Resident Evil Requiem’s Gamble: Can It Be Both a Shooter and a Survival Horror Game?

The Resident Evil franchise has spent the last decade oscillating between two identities: the claustrophobic dread of Resident Evil 7 and the high-octane action of the Resident Evil 4 remake. With Resident Evil Requiem, arriving February 27, Capcom isn't choosing a side—it’s attempting to fuse them into a single, cohesive package. After a three-hour hands-on preview and new comments from Director Koshi Nakanishi, it is clear that Requiem is the most ambitious structural experiment the series has attempted since Resident Evil 6, but this time, the execution feels far more deliberate.

A Tale of Two Genres

The most striking takeaway from the new gameplay demo is the stark mechanical divide between the two protagonists, Leon S. Kennedy and newcomer Grace Ashcroft. Leon’s sections are a direct evolution of RE4’s DNA. He is faster, heavier, and for the first time, wields a chainsaw—a weapon that has terrorized him for twenty years is now in the player’s hands. The gameplay loop here is about crowd control, parries, and visceral power.

Conversely, Grace Ashcroft’s segments act as a spiritual successor to Resident Evil 7. Grace, the daughter of Outbreak protagonist Alyssa Ashcroft, is an FBI agent who feels disempowered by design. Her sections are set in the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center, a location that demands stealth over firepower. She cannot roundhouse kick her way out of a corner; she must shove enemies and run. The developers have confirmed that while players can toggle between first and third-person perspectives for both characters, the "intended" experience is third-person for Leon’s action and first-person for Grace’s horror. This "best of both worlds" approach is risky, but early impressions suggest the pacing—switching between Leon’s cathartic combat and Grace’s anxiety-inducing puzzles—keeps the experience fresh rather than disjointed.

The Dead Are Talking

Perhaps the most controversial and fascinating reveal is the evolution of the zombies themselves. In Requiem, the undead are not just moaning obstacles; they retain fragments of their former personalities. In the preview, a "lounge singer" zombie hummed a tune before attacking, and another obsessively flicked a light switch. This adds a layer of uncanny "humor" to the horror, a tone Capcom describes as intentional. It’s a bold narrative choice that could either deepen the tragedy of the infection or veer into camp, but it undeniably changes the audio landscape of the game. You aren't just listening for footsteps anymore; you're listening for the mumblings of the damned.

Blood, Crafting, and "The Chunk"

Mechanically, Requiem introduces a "Hemolytic Injector" system. Grace can harvest blood from fallen enemies or environmental pools to craft ammo and vaccines. This adds a risk-reward layer to combat: do you kill a zombie from a distance, or get close enough to harvest its blood? This resource is vital for dealing with "Blister Heads"—this game’s answer to Crimson Heads—which will resurrect if not properly disposed of.

And then there are the Stalkers. The preview introduced "Chunk," a massive, grotesque entity that physically blocks entire hallways with his bulk, forcing players to use the level design’s loops to escape. Unlike the relentless pursuit of Mr. X, Chunk is a spatial puzzle, a terrifying wall of flesh that dictates where you can and cannot go.

The End of the Open World Rumor

Finally, Director Koshi Nakanishi has definitively shut down the "open world" rumors that have plagued the game’s marketing cycle. In a statement to Game Informer, Nakanishi clarified that despite the wider linear areas, Requiem is not an open-world game. This is a relief for purists. The game remains a curated, tight experience focused on level design and pacing rather than aimless wandering.