After weeks of waiting, the developer finally hosted its latest Resident Evil Showcase, offering up new gameplay for Resident Evil Requiem. Were there superfluous details like the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, amiibo, watches, and whatnot? Sure, but in terms of gameplay, there’s a lot to be excited about. Combine this with other information revealed in interviews over the past month, and Requiem is looking to be this year’s “can’t miss” survival horror experience.
Let’s dive into 15 new things you should know about it, starting with the main man himself…
Leon (and Close-Range Combat)
If Requiem proves anything, it’s that stunning an enemy and then walking up to boot them in the face is as satisfying as ever. However, those who have mastered Leon’s close-range combat capabilities in previous titles will have much more to like here. Shoot an enemy’s limbs to bring them to their knees for a melee attack, but if you’re close enough to a wall or cubicle, he’ll actually crush their skull against it. It’s so effective that surrounding enemies can do little else but watch and wait for their turn. Another satisfying execution sees him shoving a shotgun right into an enemy’s mouth to perform some extensive dental and cranial surgery.
And if the enemy happens to be wielding a weapon – say, a chainsaw – then Leon can pick it up from their corpse and use it for a brief period. That’s right – it’s a proper albeit temporary weapon in its own right.
Hatchet Man
Knives have often been Leon’s go-to melee weapon in the past, especially when it comes to parrying enemy attacks. You wouldn’t think Requiem could top that, but it gives him a tomahawk instead, which is equally viable when blocking a revved-up chainsaw. You can also sneak around and assassinate unaware foes or use it during executions. Which leads to one of the biggest quality-of-life changes – instead of visiting a merchant and restoring uses via “Tune-Up,” Leon sharpens it himself. Suffice it to say that you won’t stop axing questions from every single enemy you meet.
Grace, the Fearful
By contrast, Grace is considered the biggest scaredy cat in the series’ history. As per the developer, she’s a “counterpart” to Leon, “an easily frightened character who is experiencing a biohazard situation for the first time.
That reflects in her gameplay, which shares more in common with Resident Evil 2 and 7. You’re more entrenched in the horror aspects, dealing with tight-knit spaces. Ammo is limited, so you’ll often have to decide when to fight and when to run from enemies, perhaps saving those precious resources for when there’s no choice. Combined with Leon’s fast-paced action, the result is an experience with “an emotional range unlike any other Resident Evil title to date,” per Nakanishi.
Requiem Revolver
All that said, Grace is packing some firepower of her own, courtesy of the Requiem, a “large caliber assault revolver.” It packs a punch, with a single shot piercing through at least two infected enemies like they’re papier-mache. However, once again, ammo is limited – heck, probably even more so than other firearms in the game. But with the relative lack of “heavy weaponry,” the Requiem is your Solemn Lament, your pinch-hitter, your shaved knuckle in the hole, for turning a dire situation in Grace’s favor.
Crafting and Infected Blood
Hey, remember when we said ammo is scarce while playing as Grace, so you’ll need to choose battles carefully? While running is a survival-horror staple tactic, there is an incentive to fight in Requiem. Crafting returns and, alongside materials like scrap for creating more ammo, it also requires infected blood, courtesy of a special device that Grace discovers. Of course, you can also craft items like Mixed Herbs and Makeshift Knives. We can see the latter in action at one point, allowing Grace to stab a zombie trying to take a bite out of her hand.
Specialized Injectors
However, it seems that infected blood’s main purpose is to create “specialized injectors.” One of those, the Hemolytic Injector, can be used to stab enemies from behind and cause them to explode in a gory mess (which Grace even comments as being “too effective”). Carefully read the description in the crafting screen, which says it can prevent corpses from mutating as well. Perhaps a subtle hint that the Crimson Heads from Resident Evil HD, or some offshoot of the same, are returning? If so, then that means you’ll need to be careful about killing zombies and whether there are enough resources on hand to create a Hemolytic Injector.
Lingering Memories
Speaking zombies, they’re a little different this time around. We’ve spoken before about their appearance and how they’re not rotting nearly as much as those infected by the t-Virus. Instead, they’re clinging to habits from when they were alive. One zombie, a butcher, is still chopping meat, even calling for next and attacks with a meat cleaver. Another, a maid, is still cleaning, alternating between windows and smacking her head against them, and yet another is seemingly preoccupied with flipping a light switch. While it’s fun to observe them, these habits may also provide clues to dodge and ultimately take them down.
