniture, hurting herself and attracting the monster's attention. In moments like this, I could distract his attention or lose him. Which was not easy at all, although the fact that Grace could sneak around and move quietly helped.

Fear makes cowards of us all

The fragment of Resident Evil Requiem available at gamescom is definitely leaning more towards horror than action (of course, this may change in the full version). There was no combat in the demo. The mentioned stage simply involved finding an object that would allow me to move forward and avoid danger, while using stealth and distraction mechanics. I was solving easy puzzles, looking for necessary things and trying to escape from the huge Baba Yaga, who will haunt my dreams at night. At the beginning, I mentioned that I like this series because it evokes a certain sentiment in me. However, with Resident Evil Requiem, I was too scared to feel that. Nonetheless, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, because I know that Capcom is trying to do something new, which may not appeal to everyone, but I definitely liked it.

Despite the terror, I absolutely can't get enough - on the contrary, I want to know what this is all about, what Grace's role in this is, and whether - as fans suspect - we will get another playable character. I hope that we will find out about this in February, but only if we are brave enough.

Resident Evil Requiem

February 27, 2026

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