With about two weeks to go before launch, the developer sadly didn’t drop a demo for Resident Evil Requiem. Unfortunately, this falls in line with what it said months ago – that it’s focused on finishing the game – but good news: A new trailer is available, and there is so much to unpack that it’s kind of ridiculous.
Leon removes his glove to reveal black bruises, signs of an infection. A Crimson Zombie-looking infected with a Licker head that suddenly charges and takes more than a pump-action shotgun blast to fall. That’s probably why Grace has to make those specialized injectors that cause their heads to explode. It’s a worthwhile alternative to the Requiem while allowing for stealth takedowns (blood explosions notwithstanding).
Continuing, we see survivors on that rainy street attacked by zombies, as Leon intervenes to axe them a question. Grace looks determined, a welcome change from her previously frightened demeanor. Leon throws a fire axe at an enemy with picture-perfect precision (seriously, does the DOS have a course on axes?). He also returns to the Raccoon Police Department HQ for the first time in decades – truly a full circle moment, even if the building has seen much better days. Not many, but still. Funnily enough, as Leon races through the same road he took to enter Raccoon City during its outbreak, you can see the same gas station, including the remains of his truck, still there, after all this time.
The list goes on, but there are enough revelations here to make a third entry in that subseries. First of all, the trailer confirms what we suspected from before – that Leon is infected. Upon removing his glove in one scene, we see the black bruises that seemingly result from Elpis. Another scene, albeit from the back, also confirms the return of Sherry Birkin. Guiding Leon by earpiece, she’s essentially filling the same role as Ingrid Hunnigan. However, you can see a glove on her hand as well, with many believing that she’s infected with the same disease.
But it may not necessarily be that simple. Sherry discovers a document that outlines Latent Onset T-Virus Syndrome, aka Raccoon City Syndrome. Described as the result of residual t-Virus mutating in the body over a “prolonged period of time,” it’s apparently what’s been plaguing those victims that the FBI was investigating. The only connection is that they were all survivors from Raccoon City, and there’s no effective treatment. Stage 1 is when the black bruises appear, and based on Sherry telling Leon that they’re running out of time, he may already be at Stage 2, which is where the affected areas become numb. Even worse is that the black marks will affect internal organs.
Stage 3? Terminal, with victims dying in one to two hours, and presumably turning into the current crop of zombies.
Of course, there’s also Emily. She’s small and frail with lightly colored hair, found within the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center, which Victor Gideon has commandeered. She appears to be blind, or at least visually impaired to a heavy degree. There’s clearly some connection to the giant stalker-like monster that pursues Grace throughout early portions of the game (right down to the gown). Perhaps more important is how much she resembles Grace, almost looking like a mini version.
This could provide some much-needed context on her origins. Perhaps she was the only successful experiment, and that’s why she’s so important to Gideon. Maybe Emily is one of the research subjects. Many already assume that the monster is Alyssa, Grace’s mother, mutated by whatever Gideon has cooked up as part of his twisted experiments, but that’s a long-running theory. What I’m more intrigued by is the fact that despite Leon blowing upon the creature’s head with multiple shots from the Requiem, it returns later and begins pursuing Grace again.
How can you tell? During her initial cat-and-mouse games against it, Grace didn’t have the massive revolver in her possession – Leon hands it off after saving her. Cut to the scene in the trailer, and she does, using it to unload on the monster. Of course, we saw Gideon skulking in the shadows, observing its body, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he did something to bring it back to life. Based on the last trailer and the bloated monstrosity barrelling down hallways, breaking through frames, we’re only scratching the surface of the horrors that lie in wait.
Which brings us to Gideon. He’s been portrayed as the man behind the mysterious deaths, and we know – at least, based on the official website – that he was a former Umbrella Corporation researcher specialising in the t-Virus. However, in the latest trailer, Gideon confirms that he has a master who was responsible for making Grace this way. And while that once again begs the question, as to whether she’s the successful product of whatever experiments had been going on, you also really have to ask: Is Albert Wesker back and behind Gideon plans? Perhaps even Oswell Spencer? Would it be all that far-fetched if it were a descendant of Spencer?
That bit about Gideon previously working for Umbrella Corporation had me thinking about his potential identity, though. After all, think really hard about people from the company, that too, researchers, who have died over the years. Who could be left? Perhaps the real question is who has ties to Grace or, for that matter, Alyssa Ashcroft. One name surprisingly came up amid all this – Greg Mueller.
Those who played Resident Evil Outbreak will remember him as a major antagonist, one with command over a unique Tyrant known as Thanatos, who obeyed his orders. Mueller was not only responsible for manipulating Yoko Suzuki’s memories but also for creating a vaccine against a specific t-Virus strain called Daylight, which proved effective. Following a run-in with the other survivors, including Alyssa, they would go on to create multiple samples. He would end up shot in the head, though, and left for dead after Raccoon University was destroyed. Surely he couldn’t be alive, right?
Funny thing, that. Peter Jenkins, who worked with Mueller before the latter killed him, said that Daylight was more like an “inhibitor” or a “suppressant.” Doesn’t that sound somewhat similar to Raccoon City Syndrome, where the t-Virus is suppressed – not completely, but enough to ensure there’s no transformation – over a long time as it builds immunity?
How likely is it that Mueller was infected with the virus by this “master” of his, bringing him back to life? Thanks to Daylight, he’s probably managed to suppress the side effects while living long enough under the radar to incorporate the vaccine into an incurable strain, which could be Elpis. It would explain why there’s no information on it in the CIA or Pentagon’s databases, according to Sherry.
Of course, there’s also the metal-plated device on Gideon’s face. It’s almost like he’s trying to protect an old head wound. It also has multiple lenses – a perfect replacement if he happened to wear glasses before. You know, like Mueller.
If that wasn’t enough evidence, check out one of the monsters that Leon destroys with a rifle. You can see an orange-glowing weakspot on the right side of its body. However, closer observation shows that it’s actually a heart, similar to Thanatos, with more clearly defined arteries (as opposed to the classic Tyrant T-002, where the heart seemed more merged with the body). It’s clearly undergone some massive changes, but the roots of what may have been Thanatos, if not a variant, are still visible.
Finally, what was the name of the t-Virus strain that infected Raccoon City, and seemingly resulted in Raccoon City Syndrome? Epsilon. And the new virus? Elpis. Call it a wild theory, but there’s clearly some connection between the two, and Grace is the key. Either way, the stakes are higher than ever before. If Leon is suffering from Raccoon City Syndrome, what about other survivors, including Ada Wong, Jill Valentine and Claire Redfield? What about Sherry? Is the original Outbreak still alive?
If Elpis is an evolved form of the Epsilon strain, how is Grace the key to it, including potentially saving the world? With Resident Evil Requiem out in just two simple weeks, it’s not too long now before we finally learn the truth, and maybe, at long last, bring peace to Raccoon City’s departed.
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