Massive Mutated Enemy
Of course, leave it to the developer to tease something absolutely massive, literally and figuratively, at the end of the showcase. It’s a former human, massively infected beyond recognition, who tears through hallways with ease, telling Grace that it won’t forgive her. Who or what this could be is anyone’s guess – the obvious being a mutated version of Gideon, but even that feels a little too straightforward. Is this what other infected can transform into if Grace doesn’t have the required injector? Regardless, between this and the earlier revealed stalker, it makes you wonder what other monstrosities lie in wait.
The Nature of Elpis
Elpis is a big deal in Resident Evil Requiem. It’s the main reason why Victor Gideon abducted – sorry, liberated Grace Ashcroft, who he believes is the “chosen one” for setting it free. While Nakanishi wouldn’t say exactly what Elpis is, he told Famitsu in an interview last month that, “In the general sense, Elpis is what remained at the bottom of Pandora’s box, and it’s often interpreted as ‘hope.’
“However, some interpretations say it symbolizes something worse: an emblem of misfortune or a terrible thing. In this game, it becomes an important story element. It also connects to ‘Why was Grace’s mother killed?’”
Leon’s Secret
Of course, that’s not all, as Leon has a “secret” related to Elpis, which ties into the murder of Grace’s mother, Alyssa. Nakanishi describes this as a “key part of the game,” and he hopes you’ll play through to “unravel the mystery.” Could it be tied to the “hidden secret” of Raccoon City that the marketing has been going on about? Will Nakanishi and co. tell us if we ask nicely? The answer to one of these has to be “yes.”
However, what he didn’t draw attention to is that one part in the trailer where Leon is viewing a computer with key documents on Elpis, including a photo of Grace. It’s not the files themselves but rather the right side of his neck, which appears to have dark bruising, not unlike what Elpis is seemingly capable of inducing. Perhaps he’s infected and must play Gideon’s game to find a cure? Maybe Grace’s blood is key to developing a vaccine? Either way, the developer wasn’t kidding when it said the DOS agent would be pushed to his limit.
Casual and Standard Difficulties
Similar to Resident Evil Village, Requiem includes Casual and Standard difficulties. The former, as you’d expect, is an easier time and lets you enjoy the story and combat at a more relaxed pace. You can even use aim assist to easily snap to enemy heads and blow them away. As for Standard (Modern), it matches the difficulty of the modern Resident Evil titles, offering a “balanced experience of suspense and accomplishment.” Is it too much to expect an unlockable Hardcore Mode? Time will tell.
The Return of Ink Ribbons
However, if you’re a hardcore fan yearning for the days when even the opportunity to save was limited, then good news: Ink ribbons are officially returning. Available in Standard (Classic) difficulty, the challenge is described as similar to the classic Resident Evil titles. But wait – there’s a twist. Per the showcase, it’s seemingly only available for Grace’s gameplay sections, and even then, it doesn’t look to completely replace auto-saves. So while it’s definitely closer to the classic experience, there’s still some leeway involved.
Split Fiction
One question that’s been haunting fans ever since rumors of Leon’s involvement began is just how prominent his role will be in-game. Thankfully, Nakanishi clarified that when it comes to gameplay, “Grace and Leon’s playable sections are almost equally split,” likening the structure to Resident Evil: Revelations. “It’s almost like having two games with completely different types of tension mixed together,” he said to Automaton-Media.
And as if dispelling possible doubts on whether you can switch between them at any time, Nakanishi told Famitsu that the story is a “single, continuous line,” and “as the game progresses, it switches between Leon and Grace.” Besides their first meeting, there are other scenes where they’ll meet up – Leon stating in the showcase that he’ll “keep our friends busy” could be one of those.
Other Playable Characters
With all the secrecy, it’s probably worth asking: Are there any other playable characters besides Leon and Grace? No, according to Nakanishi. Okay, but that doesn’t mean other characters can’t appear, right? With regards to this, he simply told Famitsu, “I’d like you to enjoy discovering them by playing.” This follows the developer telling that there would be “characters from the past series.”
They also said not to “over-expect or hype it,” but that hasn’t stopped us till now, so bring on Claire Redfield and Jill Valentine already.
Path Tracing, Multi Frame Generation and GeForce Now
Announced during CES 2025, the developer reiterated that the PC version would feature Path Tracing and Multi Frame Generation support courtesy of DLSS 4. If you believe Nvidia, it allows for 200 to 300 or more frames with ray-traced shadows, reflections, lighting, the whole deal. The reality is that it didn’t specify graphics options, resolutions, or the requirements necessary to play the game in 4K with Ultra settings. On the positive side, Requiem will be available on GeForce Now at launch, allowing Ultimate members to play on RTX 5080-powered machines and DLSS 4 without worrying about their own hardware.
