Having not pre-ordered a physical copy of Resident Evil Requiem at launch, I just this week, nearly two months after release, completed the game. Hey! Video games aren’t my main beat! Apologies! But I thought the game was a lot of fun, well worth the wait, and one aspect of it in particular really kept me invested more than the rest.
In Resident Evil Requiem, which is available on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2, you play as two characters. At some points, you’re Grace Ashcroft, an FBI analyst who finds herself in the middle of some horrific events. At other points, you’re Leon Kennedy, one of the franchise’s most famous zombie killers. When you’re Grace, the game unfolds in the first person to really put the player in the heart of the action. When you’re Leon, it’s old school, third-person Resident Evil, to give you more room to breathe.
Basically, what that means is Grace’s sections are scarier, and Leon’s are more action-packed.
And honestly, it’s kind of perfect. It’s the best of both worlds in terms of Resident Evil. I want to be anxious about what’s around that corner or jump on my couch when a zombie pops out of the window, but I also want to shoot the shit out of some bad guys and watch their heads explode. Both perspectives offer both experiences, but clearly, Grace’s is way scarier, and Leon’s is way more exciting.
But which is better? It’s hard to say. Playing as Grace is when you find yourself face-to-face with the Girl, easily the most terrifying villain in the game, especially because she’s not defeatable early on. So you basically just have to run and hide. Which would be fine if you could run fast, but you can’t, so it’s always incredibly intense with her breathing down your neck. There’s also that constant mystery of, “Okay, when I open this door, if something is in there, I won’t have much time to deal with it.” It’s terrifying but also excellent.
On the other hand, Leon has more weapons and more room to store things, and with that third-person point of view, you have more time to really decide how to decimate the zombies. And Requiem goes hard on that, with a ton of gross, brutal ways to massacre. At times, I found myself using a shotgun to get close-up destruction. Other times, a machine gun was preferred to really spread the chaos. And I’m a sucker for a sniper rifle in any game, so I also enjoyed picking baddies off from afar. None of those are options you have as Grace, who is mostly forced to use a single pistol.
There are aspects of both perspectives I love, but I guess, if I had to pick one, I’d go with Leon, just because of all the various ways you can create carnage. It’s a slim margin, though. And I love that Requiem lets you have your cake and eat it, too. Blood and guts and all.
Did you play Resident Evil Requiem yet? Did you have a preference? Let us know below.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
