Resident Evil Requiem Review – There’s a lot of life in the undead so far | games

TThere’s often an undercurrent of existential exhaustion in games that look back to their legacy. The dying kingdom of Dark Souls III, and the crumbling serpent of Metal Gear Solid 4. So when Capcom showed us an aging Leon Kennedy entering the ruins of the police station that marked the beginning of his journey from rookie cop to hardened veteran, it seemed as much tinged with boredom as it did with nostalgia. This self-reflexivity of this 30-year-old series may happen one day, but Requiem does not. Even at its most melancholy and contemplative, this is less a song for the dead than a tribute to the rocket launchers and typewriters that came before. Leon may be on a bit of a roll, but Capcom is as energetic, devious, and goofy as ever.

Leon’s old scars would have to wait anyway. Requiem’s ​​new blood is FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft. Equal parts stubborn and nervous, it’s a fitting lens for the horror portion of Requiem’s ​​focus split between languid terror and cathartic action. The story begins with Grace – who is more familiar with office work than field operations – being assigned to examine a crime scene at a destroyed hotel. She knows the place well because it holds some horrific memories for her. However, she only carries a flashlight and a pistol, and will never find enough ammo to feel safe.

But not so for Leon, a man whose skill at finding new shotgun shells is matched only by his ability to drop archaic phrases on fallen enemies before the smoke clears from his barrel. Leon replaces Grace’s first-person camera with a third-person camera, though you can choose either for each. Grace plays well at both, though Leon’s default style is far more suited to, say, chopping off a zombie’s fingers with his axe, or stabbing rebar into a bloodshot eye.

Leon feels comically overpowered at first, his extreme bravery being highlighted by hordes of helpless zombies who send Requiem to their deaths in order to make him look as cool as possible. But the game soon manages to put its ridiculously capable star in convincing danger. A slew of frenetic battles and gunfights mean you’ll need every shell, whether they’re plentiful or not.

Leon has never been in as much danger as Grace, who soon finds herself pursued by terrifying creatures through a sprawling, luxurious care facility that has the maze-like layout of the best locations in the series. Requiem has masterfully succeeded in infusing its predecessors with the sense of trying to survive and escape a living puzzle box. As Grace, you’ll be torn about whether to burn precious bullets to clear a corridor of threats or risk running through it unharmed. The creatures sniff the air for your presence and emit shrill cries meant to frighten you. Sometimes, it’s worth spending those bullets just to calm your nerves.

Yes, Requiem is scary. Sometimes, you are expected to take the whole thing seriously. The voice actors for Grace and Leon do some heavy lifting by bringing emotional heft to scenes that fall apart if you stop to think. And despite the Evil Dead camp (that’s a compliment), it’s still a story with heart. However, after so many years of expanding the same story with mostly the same core players, Resident Evil’s larger plot strains my hamstrings trying to find a piece of solid ground that hasn’t been trodden so well.

Maybe that’s why true self-reflection seems so elusive—because if the chain truly slows for even a moment, the floor will collapse. As it is, some of the shameless plot tricks feel like they’re on par with the game’s product placement (there were business deals with Porsche and Hamilton watches). Even more deflating is a series of dank, ridiculous boss battles towards the end. But Requiem had so many clever scenes, tense chases, and delightfully horrific showdowns by this point that it was easy to forgive it simply running out of ideas. Capcom has been on a hot streak for a while now, so it’s no surprise that Requiem delivers no shock. But it’s a pleasant surprise that Resident Evil still feels this lively.