It’s even more ridiculous when you consider its predecessor hit 1.5 million sales about two months after release (that too after spending nearly two years in early access). Which isn’t to say that Crimson Desert struggled, despite a spectrum of reviews and a “Mixed” rating at launch. It reportedly sold almost two million copies on Steam last month, with Elliott previously alleging that it crossed $200 million revenue across all platforms.

As for Resident Evil Requiem, it reportedly sold 1.2 million copies in March, resulting in $70 million in revenue (with total sales on Steam now seemingly at 2.9 million). Capcom confirmed over two weeks after launch that the survival horror sequel had sold over six million copies, but it wouldn’t be surprising if that total is even higher now.

Nevertheless, with Pragmata out in the coming weeks, the company could be gearing up for another smash hit on Steam. It’s available on April 30th and also coming to Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2, after recently going gold.

Silent Hill Townfall

Silent Hill has made a grand comeback as of late, and Townfall takes the iconic franchise in a more experimental direction – focusing heavily on psychological storytelling and building atmospheric tension. Early teasers suggest a strongly narrative-driven experience that leans into surreal horror and several plot twists, and that will be coupled with thrilling exploration and mind-bending puzzles – and it’s definitely one of the hottest games of the near future.

The PC version of Resident Evil Requiem got some extra love in the update, with it bringing in fixes for crashes and visual glitches that could occur when players were running on a machine with certain GPU driver versions. All versions also got fixes for bugs that could block player progression in certain scenarios.

Resident Evil Requiem was released just last month, and since then, has gone on to see incredible success. Capcom announced earlier this month that it had already sold more than 6 million copies across all platforms. Launch day was also a hit for the PC release, with a peak concurrent player count of over 340,000, shattering the previous record holder, Resident Evil 4 Remake, which saw 168,191 concurrent players on launch.

A sales report from earlier this week, courtesy of Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, has revealed that Resident Evil Requiem has become the best-selling game in the US for 2026. In his report, Piscatella noted that its launch-week dollar sales were 60 percent higher than the previous mainline entry—Resident Evil Village.

Resident Evil Requiem revolves around the stories of two protagonists—Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy. Grace, an FBI agent, is sent to investigate a hotel where a series of gruesome murders happened. She runs into Victor Gideon, however, and gets embroiled in a larger plot involving the legacy of the Umbrella Corporation and its founder. Leon, on the other hand, is suffering from a mysterious infection following 1998’s Raccoon City Incident, and is investigating similar murders for answers.

Gameplay in Resident Evil Requiem revolves around offering two contrasting styles—horror-oriented exploration and puzzle solving for Grace, and fast-paced action for Leon. Players get to play both characters over the course of the story, with appropriate moments giving us the chance to see what the other has been doing. In our review, we gave Resident Evil Requiem a score of 9 out of 10 thanks to its success in blending two distinct styles of gameplay and excellent level design, while criticising some narrative stumbles in its final hours.

As for the future, Capcom has already confirmed that a story expansion in the works, along with a mini-game. While the company didn’t offer too many details, the mini-game is expected to be similar to the franchise’s traditional The Mercenaries mode. “We’re hard at work on it now,” said the company. “It will take some time, so we ask for your patience and hope you’ll look forward to it.”

Rumors, on the other hand, have indicated that the story DLC might revolve around Leon, and might also bring in Ada Wong.

Even more incredible is that its launch-week dollar sales are over 60 percent higher than Resident Evil Village. Unit sales are up by over 40 percent with bundles not included. Once again, it’s not too surprising, especially since it quickly sold over six million units in 18 days compared to Village’s 4.5 million in one month.

Other notable debuts in February include Dragon Quest 7: Reimagined at seventh place, followed by Mario Tennis Fever in 11th place (only accounting for physical sales) and God of War: Sons of Sparta in 14th. Even the Resident Evil Generation Pack, which is sadly unavailable after March 31st, managed to chart at 20th place.

As for Requiem fans, there’s more to come with story DLC confirmed to be in the works. It allegedly focuses on Leon and apparently even features Ada Wong, mysteriously absent during the base game’s events, in some fashion.

What’s interesting is that it isn’t from their sources but instead brought up by @StiviwonderN. They claim that there was a “slight slip up somewhere (I won’t give context)” and it’s an “unintentional leak. But Ada Wong is very likely in Resident Evil Requiem’s DLC.”

“That’s all the context, it’s not my claim. It’s from something that went public a bit accidentally, I think it was an honest mistake, so I don’t want to get anyone in trouble. But yeah, paints Ada being involved in Resident Evil Requiem’s DLC in some way. So to see how that goes ultimately.”

