Usually, Grace serves the bureau from behind a desk. Now she’s in the field, investigating a string of strange deaths on the outskirts of a ruinous Raccoon City some thirty years after the original outbreak. Her duality – both in faculty and ineptitude – isn’t just for thematic character building, but plays out in Requiem’s camera perspectives too. Now, in a series first, you can choose to experience the nightmare through first-person’s psychological compression or pull back into the spatial awareness of third-person. Both are freely switchable, and both feel distinct. Your camera choice will be tactical as well as personal.

Look – if we’re talking duplexity, it’s worth mentioning that Resident Evil, as a series, has followed two distinct throughlines in recent years: the “new”, first-person revivals’ Resident Evil 7 and Village, and the “remakes” beginning with Resident Evil 2 in 2019, through 3. Resident Evil 2 Remake modernize the classic template without leaning on the old fixed-camera, slow-burn presentation. They embrace a more cinematic, over-the-shoulder viewpoint and punchier moment-to-moment pacing, while still staying rooted in the earlier survival-horror fundamentals. In doing so, they form a clear remake “lane” of their own, distinct from the newer entries and their more experimental reinventions.

Resident Evil Requiem is where evolutionary strands converge, paying homage to the series’ legacy while harnessing the immediacy of its modern era. Through its switchable perspectives, and Grace’s own dichotomy, you’re invited to meet Requiem’s terrors at your chosen distance.

And that’s the thing about Requiem’s horror: it isn’t telling you explicitly that the dark is something to fear. It’s questioning your mindset when confronted with it. Its first-person perspective condenses the feeling to suffocation, while third-person recoils slightly from the black, giving the briefest space to breathe. Either way, Grace keeps stepping forward, magnetically drawn; a light in the black, trembling. The only way out for her is further in.

As the short demo continues, it becomes clear that Grace isn’t getting her hands on a firearm yet; the only weapon she wields is light – lamps, switches, and a discarded cigarette lighter (the reason light becomes her arsenal we’ll come back to later). Here, inside the facility is tightly-wound exploration, key puzzles, and scavenger hunts – hallmarks of Resident Evil design – but there’s inspiration from RE Village’s atmospheric milieu and RE2R’s prowling threat too.

Resident Evil Requiem wears its Village inspiration most clearly in how its world feels. The Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center is more than just a functional space; its gloom bears the same weathered density that defined Village. Ornate, Victorian decor; slightly Gothic, and partially damp, its flickering offices reveal their moral rot while the ink-black corridors and work-spaces hide pulverised remains. Both the Center in Requiem and Village’s backwater hamlet harbour macabre history, and you feel it through their noxious atmospheres before you understand it.

And, crucially, the dark atmosphere both games share isn’t passive decoration, but a clear sign that their worlds are predatory. Like RE2 Remake’s RCPD, Requiem weaponises the Care Center’s layout, giving form to a towering, shambling pursuer; the latest entry in Resident Evil’s line of perilous stalkers. Like Mr X, Nemesis, or Village’s Lady Dimitrescu, the wall-climbing thing in Requiem announces itself suddenly, and chases you relentlessly through winding interiors. It routinely disrupts Grace’s rummaging, emerging, unsettlingly, from practically anywhere, smashing holes in the ceiling to boot.

Once the monster has announced itself, sound becomes a dictatorial force – its both bait which alerts your assailant and your tool for distraction and defence in the black. Arguably more ingrained into survival than Leon and Claire’s edges through the Raccoon City PD, where Mr X’s stomps and door slams echo across the cavernous station. Here, in tight, airless corridors, Requiem’s hunter scratches through interstitial space and floor cavities, guiding every inch you claim. Of course, some moments are designed to provoke the beast too; as Grace carefully repositions an obstructing trolley, metal detritus inevitably falls; sharp clangs cut through the heavy silence and the monster’s shamblings close in, creating a constant push-pull between quiet exploration and pragmatic scurrying. There’re similarities to Ethan’s skulks through the Baker House in RE7, but more so Requiem is showcasing confidence in stealth mechanics.

