Note: the screenshots are taken from a version currently in development.
Léon, the dose of adrenaline
During this session, we were able to get a good overview of the dynamic between Léon and Grace, an idea which brings a certain freshness to the license while respecting its heritage, but which deserves to be well exploited to surprise us over time. After experiencing Grace’s distress when she wakes up at the Remwood Hotel, emphasizing claustrophobia and psychological horror, we began this session playing as Leon (obviously just after this introduction). And what an introduction! Visiting the establishment for the DSO, our fifty-year-old remains as lively and impactful as ever.
Quickly overwhelmed by an army of zombies, we then discover the dose of action that was missing during the first approach. Léon thus fits into a more offensive register, in a style close to Resident Evil 4 Remake. He can parry with a hatchet, perform more brutal melee actions and even pick up weapons dropped by enemies to use against them, like the chainsaw you saw in the last showcase. Controller in hand, the sensations are quite exhilarating, but despite this mastery of the fight, the title retains a certain pressure due to the overwhelm of enemies who can quickly overwhelm us, especially since the environments still leave little space to move.
Before returning to Léon, we attended his meeting with Grace, who took over the tour of the building. Thanks to this, we have a clearer vision of his style in this adventure. Grace’s sequences emphasize management and improvisation. Being new to this threat, she does not have the same experience as Léon. It is thus encouraged to dodge enemies, including when confrontation is inevitable. Permanently killing a zombie by putting bullets into its head is not profitable unless you really have no choice. When an enemy staggers, she can perform a contextual action to push them back, where Leon can finish them off with a well-placed melee attack.
However, it has a unique advantage: the possibility of crafting different objects by collecting blood from enemies. This allows for permanent health buffs, bullets for the magazine, and even an injector that can discreetly kill an infected. All this suggests that she will not be as vulnerable afterwards. However, you will have to go to very specific places to use this blood and manufacture what you need. Thus, the pressure and fear remain constant at his side, especially in the phases of flight or infiltration that pass by a hair’s breadth. We hope, however, that blood collection will not become too invasive in the exploration, to the point of multiplying the back and forth already necessary for the puzzles. It will all be a question of balance.
More “human” zombies
One of the good ideas of this opus is the presence of zombies which are not totally mechanical, some retaining reflexes or habits from their past life (such as repeating a work gesture), which encourages observation to get around them or better choose the timing of approach. As was announced a long time ago, Resident Evil Requiem gives you the choice between a first or third person view. Despite this freedom offered, we feel that Capcom designed the game to get the best of both worlds. The FPS view is thus more logical for Grace, in order to best feel her fear and be in the front row, while the third-person view is almost an imperative with Léon, if only for the essential visibility during particularly tense fights.
This duo is not only there for form or to serve the narrative, it is an integral part of the game design. Indeed, after exploring the place with Grace, we regain control of Léon. While our hero can’t draw blood or craft elaborate gadgets, he has a far deadlier arsenal and can even open doors Grace can’t reach. But most importantly, Grace’s actions have a direct impact on the exploration with Leon. It is impossible to switch from one to the other whenever you want, and actions performed with one have consequences on the experience of the other.
For example, if Grace eliminates zombies, there are fewer enemies for Léon, which facilitates his progress. The opposite is more difficult to imagine, Léon having a much greater strike force, which would transform the phases with Grace into a walk in the park. Léon is nevertheless entitled to his share of particularly numerous enemies during ambushes, enough to provide the dose of horrific adrenaline that we expected. Calmness and precision are essential during these phases where you have to take advantage of the hatchet to finish off the zombies while conserving your bullets in order to slow down their progress and make them stagger. Capcom has also added an additional source of stress directly inspired by Monster Huntersince the hatchet must be sharpened regularly to maintain its effectiveness.
The demo ended in style with a very intense boss fight against an obese zombie with an insatiable appetite. Capcom once again deploys all its know-how in terms of level design, with a playing field dotted with corridors where the enemy can charge us, but also passages allowing you to slow down your running, without forgetting a certain verticality. This more in-depth exploration of the hotel also confirmed our very good impressions of the latest version of the RE Engine, which offers a particularly flattering rendering, both in terms of textures, atmospheres and blood spurts. Also note that we were able to play with the French voices and that they maintain a quality similar to the previous titles.
After nearly three hours spent on Resident Evil Requiemthe title suggests a proposal that is as ambitious as it is promising. The alternation between Léon and Grace is not limited to a simple change of character, it deeply structures the experience, both in terms of gameplay, rhythm and sensations. On the one hand, Léon’s brutal and controlled efficiency provides that adrenaline rush that action fans expect, while Grace embodies a more vulnerable horror, made of constant tension, infiltration and improvisation. It now remains to be seen whether this formula will be able to renew itself over time without breaking the pace or making exploration heavier, particularly in terms of the collection and crafting mechanics specific to Grace. By playing on the complementarity of its protagonists and further refining its survival-horror mechanics, this new opus seems determined to offer an experience that is as intense as it is memorable.