When asked why they couldn’t share more if this information is already public, they responded, “It’s not been noticed, I believe it’s an honest mistake, and it’d get someone fired. I have empathy for people.”

It’s unknown exactly what the context could be, but the fact that it’s considered an “unintentional leak” seemingly indicates that there’s something substantial. Of course, being in the DLC doesn’t mean Wong will have a huge role or anything. For all we know, it could be a support role like Sherry Birkin in the base game or even a brief mention like another iconic character.

Regardless, if true, this should be good news for fans, especially as datamining indicated that Jill Valentine and Wong were apparently supposed to be in Requiem. Considering how iconic the latter’s role is, especially in Leon’s story, her absence is just all the stranger.

Resident Evil Requiem’s DLC is allegedly in late development, so we may see an announcement in the coming months. As always, stay tuned for updates and check out our review here. Since launching on February 27th, it’s sold over six million copies, becoming the fastest in the series to achieve this milestone.

While technically quite impressive, since DLSS 5 is seemingly capable of generating just about every frame for a game on the fly based on the output of the GPU, the aesthetic choices being made by the technology has been the subject of plenty of criticism.

“DLSS 5 takes a game’s color and motion vectors for each frame as input, and uses an AI model to infuse the scene with photoreal lighting and materials that are anchored to source 3D content and consistent from frame to frame,” explained Nvidia as part of its announcement.

“Bridging the divide between rendering and reality, DLSS 5 empowers game developers to deliver a new level of photoreal computer graphics previously only achieved in Hollywood visual effects.”

Among the critics of DLSS 5 has been Noclip’s Danny O’Dwyer, who took to social media platform BlueSky to describe the technology as randomly turning “everyone into yassified, looks-maxed freaks.” One of the key examples used by Nvidia to showcase the feature was Resident Evil Requiem protagonist Grace Ashcroft, whose look has been radically altered to also include a heavy use of make-up, as well as subtle changes to her overall face structure.

RPGSite’s Alex Donaldson similarly criticised the DLSS 5 effect as being “uncanny & weird,” and noted that the technology poses a risk of squeezing out artistic expression during the development process of a game. “I wonder how much devs can get in and tweak the model to their artistic intent,” he wrote.

Game developers also seem to not be happy with the showcase. Respawn Entertainment’s rendering engineer Steve Karolewics noted that DLSS 5 seems to change how the characters from the games look a bit too much.

“DLSS 5 looks like an overbearing contrast, sharpness, and airbrush filter,” he wrote, according to VideoGamesChronicle. “Remarkably different frames with the rationale of photo-real lighting? Nah, I think I’ll stick with the original artistic intent.”

Concept artist Jeff Talbot went as far as to say that, “This is NOT the direction games should be going in. In every shot the art direction was taken away for the senseless addition of ‘details’. Each DLSS 5 shot looked worse and had less character than the original. This is just a garbage AI Filter. Lets not do this s***.”

Interestingly, Bethesda has offered its own statement on the matter, saying that its art teams will be adjusting the lighting and final effect to ensure that Starfield looks good. The company also noted that any changes made by DLSS 5 would be “under our artists’ control, and totally optional for players.”

“Appreciate your excitement and analysis of the new DLSS 5 lighting here,” wrote the company on X. “This is a very early look, and our art teams will be further adjusting the lighting and final effect to look the way we think works best for each game. This will all be under our artists’ control, and totally optional for players.”

DLSS 5 is slated to be available on Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 50-series graphics cards later this year.

That’s even more so on the PC, where the modding community has stepped up as usual, bringing interesting touches to the game’s excellent formula. We’ve been having a blast with some of the best ones available out there, and we thought of giving you some of our recommendations for ones you should definitely check out if you’re looking to make things interesting in your search for Elpis.

Before we dive in, we should tell you that you might need the Fluffy Mod Manager and REFramework up and running, as they are prerequisites for a few of the ones we’re diving into. With that out of the way, it’s time to see what the best Requiem mods are capable of.

Let’s get started!

1. Auto Item Reveal

Whether it’s your first run or your fifth, having your map reveal item locations is bound to come in handy in a game where they play such an important role. This one lets you easily pick up important items as you explore an area, letting your map guide you to them and saving you a bit of time. Of course, items hidden away in drawers are still going to need you to find them the old-fashioned way, but for everything else, this one’s quite nifty.

One of the things we liked about it is that it doesn’t automatically reveal items in areas you haven’t reached yet, but once you do, it springs into action to help you out.

2. More Enemies

While the previous mod is aimed at making your time in the game easier, this one does the opposite by adding more enemies of all types across the board. It’s a work in progress at the moment, with Wrenwood and Rhodes Hill already complete, while Raccoon City is yet to receive a full set of new enemies. Nevertheless, this is a great addition for those of you looking to add a bit of challenge to your playthroughs.