And, as is a staple of the stealth genre, you’ll be able to grab the odd glass bottle to use, most often, as a device for distraction – smashing it into the dark to fool the monstrous being of your whereabouts. Inevitably though, the monster will find you. Despite some scripted moments, the developer claims the monster’s behaviour is reactive; that it’s down to you how successful you are in keeping Grace out of its chomping maw. Watching demo playthroughs, it’s unclear to what degree the monster is supposed to find you, and what is because of Grace being a little too heavy-footed, but when the monster does give chase there’re locations of sanctuary to be found – akin to RE’s save rooms but more narratively fleshed out.

We alluded to it earlier – Grace’s weapon inside the Center isn’t firepower, but light. Once she’s scrambled into an illuminated room, the monster gives up. The fluorescence burns its skin, forcing retreat. Mr X’s refusal to enter any room with a typewriter in RE2R, while coming as a relief, always felt a little strange. Resident Evil Requiem circumvents that immersion breaking oddity, giving tangible reason for the monster’s backtracking rather than it being hard-coded to give you a breather.

From official artwork and gameplay snippets, we know Grace gets a gun in her holster at some point. But, during this early section, she’s vulnerable, underprepared, and borderline helpless, save for the odd lightbulb. Unlike any previous RE protagonist, apart from, perhaps, Sherry’s section in RE2 Remake, Grace personifies Requiem’s horror, revisiting the creeping dread of the series’ earliest entries by moving it away from Village’s FPS leanings.

And so, returning to Resident Evil Requiem’s duality, you might be wondering why we haven’t mentioned the game’s other big deviation. Yes, we all know Leon Kennedy is returning as a playable character, and while it’s a shoo-in your moments in his command will feature explosive gunplay, there hasn’t been enough gameplay shared just yet to show how his portions of the campaign will flow. Chainsaws aside, what do you think Leon’s role will be? There’re theories circulating as to why he’s interested in Grace’s investigation, but with the developer remaining tight-lipped we thought we’d steer clear of speculating for now, leaving that up to you – let us know in the comments what you think Leon’s purpose in Resident Evil Requiem will be.

What we are sure of, according to Requiem’s developer, is that, much like the switchable perspectives, the game’s dual-protagonists will control the horror’s momentum. However, while you’re free to choose your preferred camera angle, switching control between Grace and Leon – clinical vulnerability versus blood-splattering power – means your set for an emotionally turbulent experience. Eeking every ounce of silence, then severing limbs with aplomb, and back again.

Requiem isn’t reinventing the series’ formula, but coalescing Resident Evil’s fear to the rhythm of helplessness and response. If the developer can keep this balance steady, then Requiem may emerge as more than just Resident Evil 9, but where the series finally becomes whole. There’s light in the black, but how’s your fear of the dark?

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

After months of incessant leaks, Resident Evil’s next mainline entry was officially unveiled at the PS5 games showcase, as recent reports had suggested it would. Title Resident Evil 8: Village, it’s out in 2021- and the trailer announcing the game seems to confirm many details that have leaked on the game over the last few months.

As the name suggests, the game is set in a snowy village where the residents seem to be going mad. Ethan Winters of Resident Evil 7 once again plays the primary protagonist, and will be trying his best to survive against the residents of this village and whatever madness they’re inflicted with. We also get a look at some of the enemies we’ll be fighting, including werewolf-like beasts (who’ve also been previously leaked). Meawhile, series mainstay Chris Redfield is also glimpsed in the trailer. Not only does he look appropriately bulky (unlike his RE7 appearance), it also seems he’s returning in some sort of antagonistic capacity- though details are still murky. Take a look at the trailer below.

As mentioned earlier, Resident Evil 8 launches in 2021. A more specific release date hasn’t yet been announced. Stay tuned for more details.