Resident Evil Requiem is poised to reframe the survival horror blueprint through contrast; fear versus fervour, apprehension versus power, first-person panic versus third-person confidence – all through the eyes of two protagonists. What’s more, Requiem introduces some new systems – whilst refining and reintroducing some series staples – that will reward both your restraint and your aggression. This feature outlines the moments, mechanics, and player-driven decisions that are set to make Resident Evil Requiem a standout experience.
Switch Perspectives Mid-Exploration
While Grace’s survival-leaning exploration is suited to first-person and Leon’s more action-orientated segments favour third-person, you are free to switch between the two camera perspectives at any time during your playthrough. First-person immerses you deeper in the horror, with Grace’s trembling hands and shortness of breath underlining her apprehension. Swapping to third-person, however, reveals how bodily she recoils: shrinking under threat, flinching, bolting – and slipping desperately – for escape, being able to actually see how Grace moves during exploration will bring a richness to immersion.
Swap POV Mid-Fight
Requiem’s developer acknowledges that certain players couldn’t comfortably experience Resident Evil 7 and Village due to their first-person exclusivity. Requiem’s dual-perspective, was inspired by Village’s third-person DLC support;; so, the groundwork is laid, and we can experience smooth transitions between the two. For combat, it’ll be interesting to see how each POV affects spatial awareness and crowd control, or how spectacularly Leon’s round-house kick can be executed.
Learn How One Protagonist’s Actions Affect the Other
The developer made it clear that the actions of one protagonist will have tangible effects on the other. What this means is, for instance, any items Grace collects will be gone for Leon, while he can clear any undead that Grace had to flee. What’s exciting about this loop is it appears to “fix” the immersion-breaking potential of Leon and Claire’s parallel campaigns in Resident Evil 2, where their side-by-side progress was never convincing. Plus, choosing whether to loot, deciding on routes and enemies to tackle; these are strategic layers that will be rewarding to experiment with for subsequent playthroughs.
See Leon’s Physicality Change Shared Spaces
Because Leon can permanently clear enemies and carve through threats Grace can’t handle, familiar locations will transform once he’s passed through them. Blood-patterned corridors emptied of danger, chokepoints turned into traversal routes, once-hostile spaces that become calm but unnerving in their stillness. Returning to these areas as Grace, knowing what Leon had to do to make them passable, could be one of Requiem’s most effective storytelling tools.
Master Leon’s Hatchet Parry
In Requiem, Leon’s iconic knife has been upgraded to a combat hatchet, and the new melee weapon isn’t just for cracking undead skulls but for parrying attacks too. His trusted blade could deflect enemy blows too, but now, on his Raccoon City return, his sidearm is stronger and more durable, with greater staggering impact. You’ll just need to keep the hatchet’s blade sharp; bluntness means he’s vulnerable.
Get Brutal With the New Hand-Axe
Hatchet parrying isn’t the only manoeuvre in Leon’s grizzled repertoire. No, beyond blocks and swings, Leon can execute wind-up spin attacks. They’ll take an extra second to unleash, but the impact lands bloody and brutal – like, ripping heads from torsos brutal. And, drawing on his covert experience in Spain, Leon has some stealthy moves up his sleeve too. Crouching, sneaking, spinning, he’s able to get the jump on his enemies from the shadows. It’ll be interesting to see how far Requiem pushes this mechanic; whether stealth-focused runs are viable in Leon’s segments that otherwise prioritise crowd control over subterfuge.
Pull the Trigger on Resident Evil’s New “Requiem” Revolver
Yes – Leon’s hatchet isn’t the only new weapon you’ll get your hands on. If you’ve seen anything of Resident Evil Requiem’s trailers, you’ll have spotted the sawtooth-lined firearm in the grip of both protagonists. This is Leon’s colossal hand-cannon, trading high-capacity magazines for striking firepower, capable of one-shotting the meatiest of undead assailants as well as downing multiple zombies with a single bullet.