Slap on a higher difficulty option and you’re probably going to find yourself thinking about new ways to get by in the game.

3. Health Bars

If you’re looking to make the game’s UI more intuitive while you take on its enemies, this one adds some useful information like their remaining health, a stun meter, the enemy’s name, and a column to make all of it readable on the fly.

There are a bunch of configurable options for you to use, ensuring that you get all the information you need without it being too obtrusive. That makes this one a very useful addition for those of you who’d like to know exactly how much damage you’re dealing and how many more parries/hits you need to stun an opponent.

4. Handgun Ammo For Requiem

When Leon hands Grace the powerful Requiem firearm, he forgets to give her something really important for its consistent use: ammo. It’s a specialised weapon that we like to think originated from the Kendo brothers and, as such, needs specialized ammo to use. However, if you’re a fan of its raw power and its undeniable wow factor, this mod lets you use handgun ammo with it.

There’s even an optional add-on that improves the weapon’s rate of fire, accuracy, and magazine capacity, which could make Requiem truly live up to its name and blast your enemies into oblivion.

5. Holster Weapons

Tired of having to open up your inventory menu every time you want to holster your weapon? This mod addresses that specific problem, allowing you to holster any firearm you use with ease. It works with both controllers or a keyboard/mouse setup, making it a versatile addition that makes a rather tedious problem go away for those of you who like a bit of style and ease of play.

6. Xenomorph

The world of horror entertainment has no shortage of terrifying creatures that are experts at hunting their prey. And while The Girl was quite terrifying to behold, and even more scary to evade, you might want to introduce one of modern entertainment’s finest hunters to Requiem: the Xenomorph from the Alien franchise.

Well, you’re in luck. Enable this mod, and you’ll find that Grace is going to be stalked by one of the world’s apex predators, making her time at Rhodes Hill even scarier in the process.

7. Dynamic Weapon Profiles

Would you like your weapons to hit harder or faster, or perhaps a combination of both? This one brings a lot of options to the table, with easily selectable profiles for your weapons that you can customize, improving their stats to make things easier. It brings a bevy of options and the ability to quickly switch between any profiles you select quite easily.

What’s more, quick toggle options for Recoil, Accuracy, and Focus can be of great use to those of you who find that your aim is thrown off by the terrifying targets you’re trying to shoot, making your chances of survival improve by a long shot.

8. Weapon Lasers

Remember those handy laser pointers in RE5 that made aiming for enemy weak spots a breeze? This mod recreates them for Requiem, allowing you to better hit enemy weak spots and give yourself an advantage that the zombies must then contend with in the field.

It’s compatible with both Grace and Leon, and works in both first and third-person perspectives. That’s quite a comprehensive addition and a simple change that could make a world of difference to how you approach the game.

9. Easy To Find Mr. Raccoon

If you’re a collectible hunter having trouble finding those adorable Mr. Raccoon bobbleheads strewn about the levels you’re exploring, this mod is for you. It makes them all glow in a color of your choice, making them quite easy to find as they stand out from the game’s generally somber environments.

While it may not be a mod that drastically alters your gameplay, it could save you a lot of time spent searching for the little rascals.

10. Fog In Raccoon City

It’s no secret that we’re fans of what the developers did with Raccoon City in Requiem, its devastation and desolation coming across from the very first time we set eyes on it. But this one took things to a new level entirely, making the city feel like the ghosts of its past were constantly present as we guided Leon through its streets and alleyways.

We found ourselves favoring it so much that we refuse to explore the city’s ruins without it every time we play on PC, and even wish that we could find a way to enable it on the console versions of the game.

11. Mr. X Fedora

If you were like us, you probably want the Tyrant that Leon’s forced to fight in Raccoon City to resemble the one he had to run from back in RE2 a little more closely. This mod is a step in the right direction on that front, adding a fedora to it and making it look that much closer to Mr. X’s imposing presence from Leon’s first day on the job.

For a game that’s quite heavy on the nostalgia factor, this one’s definitely on brand.

12. Chainsaw Massacre

This is a simple one that could make a world of difference to your playthrough. It makes nearly every zombie in the game wield a chainsaw. That’s a change that could make things much easier or harder, depending on how you tackle threats as either Leon or Grace, but it’s definitely an interesting wrinkle to play with for those of you who like to experiment.

13. Quickstep

Looking for an effective dodge mechanic? This mod’s got you covered for both Leon and Grace. It’s tied to your run input and gives you i-frames, and a speed boost when you enable the run action, the duration of which is left to you to configure.

