The tension, suspense, and atmosphere in Resident Evil Requiem are almost unbelievably palpable, and after seeing a behind-closed-doors preview of the game, it looks to be a gripping and terrifying adventure that embraces some of the series’ core elements of survival horror.
Channeling the series’ penchant for edge-of-your-seat fear, unpredictable horror, and deep immersion, Resident Evil Requiem (or Resi 9 for brevity) is poised to offer something that’s compelling, exciting, and full of adrenaline.
While the demo I was shown was a mere glimpse of what the game has to offer, the playable protagonist Grace Ashcroft’s time in a spooky abandoned hotel setting and encounters with some of the grisliest Resident Evil monsters to date have got its hooks in me, and I’m not even a huge horror fan. Plus, the demo also threw up one big gameplay-shaped surprise.
Survival at its core
What’s very quickly obvious from my preview is that there’s a big shift back to the series’ survival roots, especially after the action-fueled cocktail of Resident Evil Village and the Resident Evil 4 remake.
Our demo takes place entirely in an abandoned hotel environment. After waking up upside down and strapped to a hospital bed with her blood being drained by the looks of it, we step into the shoes of Requiem’s protagonist, Grace Ashcroft.
Not proficient in combat, and certainly not flush with tools, making the most of the environment is key. As a result, there’s a focus on the investigation of rooms and locations to find items that help Grace navigate the dark, tight corridors. This includes some classic scenarios, such as finding a door that needs power, and having to scope around for a tool that can then get you into a fuse box to send power to the door.
You’ll also get to investigate extra context and clues, pick up throwables for distracting enemies, as well as practical items like lighters to help you shine a bit of a light in the darkness.
While none of these are outrageously innovative, it ties into a sense that there’s a big onus on escape, evasion, and survival rather than trying to attack enemies to deal with them or even delay them; I didn’t see one offensive weapon in the preview. It felt quite similar to the earlier hours of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, in which protagonist Ethan had to rely on quick wits to survive the horrors of the Baker homestead.
A grim setting and truly grisly monster
An offensive weapon would definitely have been welcome when we were treated to a sight of the monster that stalked Grace throughout the demo.
It’s one of the creepiest monsters I’ve ever seen in any horror game, and in this part-hotel part-abandoned hospital setting, its grotesque matron-cross-nurse appearance was in keeping with the environment as it crawled through windows and holes in the wall.
Reinforcing this emphasis on survival, without an offensive weapon, Grace instead focuses on hiding or fleeing danger. However, the reality of it is that she has to heal while on the run, having taken a hit from the chasing enemy. There’s genuine panic in Grace, and fear is created for the player in these moments as you scramble to find a safe place and escape a threat you have no means to counter.
The hotel’s design promotes the sense of nerves and fear too, with a particular mastery in the use of shadow and illumination to up the ante on environmental tension, while giving enough to drive on progression for the player.
Out of said darkness, I did witness a couple of jump scares, but they felt incredibly at home for a Resident Evil game - akin to those in the Baker house in Resident Evil 7, perhaps - and never felt cheap. If you’re after the tension that there could be a jump scare around every corner or when opening any door, then it looks like you’ll be well served by Resident Evil Requiem.
Fear never looked so good
Captured all on a PlayStation 5 Pro, Capcom’s technical brilliance - naturally - shines through, too, and everything in the hotel looks fantastic. Strands of hair look extremely natural, blood believably drips off of surfaces and from the monster’s teeth, and the lighting on show is downright excellent. RE Engine is once again showing it’s one of the most impressive in the business.
Complementing that was a delightfully limited approach to audio, too. With an almost total absence of musical score, the mix of silence and Grace’s movements, mixed only with environmental noises - and that of the creepy monster - only served to ramp up the tension deliciously.
The movement of Grace is also on point, with walking in first person feeling heavy and each step bobbing the camera up and down believably, transporting you directly into Grace’s perspective, immersing yourself in her experience.
Of course, there are plenty of questions still to be answered. Without seeing this gameplay snippet in wider context, there’s even more to be explained - when does this take place? How big is this hotel as part of the game - is it the entire setting? Probably not, judging by the reveal trailer’s teasing of a return to Raccoon City. Could it be that the nuke dropped in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis only served to make the problem worse?
Only time will tell as Capcom hopefully shares more details in the run-up to the game’s release on February 27, 2026, for Xbox Series X and Series S, PlayStation 5, and PC.
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