Requiem begins with confidence and, for a few hours, suggests a more courageous return to the psychological horror that defined the series. However, as the campaign progresses, signs of an experience that prefers the safety of familiarity over fully embracing the reinvention it seemed to promise emerge.

Two sides of fear
 

The alternation between Grace and Leon is the backbone of the experience. Grace represents the more vulnerable side of survival horror: more cautious movement, limited resources, and a constant sense that any mistake could be costly. Playing with her is when Requiem comes closest to capturing that classic discomfort that defined the franchise.

Leon, on the other hand, brings the familiar confidence that fans know well. His more robust arsenal and mobility push the game towards a more action-oriented territory. Individually, it works — the problem is the balance. After a start focused too much on tension, Requiem gradually tilts the balance towards the more explosive side. It doesn't completely abandon the horror, but the change in tone is noticeable and dilutes part of the identity built in the early hours.

Echoes of what they were
 

If there's one thing Resident Evil Requiem silently gets right, it's in the way it treats its infected not only as obstacles, but as remnants of a lost humanity. The zombies here are not just walking sacks of meat — many carry small visual and behavioral clues of what they were in life.

At more than one point during my campaign, there was that classic hesitation before pulling the trigger: clothes suggesting interrupted routines, less caricatured body animations, and a design that flirts with the tragic rather than the purely grotesque. It's a subtle detail, but it reinforces the psychological discomfort when the game slows down.

This doesn't mean that all encounters are memorable. The variety of enemies fulfills its role well, but occasionally falls into repetition in the second half. Boss fights follow the series tradition — visually striking and mechanically competent — although few remain truly unforgettable after the credits roll.

Raccoon City as a living memory
 

One of the most interesting elements of Requiem is how it uses nostalgia, especially everything involving the imagery of Raccoon City. There's a clear effort to evoke the franchise's historical weight, whether through setting, visual references, or small moments that seem to speak directly to those who have been following the series for decades.

When it works, it's powerful. There's a silent melancholy hovering over part of the journey, as if the game is constantly looking back over its shoulder at its own past. The problem is, at times, this reverence weighs more than it should. Instead of serving only as an emotional foundation, Requiem occasionally seems too dependent on it.

Solid, but conservative gameplay
 

In terms of control, Resident Evil Requiem is competent. The gunplay is responsive, the movement is precise, and resource management remains one of the series' best-worked pillars. During my campaign, progression flowed consistently, with good moments of exploration interspersed with combat that demands real attention from the player.

The puzzles fulfill their role — some interesting, others predictable — and the level design, especially in the early areas, demonstrates care for tension and flow. Still, there is a difficult familiarity to ignore. Requiem executes well what it sets out to do, but rarely surprises mechanically those who have been following the franchise.

For those who enjoy revisiting campaigns, there are good replay incentives, with additional difficulty levels and unlockable extras that extend the lifespan beyond the approximately 15 hours of the initial completion.

An atmosphere that understands silence
 

Technically, the game impresses easily. Dynamic lighting helps build oppressive environments, the level of detail in the scenarios reinforces the sense of imminent danger, and during this playthrough, performance remained stable most of the time.

The soundtrack deserves special mention — not for being overly flashy, but precisely for knowing when to step back. Many of the best moments happen almost in silence, supported by ambient noises, distant footsteps, and that sound tension that Resident Evil historically masters well. Playing with headphones makes a real difference in immersion.