Just be aware that you can only run forward in first-person as the game intends, and use this one as well as you can to fundamentally alter the way you approach direct confrontations with the zombies.

14. Play As Leon Across The Game

This one might not be conducive for those of you playing the story, but if you want to see what it would be like to control Leon across the entire game, you’re in luck.

Of course, you must contend with a few issues, such as Leon being unable to aim his gun after picking up Emily and placing her on the sofa, and a few other problems outlined in the mod’s description, but it’s still a fun addition and something to try out once you roll the credits on Requiem.

15. Movement Speed

We saved the best for last! This one lets you configure movement speeds for every playable character in the game, with separate sliders for walking, running, and crouching movement. It’s quite handy for playthroughs after your first one, and could change the way you play the game depending on how fast you make your characters.

Use this one wisely, as it could trivialize the game if you take too much advantage of it.

And that’s a wrap on the best PC mods for Resident Evil Requiem we tried out. We hope that you have as much fun with them as we did!

Of course, Resident Evil Requiem has other notable achievements, becoming the franchise’s biggest launch on Steam with 344,214 peak concurrent players. That’s more than double that of Resident Evil 4 Remake, the previous record holder at 168,191 players. It also received near-universal acclaim from critics with a 89 Metascore based on 128 reviews. You can check out our thoughts here.

While the journey to launch has certainly been arduous, especially considering Requiem started with online and co-op elements before the team pivoted, it’s far from over. Director Koshi Nakanishi recently confirmed several updates in the works, including a new mini-game and Photo Mode. There will also be story DLC, and though details remain scarce, it’s allegedly focused on Leon and is in late development.

Capcom is also allegedly planning to announce Resident Evil: Code – Veronica Remake later this year, with a potential release in 2027. Stay tuned for more updates on both fronts in the coming months.

Major spoilers follow for the story and pretty much every big reveal you can think of, so if you haven’t played it, this is your only warning—last chance.

Ready? Let’s start with Elpis, which many – including those in-game – assumed to be another bio-weapon, a virus created by Oswell Spencer that could potentially disrupt the world’s military balance. Victor Gideon and Zeno, sent in by The Connections, are desperately searching for it. However, Elpis is actually an anti-viral – a panacea. It effectively renders all viral-based bio-organic weapons useless – and yes, that includes the T-Virus.

Elpis was indeed created by Spencer, one of the founding fathers of Umbrella Corporation. But why? Well, believe it or not, he actually felt significant remorse for his life’s work and its effects on the world, as revealed to none other than Alyssa Ashcroft in a video interview, which presumably occurred a few years before his death.

So what about Grace? Why is she the key to Elpis? Well, here’s the other kicker – she’s not. She’s just, as Spencer himself said, an ordinary girl (though there’s more to it than that, which we’ll get into eventually). He took her in as a baby to make amends for all the horrible things that he was responsible for. Note that he’s still described as being obsessed with human evolution, but after Alyssa asks if there’s anything else, he reveals that he said his piece and that he can only hope it “serves as a requiem for those who have passed.”

Also, as it turns out, there was another laboratory hidden in Raccoon City, beneath its orphanage (yes, the very same that RPD Chief Brian Irons took Sherry Birkin to). Known as ARK, this is where Spencer researched and created Elpis in absolute secrecy from prying eyes.

Thus, the endings of Resident Evil Requiem boil down to two choices – release Elpis or destroy it. If Grace chooses the former, then Zeno will immediately inject it into himself, believing it grants him more power. It doesn’t, of course, and instead cures discount Zeno of his infection, which is also the main source of his super speed and strength. Gideon, previously believed to have been eliminated by Leon during a high-speed chase through the ruins of Raccoon City, suddenly appears and praises Spencer, noting how something like Elpis would indeed disrupt the world’s military balance by plunging it into anarchy.

Zeno isn’t too happy about this, but he doesn’t get much time to argue as Gideon suddenly decapitates him. While moving to seize Elpis for himself, however, Grace has enough time to inject Leon, thus curing and bringing him back into the fight. He proceeds to battle Gideon, who then morphs into a Nemesis-like B.O.W., but our man doesn’t need a railgun to take him down. After dealing enough damage, a few shots with the Requiem (and a stylish twirl to cap it off) are all that’s needed to defeat Gideon.

Unfortunately, ARK is collapsing all around them. It seems that Leon and Grace are done for, and who should show up but the Hound Wolf Squad? Sans Chris Redfield, of course, but he sends his regards.

