Resident Evil Requiem Review: The Best Resident Evil Game in Years, Even If It Still Trips Over Itself

There is a very specific kind of dread that Resident Evil does better than almost anybody else. Not just jump scares. Not just body horror. Not just some grotesque thing screaming in a hallway you really did not want to go down in the first place. It is that slow, creeping realization that the game is smarter than you, meaner than you, and fully prepared to let you suffer for your own bad decisions.

Resident Evil Requiem understands that better than most recent entries in the series.

This is not a perfect game. It has pacing issues. Some of the boss fights do not hit as hard as they should. A few late-game ideas feel a little too impressed with themselves. But even with those problems, Resident Evil Requiem is the best Resident Evil game in years. It is sharp, confident, and creepy in all the right ways, and most importantly, it actually feels like it remembers what makes this franchise special.

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Resident Evil Requiem finally gets the balance right

One of the smartest things Capcom does here is avoid turning the game into a tug-of-war between horror and action. Resident Evil Requiem splits its focus between Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy, and that structure gives the game room to breathe.

Grace carries a lot of the heavier survival horror energy. Her sections feel more vulnerable, more uncomfortable, and more psychologically tense. Leon, on the other hand, brings that old-school Resident Evil swagger. He is pressure, momentum, competence, and controlled chaos. Instead of forcing both tones to fight for attention in every single scene, Requiem lets each side of the game do what it does best.

That balance matters. A lot. It is what keeps the game from becoming just another horror shooter with nice lighting and a familiar logo on the box.

The atmosphere is filthy in the best way

Resident Evil Requiem looks fantastic, but more importantly, it feels disgusting. Every hallway, lab, ruined corridor, and dimly lit interior has that carefully crafted grime that makes the whole world feel infected long before anything actually grabs you.

The lighting does a ton of work here. The sound design does even more. There are stretches of this game where Capcom is not throwing huge set pieces at you or begging for applause. It is just letting the environment do the talking, and those are some of the strongest moments in the entire experience.

That confidence goes a long way. Requiem does not constantly scream in your face to prove it is scary. It knows tension works better when the game trusts you to sit in it for a minute.

Grace Ashcroft is a huge win

New characters in long-running series can be a gamble. Sometimes they are great. Sometimes they feel like narrative filler standing next to legends. Grace Ashcroft actually earns her place.

She is not trying to out-Leon Leon, which is exactly why she works. Grace gives Requiem a different kind of energy. She brings vulnerability without becoming helpless, and she helps the game lean into fear in a way that feels fresh for the series. Leon still gets his moments, and he should, but Grace is not just there to be “the new one.” She matters.

That is one of the biggest compliments you can pay this game. It is not just living off legacy fumes. It is actually building something.

Combat, puzzles, and survival pressure mostly land

Mechanically, Resident Evil Requiem is strong basically across the board. Movement feels responsive, gunplay has enough weight to feel satisfying, and resources are limited enough to keep tension alive without crossing over into pure annoyance.

The puzzle design is mostly in that sweet spot Resident Evil fans want. You are solving problems, unlocking spaces, backtracking with purpose, and feeling smart right up until the game reminds you that you are trapped inside a nightmare maze designed by absolute sickos.

When it works, it really works. Requiem feels like a game that understands survival horror should make you feel clever and nervous at the same time.

Where Resident Evil Requiem stumbles

Now for the part where we do not pretend this thing is flawless just because Capcom finally got a lot right.

The back half of the game loses a little bit of its discipline. Not enough to ruin the experience, but enough that you can feel it. The pacing gets shakier, the spectacle starts pushing harder, and some of the intimacy that makes the best horror sections sing gets diluted.

That is the recurring issue with Resident Evil Requiem. When it stays focused, it is excellent. When it starts trying to go bigger and louder, it becomes a little less scary and a little more ordinary.

Some boss fights also feel weaker than the rest of the game deserves. They are not awful. None of them made me want to launch my controller through drywall. But for a game this good at building atmosphere and dread, a few of the major encounters land with a shrug instead of a punch.

There are also moments where the puzzle design drifts from clever into self-indulgent. Most of it is great. A couple of it feels like someone in a design meeting confused “obscure” with “smart.” That is a very Resident Evil problem, in fairness, but it is still a problem.

The story works better than it should

The story in Resident Evil Requiem is solid. Not revolutionary. Not some earth-shattering narrative reinvention. But solid in the way this series needs. It has momentum, it gives both leads room to matter, and it does not get so buried in franchise mythology that it forgets to be an actual story.

That said, there are definitely moments where the game feels a little too aware of its own legacy. Every now and then, Requiem glances at the camera just a little too hard, like it knows exactly how much franchise history is standing behind it and wants credit for carrying the weight.

Still, even when it gets self-conscious, it never feels dead. It never feels like an empty committee-built sequel assembled by people terrified of making a choice. Resident Evil Requiem has a point of view, and that matters.

The best Resident Evil game in years

That is really what this comes down to. Resident Evil Requiem is not perfect, but it is alive. It is creepy, confident, and stylish without losing its filth, and smart enough to let horror be horror again.

After a few years of Resident Evil games and remakes that were often polished, often fun, but sometimes a little too safe, Requiem feels like Capcom remembering the full cocktail. Fear. Pulp. Tension. Weirdness. Action. Disgust. Relief. Panic. Repeat.

It does not nail every single part of that mix. The pacing stumbles late. Some encounters could hit harder. A few ideas are a little too pleased with themselves. But even with those flaws, this is the strongest the series has felt in a long time.

Resident Evil Requiem is the best Resident Evil game in years, and for once, that does not feel like empty fan-service hype. It feels earned.

TL;DR (For The Skippers)

Resident Evil Requiem is not flawless, but it is the best Resident Evil game in years. The dual-protagonist structure works, the atmosphere is excellent, Grace Ashcroft is a real win, and the horror-action balance is the strongest the series has managed in a while. It stumbles a bit in the back half, and some boss fights do not fully land, but this is still Capcom at its sharpest.

Score: 8.5/10

Resident Evil Requiem is creepy, confident, and just messy enough to feel dangerous again.

AJ Hanson

AJ Hanson has been part of games media since 2011, writing, streaming, and ranting about the industry long before it was his job. He runs the Galaxy’s Edge Discord, the go-to community for fans of Disney’s Star Wars parks, and works as Marketing Director for the Virtual Cantina Network, helping produce shows, interviews, and fan events. A lifelong Star Wars fan and unapologetic nerd, AJ’s focus has always been on building spaces where people can connect, argue, and celebrate the things they love without all the corporate gloss.