If you are a fan of horror video games, then you most likely know what Resident Evil is- horror games most renowned franchise. In the world of Resident Evil, everything has become overthrown with infected zombies. Not only zombies, but bioweapons– genetically altered organisms created for military use. With this threat, new righteous cooperations have formed to protect the world from these modified beasts. One of the agencies is the Division of Security Operations (DSO), an elite U.S. federal counter-bioterrorism agency.
The latest chapter of Resident Evil has come out recently, being set several years later from the recent chapters. What makes the game so unique is the enticing mix of action and horror. Social media has been booming about this new release, saying that “Resident Evil Requiem is the best release in the franchise since Resident Evil 4,” (vice.com)
The protagonists consist of Leon Kennedy, a fan favorite, alongside new characters like Grace Ashcroft, who you initially play as.
Grace is an intelligence analyst for the FBI. She’s given a mission to investigate the Wrenwood hotel, the same place her mother, Alyssa Ashcroft, died in. On her journey she gets kidnapped, and trapped in a care center.
Grace is a character that many can deeply relate too if they were in a horror game- jumpy and afraid. Playing as this character makes me feel like I’m in the experience first hand. From the trips she makes to her heavy breathing, it all adds to making the scene feel real and horrifying.
With the success of Resident Evil: Requiem, the director, Koshi Nakanishi, was able to hit a record. Five million copies sold in just five days, making it the fastest sought out Resident Evil game. Past games that were popular, such as Resident Evil: Village, took five months to sell nearly as much.
The military bioterrorism department made to protect the world, include renowned characters like Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine. They are specialized agents who grew from the ground up to become the butt kicking action heroes they are today. Each has a unique storyline and personality. Some are zombie killing machines, while others are survivors who scavenge- like Grace.
Her gameplay drives the players into horrifying areas, each level more suffocating than the last. Players must explore these grounds to solve puzzles in order to escape. During your exploration, you can find items to heal and protect you. Though once there are no more healing herbs and pistol bullets, the only option is to run.
The player also plays as Leon Kennedy. He is the franchise's poster boy, for his stylish fighting moves and charming appearance. As testament to his popularity, the previous game which starred him, Resident Evil 4, was the second fastest to achieve five million after Resident Evil Requiem.
In Requiem, Leon dives into old memories. Once a police officer, but now a DSO agent. With his position, he was sent to investigate Doctor Victor Gideon, who is thought to be behind a mass spread of infected individuals. During this, he finds himself in a zombie infested care center, where he meets Grace, though the two get separated and try to find their own way to escape.
I am familiar with Resident Evil games and have played them all, but in this experience I was still shaking in my boots when faced with the new monster, The Girl. This antagonist is a giant beast who roams certain areas without light. Her giant footsteps are coupled with shackles, making her presence more terrifyingly known. Every spot she appeared in I had to hype myself up to go into. However, The Girl is not the only threat, there are also zombies called blister heads.
These monsters are more powerful than the common threats. When you kill a zombie, they reawaken as a blister head. Killing them eats up a bunch of ammo. This demands the player to preserve their resources and choose carefully when to use it, especially for the bosses, meaning that when you venture back into that hall you’ll find them waiting.
What makes resident evil so contrasting is when you play as Leon. You don’t have to worry much about saving ammo. Guns are provided with large amounts already, and more weapons the deeper you are into the story. But as Grace, you only have a tiny pistol. There is the requiem, a powerful gun, with bullets that you only get once in a blue moon.
During my playthrough, I felt much safer as Leon. It’s a break from the horror and trip into action. I’ve found myself deeply enjoying his cool kicks and snazzy one liners. It made it hard for me to transition to the older games because of this. Requiem has set the bar high for players like me to simply retreat back to when combat depended on a tiny gun.
The game knows this problem, so it solves it by adding a new item called the blood collector. To use the blood collector, you must collect blood from downed zombies and random buckets. A certain amount of blood alongside some scrap allows you to craft new items you can’t find around the map. One of the new cosmetics you can make is the lethal injector. You can kill zombies easily with this, but the catch is that you have to sneak behind them. I think the game did a really good job with the ammo substitute. They force you to have to be sneaky and preservative, since there is only so much scrap around the map.
Through your playthrough, you can find antique coins. These coins can be used to get upgrades. The boosts are categorized as getting more space in your inventory, higher maximum health, and higher maximum stamina. Something specifically for Grace, no matter how much you try to do this with Leon.
Leon’s gameplay is a whole 180. In his game play, you are constantly dealing with zombies with no way to sneak around them. You must kill them. Especially when you are deeper in the game. When you reach a certain part, your kills count as currency that you can use to buy new weapons, weapon upgrades, body armor, ammo, etc. There is less room for fear in his play style.
As someone who has played the Resident Evil games where he was just a young police officer, I felt proud getting to see him grow in maturity and combat. For those who are new, it’s a great introduction to him and his character.
During your playthrough you can do challenges for points to get weapons you can't in the game. There are also special features like infinite ammo or a higher amount of blood you can collect. These challenges make the game more hard, but it’s worth it when you can have an infinite amount of bullets for any gun.
Resident evil has made many games, fans often argue about which of them are better. Some like the scarier games like Resident Evil 7, a game I will never play again. Some like the more action packed games like Resident Evil 6, a fighting co-op game. With Resident Evil: Requiem, you get a perfect balance of horror and action. I think they did a great job with the balance of gameplay and experience. To me, it makes it the best game so far with this feature.