Following some time after the incident, where Grace has a pleasant phone call with Leon, we see two mysterious operatives telling someone that they’re close to retrieving the objective before the “Wolves” are sent in and that the BSAA have been taken care of. Who were they? Possibly soldiers for The Connections who knew that the Hound Wolf Squad was coming.

Remember James Marcus, one of the other major founders of Umbrella, who conducted heinous experiments on the children of the Wesker Project? He was effectively working with The Connections in secret, and although Spencer effectively cut him down to size (not to mention having him killed), it was too late; they had effectively infiltrated Umbrella. So yes, those rumors about Brandon Bailey (protégé of Dr. James Marcus) forming the group following Marcus’s death and his own termination from Umbrella were just that – rumors. Instead, he would take over as Marcus’s point of contact and help The Connections.

With even less control over his company than many believed, Spencer spent most of his time in ARK, researching and creating Elpis away from their prying eyes. One thing was for sure, though – they wanted it, and after obtaining access, they would do anything to keep it, including bombing a city. That’s right – already confirmed in later titles to have a strong influence over the US government, The Connections were ultimately the reason why it bombed Raccoon City. Rather than containing the outbreak (as evidenced by the zombies that are still alive), it was meant to effectively hide the secret of Elpis from the rest of the world and disrupt relations between Umbrella and the government.

The rest is history, of course, as Spencer and Umbrella were blamed for the outbreak, and the latter dissolved after declaring bankruptcy. You probably recall that Albert Wesker provided evidence in the trials. This was while he was consorting with TRICELL, who were also tied to The Connections.

With no one left to stop them – and no one paying attention to Raccoon City after it became a no man’s land – The Connections used ARK to distribute bioweapons, with crates for Umbrella, Tricell and the HCF (the special unit for Umbrella’s rival company) spotted throughout. A fair bit of research and production also occurred, which explains all the B.O.W.s still wandering around.

The main goal was Elpis, but there was one problem: It required a password to access. Entering the wrong one would result in it being lost forever. After learning of Grace’s existence, they set about trying to find her, believing there’s something special about her that would lead to unlocking Elpis.

But when they couldn’t, they went with apparently the next best strategy: Creating copies of Grace. Emily, who was discovered at the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center, is one such clone who has lost her eyesight. However, it doesn’t seem like the experiment began like this.

When Spencer still regularly visited the Orphanage, clones injected with the T-Virus were apparently created for Umbrella’s own experimentation. Were they used to create Elpis? We don’t precisely know, but it is revealed that the Series 60 Clones went berserk and started killing the researchers. One of the clones, Chloe, would escape and learn about her true origins, but was knocked out and, having shown signs of infection, was designated to die.

Grace is also a clone, but unlike the others, she wasn’t infected. As Oswell explained to Alyssa, she’s perfectly normal and not one of his subjects – Zeno revealed that she was, in fact, normal. After her disappearance, The Connections continued manufacturing copies to reproduce whatever she had that allowed her to unlock Elpis without knowing the truth (and thus creating, as Zeno described, “so many failures”).

What does Leon have to do with all this? Well, he – and Sherry Birkin – are infected with Raccoon City Syndrome. It’s caused by the T-Virus remaining in the individual’s body for an extended period, thus overcoming their antibodies. After hearing about other survivors from the city who died with the same symptoms, Leon conducts his own investigation, which leads him to Gideon, the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center and ultimately, the ARK. When he rendezvous with Grace in the latter and escapes with her, he reveals that his infection is currently at Stage 3 – terminal, with only an hour or two left to live. Nevertheless, he’s pushing through – both because of survivor’s guilt from what happened 30 years ago and for Sherry’s sake.

Of course, following Gideon’s defeat, he brings a vial of Elpis to Sherry and cures her. But that’s not all. Emily, who mutated from her own infection and had to be taken down by Leon, turned out to be alive (after he thankfully missed hitting any of her vitals). After receiving Elpis, she’s also cured, regaining her eyesight and now living with Grace. Unfortunately, this pretty much confirms that The Girl, the massive stalker that pursues Grace, was also a failed clone, and ultimately, couldn’t be saved.

But what if Grace doesn’t release Elpis and chooses to destroy it? Zeno is angered, and as the ARK starts to collapse, Leon attacks him so that Grace can get away. He helps her up to a platform but stays behind, and fights, if you can call it that, against Zeno, who obliterates and eventually kills Leon, though his own fate is left ambiguous. Grace tearfully escapes, and the smoldering crater of Raccoon City is seen from afar. If it weren’t obvious enough, this is the bad ending and is obviously not canon.

