The Resident Evil Showcase came and went, but offered tons of new details for the upcoming Resident Evil Requiem. As announced back at The Game Awards, Leon is back, and he’s got some new tricks up his sleeve, including fresh executions, a Tomahawk (which can be sharpened and parry attacks), and much more.
The Tomahawk is especially useful for denying chainsaw attacks, but can also be used for stealth kills. Leon can also target body parts to stagger and melee zombies, creating some breathing room, or just shove a shotgun in their mouth (much like the handgun execution). If enemies drop weapons, like the chainsaw, he can wield them for a limited number of times.
As for his story, he’s still working for the DSO, but after years of fighting bioterrorist organizations, he’ll be pushed to his limit. This time around, the zombies are interesting because they retain characteristics from when they were alive, like a custodian who still continue to clean. By observing their habits, you can take them down more effectively.
Grace’s gameplay is more methodical, as she sneaks around and has limited ammo. There isn’t much heavy weaponry, but you do have the revolver, the Requiem: A large caliber assault revolver with limited ammo good for getting out of tense situations. Crafting this time around takes cues from Resident Evil 2 but you’ll need infected blood, which means having to get your hands messy. One of the more intriguing new items is the Specialized Injector to prevent corpses from mutating.
Resident Evil Requiem launches on February 27th for Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. While Capcom was previously motivated to return to Raccoon City out of curiosity, producer Masato Kumazawa also noted that fan feedback played part.
“While we received many positive comments from players, we also received feedback expressing a desire to see the continuation of the main storyline of the series, so we considered a narrative centered around the Raccoon City incident.” Of course, fans can expect other notable locations though – the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center, for example, isn’t set in the city.