Last year, I played through the Resident Evil Requiem demo, controlling the terrified Grace Ashford, weaponless and worried that this entry in the horror franchise would prioritize powerless fear over a zombie-killing power fantasy. But recently, I sat down to play the latest preview of the game, finally controlling the series' beloved pretty boy Leon, and within minutes, I was cutting apart zombies with a chainsaw.
"We are so back, baby," I want to say, though there's way too much of the game still to be seen. Yet my short time with Leon (less than an hour of gameplay) left me pumped for his return, including everything that made his Resident Evil 4 appearance so iconic, from the action hero antics to the sassy quips to the humble grid-based item box.
In this preview, the two segments I played with Leon were sandwiched around an extended playthrough with Grace, which suggested how the game will flow, alternating between the two as distinct flavors of gameplay.
2 approaches, both satisfying
Let me put a popular fear to rest: Grace's sections don't resemble infamous segments from Resident Evil games past, where players must control helpless side characters who can only sneak around threats (like the maligned Ashley chapters from Resident Evil 4).
Instead, Resident Evil Requiem seems to be showcasing two iconic gameplay styles of the franchise around each character: Grace's sections resemble the spooky puzzle-laden atmosphere of the original Resident Evil, while Leon's embody the horror action of Resident Evil 4.
Requiem tailors each character's experience to each gameplay style. Grace starts with a limited number of inventory slots requiring players to juggle items, and she has limited ammunition -- sneaking past enemies is a harrowing necessity. She slowly creeps around, solving baroque puzzles and making the most out of a new crafting system that uses zombie blood (yuck) to make ammo and defensive weapons.
After Grace's tense and moody exploration segments, Leon's sections are a cathartic release, letting players cut loose with a lot of ammo and intense enemies, as well as some satisfying executions with Leon's new best friend -- a carbon fiber hand ax.
This split is exemplified by a new feature in Requiem: the ability to switch between first- and third-person cameras on the fly. Capcom employees running my preview suggested I play through Grace's sections in the former to ratchet up the tension, then switch to the latter for Leon's action-oriented sections.
Grace is less tough than Leon, but has her own defensive capabilities. Capcom
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