MeinMMO editor Nikolas Hernes was able to spend 3 hours playing Resident Evil Requiem and is thrilled. It was precisely the zombies that positively surprised him.
Since the announcement, I have been eagerly waiting for Resident Evil Requiem. When Capcom then gave me the chance to play 3 hours of the game in advance, the reaction was clear: definitely!
In the demo, I was able to play a larger section with the new character Grace Ashcroft and 2 short segments with fan-favorite Leon Kennedy, who hasn’t appeared in a main installment since part 6 in 2012.
Preliminary, I can say: The 3 hours were quite good, even though both characters play differently. Grace plays most similarly to Ethan in Resident Evil 7, and Leon is just Leon – the action hero from part 4.
Both together may sound contradictory at first, but it worked really well for me. The big surprise for me were the zombies. The walking corpses were as creepy as they haven’t been in a long time.
Zombies are old hat, right?
The 3-hour session seamlessly connected to the gamescom demo. I started with Leon, who arrived at a clinic due to an investigation. After a short chat with a nurse, it goes straight into the action.
Classic zombies (one with a chainsaw) go after Leon, and in a smaller room, you have to defend yourself with your pistol. That felt fundamentally quite good, similar to the remake of Resident Evil 4.
You can stun enemies, kick them away, or even perform finishers. But when I kicked the chainsaw zombie to the ground, I wanted to approach him, but suddenly he crawls towards me with the weapon and injures me. A behavior I could not predict because I felt safe – he was lying on the ground.
After I had dealt with all the zombies, I played as Grace. In the game, you should be able to freely decide between the perspectives. I left the settings as they were, which is why Leon was played from the 3rd person and Grace from the first person.
The part with Grace was significantly less action-packed. Due to a lack of firepower, I had to proceed more carefully: sneaking, tricking, and sometimes running away. Here, I felt it even more with the zombies: I was afraid because they were as unpredictable as never before.
Simple zombies are scary again – even in gameplay
In 2026, one could argue that you know every kind of zombie, especially as a Resident Evil fan: there are fast, slow, giant, or absurdly mutated. Since part 1, Resident Evil has often been compared to puzzle games. It’s not just about shooting; it’s about planning:
How do I manage the room with my resources?
Which zombies should I kill?
Which one should I avoid?
The best games in the series build their levels completely on this system. The art lies in the placement of the enemies and the design of the room. I noticed these elements in this play session as well. But Requiem takes it a step further.
When I enter a room, I look at the zombies, and even in combat, I anticipate who is a real danger and how I need to move. I tried to do this here too, but the zombies were different: They stood out, even though they were just standard zombies.
Some zombies wield a weapon that they whirl around wildly, while others crawl up to you. Different sounds add to this: sometimes a moan, sometimes a scratching, sometimes a shriek. When I heard a zombie from afar, I sometimes got goosebumps and hesitated to move forward.
Pressure builds within me and I have to quickly decide what to do with each zombie. There were moments when I was really scared because a zombie suddenly followed me and completely disrupted my planning.
I had to rethink, learn what the zombie does differently, and which route I could safely retrace later. This was incredibly fun for me because it never became frustrating. There were no insta-deaths; I just had to think quickly. I had to make decisions because my own expectations (and also arrogance) led me to mistakes.
The zombies managed to be not only visually scary but also created strong horror moments in gameplay.
More decisions regarding resources
In the session, there was a new resource: blood. With it, you could craft different things. This included ammunition or a syringe with which I can kill zombies unnoticed. This also reinforced the feeling that I need to plan differently.
Stealth kills are safer when I catch one, but what if I am suddenly surprised and have no ammunition left? Especially as Grace, every resource is valuable; these are incredibly fun moments for me.
I am already looking forward to playing the game more often at release to see how good different approaches are.
Resident Evil Requiem might not work for everyone
During the play session, I quite liked the mix of Leon and Grace. Grace was real horror with a creepy atmosphere, and Leon broke that up nicely with his action sequences. I also found the balance quite good. Since the section with Grace was longer, the mood could build up well.
Based on the session, I also think that Grace will be played more often in the game. Those who are fans of the entire series will likely feel comfortable with both characters.
However, those who expect only Resident Evil 7 or Resident Evil 4 might be disappointed.
I, who love the series above all else, am sure: This could be my game of the year if the strengths from the play session are found everywhere. I’m also looking forward to another Capcom game: A new sci-fi shooter for the PS5 could be really good, even if a mechanic will split players