Turn Leon Into The New Chainsaw Man
At this point, power tools and Resident Evil are bosom buddies, with their relationship no-more hand-in-hand than Leon and his affection for chainsaws. Dr Salvador – the Chainsaw Man – might have terrorised him back then, but in Requiem the tables are turned. Yep, we’ve another Dr with a chainsaw, but a well-timed hatchet parry deflects its revving teeth, leaving it pickupable for you. Now, you can unleash Leon’s most wild, power-driven fantasy, sawing through infected flesh in cathartic rampage.
See If Chainsaws Make Good Environmental Hazards
We’ve focused on Leon’s action-heavy sequences quite a bit, so let’s flip the balance back to Grace and the stately, shuffling terror she’ll endure. She comes to the party with less tools than Leon, and we haven’t yet seen her swing a found chainsaw in any of the game’s footage. So, to master her sequences you’ll need to rely on the environment. We know that unmanned chainsaws will slice the legs of zombies clean off, the question is: will Grace be able to use this strategically? What other environmental traps can she set?
Experiment with Blood Synthesis
Now, with Grace’s combat tools in short supply she’ll need to make use of what’s around her. And what’s the one thing Resident Evil games have plenty of? That’s right, blood – pools surround zombies and their victims, walls are splattered with the stuff. Presumably, Requiem dragging Grace through ambiguous hospitals, there are stains dried into the bedsheets. Either way, Grace learns how to harvest and analyse this blood, combining with ammo, herbs, and other resources to create elixirs, vaccines, and one-shot lethal injections.
Craft Healing Vaccines Under Pressure
Unlike herbs and spray healing, Requiem’s vaccine-based recovery looks deliberately slower and more involved, and this is exactly what makes it an exciting prospect. There’s going to be moments where Grace is wounded and resources are thin. Crafting a heal, presumably, isn’t something you’ll do safely in a menu either. Choosing when to stop and synthesise a vaccine, when to push on injured, and when to burn rare blood components for survival feels like a sharp evolution of Resident Evil’s classic management loop.
Turn Grace Into RE’s First Ninja
Really though, Grace’s Blood Synthesis system introduces tense risk-versus-reward to her survival. Her sections won’t exclusively be about leaving zombies for Leon to clean up; through blood’s crafting potential, she’s incentivised to at least have a crack at bashing some zombie skulls together. It appears the most important tool to support her covert operations will be the Hemolytic Injector, the upgradable lethal injection she can plunge into the neck of unsuspecting enemies for a satisfying insta-kill. Blood can’t be collected from such-downed zombies, but how far we can push Grace’s ninja skills is certainly intriguing.
Run Grace Like An Old-School Survival Horror Protagonist
Resident Evil has always thrived when it makes you feel underpowered, and Grace’s sections certainly bring that Resident Evil 2, Raccoon City PD energy, when Claire and Leon traipsed through the labyrinthine police station with fear over gusto. So, even with one-shot kills and other combat incentives, it’d be interesting to treat killing as a last resort, instead, avoiding chokepoints or baiting enemies away from objectives. Winning through patience, intelligence, and restraint, much like the Resi Evil’s of old.
Obsess Over Inventory Discipline As Grace
Grace’s super-limited inventory – a classic eight-slot space – is another push towards running her with old-school survival horror verve. Compared to Leon’s capacious 7×10 grid, managing Grace’s slots will be a game in itself – planned routes might prioritise storage points, tough discard decisions could be made; what not to bring will be as important as what to pack. These micro-decisions bring the nucleus of survival horror to the fore, where even small moments can feel painfully valuable.
Learn the Stalker’s Rules, and Then Break Them
Modern Resident Evil isn’t complete without a relentless stalker-type, and Requiem’s pursuers – at least, the ones we’ve seen – look like they’re designed to terrorise as much as give chase. So, best learn its rules: tells, sound cues, movement patterns, learning the exact moment when it’s safer to hide than run. Once these are understood, the fun begins. Fear becomes a strategy as its rules can be exploited and the stalker can be baited.