Also, you’re probably wondering at this point – who the heck is Zeno? He’s voiced by Craig Burnatowski, who also played Wesker in RE4 Remake but Gideon calls him an “imitation.” While he may also be a product of Project W, potentially a survivor like Albert and Alex, it’s never explicitly confirmed. All we know is that he holds a fairly high position in The Connections, and that’s it. As for Victor Gideon, he’s precisely who he says he is – a former Umbrella researcher, one obsessed with Spencer’s legacy and on uncovering Elpis. Perhaps the only real surprise is that he wasn’t infected in the same way as everyone else. Since his mutations bear a striking resemblance to the Nemesis from Resident Evil 3 Remake, he could have been carrying an NE-α Type parasite.

So with all that – and it’s certainly a lot – out of the way, where could the story possibly go from here? A particularly interesting conversation between Sherry and Leon reveals that there’s some pressure on the BSAA from the Pentagon and that the North American branch has been “moving independently.” This could be linked to the finale of Village, where Chris and the Hound Wolf Squad, operating independently from the BSAA, discovered that the latter sent in B.O.W.s.

While Chris and his team seemingly ventured to the European HQ to obtain some answers, that was about seven years ago. Perhaps the DLC could go back in time to that point and fill us in on what happened from his perspective. It may go a long way to explaining why the BSAA was in Raccoon City, beyond simply that they were looking for Elpis (before running into Zeno and getting absolutely destroyed).

Another possibility – and this seems out there – is that we could have another side story focusing on HUNK. He appears out of nowhere to fight Leon in ARK and goes blow for blow before eventually being taken down (is he really dead though?). What led to his arrival here? Even if he’s working for The Connections, what’s he been up to since escaping Raccoon City? A DLC that offers a singular scenario, ending in a fight with Leon and maybe presenting an alternative ending if he wins, wouldn’t be the weirdest thing, and given HUNK’s popularity, you would think it’s at least up for consideration.

Beyond that, it’s hard to predict where the story of Resident Evil could go from here. But we already have some strong ideas for the DLC and the sequel. The key is that pair of soldiers right at the end, saying they have eliminated the BSAA troops and now need to retrieve their “objective”.

What is that objective, exactly? It could be remaining Elpis stock, formulation notes, or material from a key body like Zeno’s remains or Victor residue. It could even be something that functions as an anti Elpis. The soldiers also refer to the Wolves unit, which is a direct connection to Chris. That opens the door for a DLC story set in Raccoon City, where Chris and potentially Jill team up again to procure or destroy that so called objective.

After all, ever since Resident Evil 7, Chris and his team have been going after the Connections, and with a clone of Wesker involved in Requiem, a Chris versus Zeno showdown is absolutely something worth covering. It will be a callback to his encounter to his showdown with Wesker from Resident Evil 5. What makes this even more interesting is that we do not actually fight Zeno in the game, so maybe that fight is being held back for DLC. There is also the possibility of exploring other parts of the now destroyed Raccoon City in a DLC, like the Clock Tower. And if Mr. X can come back, why not Nemesis?

A repeat encounter between Nemesis and Jill would be pure fan service and it would make perfect sense in a side story. All in all, Requiem is quite clearly setting up a DLC as a side story for Chris, with Jill as a potential partner, and it is also laying the groundwork for Resident Evil 10 as Chris and Jill returning to take down the Connections once and for all. Maybe their operation in the DLC ends in failure, and the Connections manage to recover whatever everyone was after. That would set up a new threat that carries straight into Resident Evil 10 as the main conflict. And sure, it might be leaning a bit too hard into fan service, but Requiem did exactly that, and it worked brilliantly.

It must be noted that Elpis effectively neutralizing all virus-based weapons feels like the developer is wiping the board clean for some fresh possibilities. Of course, not all B.O.W.s are virus-based. If the endings for RE4 Remake and Separate Ways are canon – which you should assume – then there’s Ada Wong out there, somewhere, with an Amber containing a dominant parasite.

While there’s some disappointment over characters like Claire, Jill, and Rebecca not showing up in the base game, it would make sense if the development team wanted to craft other stories taking place before Requiem – or between other instalments, really. That way, they wouldn’t be in the uncomfortable situation of dealing with conflicting lore.

Their various circumstances could also end up influencing Requiem in some way – and since they don’t appear (like Chris), it wouldn’t end up affecting the canon.  That said, there has to be something on Claire and Jill at the very least, if not Ada, especially since they could all potentially have Raccoon City Syndrome.

Of course, some of you may be wondering, “Wait a minute, didn’t Derek C. Simmons suggest Raccoon City’s bombing? And what about the Family?” The answer is: We don’t know. Neither is mentioned throughout Requiem, but it could be because, once again, the developers want to avoid changing the original canon anymore than they already have (especially after the remakes). For all we know, the Family is yet another pawn under The Connections, if not one of their key allies (at least on the surface). There are reports by reputable insiders that the DLC will be focused on Leon alone. However, where exactly this will take place is still unknown.

Leon’s arc is done in Requiem or may be there is some stuff left which will perhaps make his path cross with other characters. Do note that he is married in Requiem but we don’t know with whom. Interestingly, data miners also found assets that indicate Ada and Jill were also in the game at some point but those ideas were scrapped. Anyways, back to the topic at hand

With Resident Evil – Code: Veronica and Resident Evil Zero Remakes allegedly in the works, it wouldn’t be surprising if even more ties to The Connections were laced in. Given that Zero primarily focuses on Marcus – and the Queen Leech impersonating him – it’s certainly possible. However, it’s impossible to tell where the next mainline title could go.

If anything, Grace’s addition to the universe is a master stroke. She could be a protagonist, especially after her experience in Raccoon City, if a more horror-focused Resident Evil is required. And given her analysis abilities and FBI contacts, she’s also equipped to play a support-focused role. Here’s hoping she gets more chances to shine than Sherry did.

For now, we can consider Resident Evil Requiem to have effectively closed the book on Raccoon City. While it’s definitely the start of something new, with the discovery of Elpis doubtless spurring a new global bioweapons race, we got to revisit so many key locations and familiar figures (even if some were trying to kill us).

I could foresee some more stories attached to the current events as story DLCs, but otherwise, it truly is a swansong for Raccoon City. Besides, another revisit to reveal yet another hidden laboratory that we didn’t know about for decades may be overkill at that point.

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.

And while Victor Gideon might have demonstrated that the organization was nothing more than a means to an end in his book, we think that Zeno, the game’s secondary antagonist, deserves a second look. Yes, we know he seems like nothing more than a Wesker wannabe who made some truly baffling decisions that have drawn the ire of many of you, but we do think that his presence in Requiem goes deeper than being an unwilling source of laughs (or derision, depending on where you stand).

There are a number of lingering, unresolved narrative threads that are now going to carry the franchise forward, like Chris Redfield’s mission to uncover the truth behind BOWs being used among the BSAA’s ranks, Blue Umbrella’s true motives, the government’s involvement in the Raccoon City Incident and the subsequent cover-up, and so much more.

We believe Zeno might just be what connects them all, and that perhaps his grisly end at Gideon’s hands is only the beginning of his story.

A Story Left Half-Finished

Beginning with what we know of this mystery man, we’re going to have to concede that he does come off as weird at first glance. He seemed arrogant, brash, and so overly confident in his own abilities that he failed to acknowledge the tenacity of the people he was fighting against. But we think that under the facade of his blind, deluded faith in his own intelligence and power is a flawed man whose antics may not entirely be his fault.

Let’s start with how he handled Grace. He preferred to remain in the background, leaving Gideon to be Leon’s target only until Grace severed ties with the latter. Once he appeared, he was suave and almost impressive, whisking her away to Raccoon City. He knew Leon was in pursuit, but was confident that the dogged DSO agent wasn’t going to be a problem owing to his government connections calling off the investigation into Gideon and Rhodes Hill.

After encountering Leon, whose single-minded determination to uncover the truth about Elpis and Grace’s connection to it brought him to Raccoon City anyway, he was quite dismissive of him, secure in the knowledge that there was an army of operatives between Leon and himself, courtesy of The Connections.
Once Leon got to him, his ruthless nature made itself known (although the video of him slaughtering BSAA agents was quite the tell on that front). But that facet of his personality gave us pause when we realized he might be a Wesker clone after all, more on that in a bit. Knowing how clones were treated, Emily being a good example, we’re arguing that it was a kill-or-be-killed situation that shaped Zeno’s callous nature.

His intention to use Elpis as a tool for mind control, more effective than even the Megamycete from Village, showcased a need to be in control over any given situation, and the subsequent revelation that it was an antiviral showcased an inability to respond effectively enough when things didn’t go his way. The loss of his powers and his own death were because he couldn’t process the truth about Elpis and adapt fast enough before he got skewered by Gideon, after all.

Ultimately, everything that he once believed was his strength turned out to be his biggest weakness, bringing harsh truths for him to confront. That he was unable to do so turned out to be his undoing. That could be seen as a fitting end for a fairly one-dimensional character, and we were inclined to agree until we gave it a little more thought.

We think everything that happened with Zeno in Requiem felt too.. convenient. Why would he take Grace to the RPD to show off a hint of empathy towards the clones? And why oh why would he just talk about how the ARK facility could be accessed through the ruins of the abandoned orphanage? It’s too easy to attribute that to sloppy writing, but we’d like to dig deeper than that.

We did, and that led us down a rabbit hole of questions that we’re now bringing to you. It’s too easy to write him off as a Wesker wannabe. But what if there’s more? What purpose did he serve beyond that?

Nothing But An Imitation?

Our first burning question about Zeno’s characterization is why he was made to look and sound like Wesker. The two men even shared the same voice actor, for crying out loud. Was it just a way to look back at an iconic antagonist, a cheeky way to nod to one of Leon and Chris’s greatest adversaries through the lens of a man who seemed grossly incompetent in comparison?

We don’t think so. For starters, he ties Wesker to The Connections more effectively than any of the other members of Requiem’s cast and beyond ever could. Gideon did say he was “nothing more than an imitation”, but of what? Was he actually a Wesker clone, an attempt by The Connections to bring back a man who was most likely working with them from the very beginning? We never did get to find out who had Wesker’s loyalty, after all.

Wesker aside, he also served as a fine link between The Connections and Elpis. We believe he’s among the most viable catalysts for the stories about Elpis that are yet to come. He’s literally the one who has caused his organization and Elpis to be discovered by the world. He could be the one who leads Chris to more answers about the presence of mind-controlled BOWs in the BSAA, even in death, or perhaps through an earlier meeting before the events of Requiem. Who knows?

We strongly suspect that his intentions for Elpis are a valuable insight into The Connections’ plans for what they believed to be Spencer’s final masterpiece. After all, the bio-terrorism community would be happy to have living weapons that were directly under their control, and who better to supply them than a shady cabal of criminals with a vast network and strong infrastructure?

Gideon’s wish for a chaotic world where bioterrorists were forced to deal with the presence of a viable cure to the T-virus clashed with Zeno’s emphasis on an orderly one, the breakdown of their working relationship showcasing a potential chain of events where things within The Connection’s ranks are not all that they seem. Could we be looking at the rise of more rogue members, with Gideon and Zeno’s ultimately adversarial roles being some clever foreshadowing from the developer?

The fact that the BSAA, DSO, and other agencies are now aware of their role in Raccoon City’s destruction is bound to put a strain on potentially tenacious alliances, after all. But these are all questions that focus on the bigger picture, and could take years and perhaps multiple new games to answer.

It’s time to think about what role Zeno himself could play in those games. We keep wondering if what we witnessed in Requiem was truly the end of his character arc, and Gideon’s assertion that he was an imitation is what we keep coming back to.

Could We See Zeno Again?

Perhaps not the one we know. But he was “just an imitation”, right? A clone, presumably of Wesker, who we now have good reason to believe was working with The Connections from the very beginning. We couldn’t help but ask: what if there were more clones? What if a more powerful version of Zeno exists, or is perhaps going to be brought to life by The Connections, the Mold being used to restore his memories at least partially?

We’re considering the possibility that Zeno was actually the main antagonist of Requiem all along, and that we, as players, just don’t know it yet. Was his disastrous handling of the entire situation with Grace and Leon just a red herring that leads to a more sinister, calculating version of the character later down the line?

It’s really hard to believe that Resident Evil would introduce a character so obviously connected to an iconic presence in its best games only to take him off the board as easily as it did. If Zeno were to return, would he be the rallying point for The Connections, his powers making him a threat formidable enough to give even Leon and Chris a reason to stop and reassess their options?

He hasn’t demonstrated an aptitude for tactics and strategic thinking so far, but his physical prowess was more than a threat until he used Elpis on himself. Do The Connections have the means to craft more intelligent clones? Was the version of Zeno we’ve seen a crappy first draft of a villain whose self-actualization is only beginning?

You’ve probably noticed that there have been a lot of questions on this one. But that was the point of it all, considering we’re discussing a character who has failed to make a good first impression. It’s given us the feeling that the joke’s on us, and that would be a prank we’re more than willing to be the victims of. We have that sneaking suspicion that we haven’t seen the last of Zeno. But are we happy about that?

That’s quite a challenging question to answer, even among all the hard ones we’ve been asking, and the jury’s still out on that one. Bringing him back to life in a franchise where anything is possible wouldn’t be too difficult, but he’s got to come back stronger, faster, and definitely more intelligent than his first outing.

After all, nothing motivates our cast of capable heroes more than a menacing antagonist, and this is a man who could be the franchise’s best one yet, topping even Gideon if he manages to do a better job of being the bad guy the next time around. Of course, all of this is speculation at this point, and there’s probably going to be a whole lot of that as we begin the long wait for the next big addition to Resident Evil.

But it might just be worth it if there’s a better version of this rather unsavory character waiting for us at the end of it.

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.