Resident Evil Requiem feels very familiar, but it’s so well made that I respect the hell out of it

For nearly 30 years, developer Capcom has been redefining its particular brand of survival horror for the Resident Evil series. Despite its tone shifting between action-horror games and more pure horror entries, where players face down grotesque moments with scant resources, the series still manages to place players in tense encounters that define the series’ against-all-odds approach to horror. And with the upcoming Resident Evil Requiem — or RE9 — appears to continue the series’ current momentum in delivering compelling horror experiences.

Just ahead of Gamescom 2025, I got to experience the opening of Resident Evil Requiem, focusing on new protagonist Grace Ashcroft (daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft from Resident Evil Outbreak) and her desperate attempt at fleeing a horrifying clinic within a strange mansion. Capcom’s return to traditional survival horror was one of the best games showcased at Summer Game Fest 2025, and spending more time with it recently made me appreciate the series’ renewed vision — even if it’s a bit familiar.

Much like recent core entries in the Resident Evil series — VII and Village — Resident Evil Requiem places a keen focus on immersion, truly capturing that sense of dread as you walk down the halls of an unnerving facility. The larger story of Requiem seems to be pointing towards a homecoming of sorts for the series’ most pivotal event — the destruction of Raccoon City in Resident Evil 2 and 3. While Requiem‘s story will expand into a more ambitious scope, the demo I played focused on Grace’s harrowing attempt to escape her abductors.

In this sequence, Grace frees herself from an inverted hospital gurney and finds herself trapped in a ruined clinic filled with the bodies of dead doctors. In keeping with the brand of horror from the Resident Evil 2 remake and Resident Evil Village, I was being stalked by an imposing, grotesque monster hiding in the ceilings. Without weapons and with only empty bottles for distractions and sources of light to keep the beast at bay, the sequence felt very much like a stealth puzzle sequence, where I had to examine the movements of the beast and figure out a way to maneuver around it.

I had previously seen this particular sequence during Summer Game Fest 2025. While I was impressed with its presentation — which features some of the most impressive lighting and character rendering I’ve seen from Capcom’s RE Engine — I found the premise and scenario to be somewhat too familiar than I would have liked. Since Resident Evil VII, the series has leaned heavily into putting players in the series’ most vulnerable moments, which often entail being stalked by imposing foes without any means to defend oneself.

That sense of vulnerability can often feel played out, especially within the current horror game space, where running away from things is its sub-genre. However, getting to play Resident Evil Requiem properly made me appreciate Capcom’s attempt to maintain the momentum from Resident Evil VII. And a lot of that had to do with the fact that Requiem now stars a more fully defined protagonist. Ethan Winters from VII and Village was a faceless protagonist with somewhat generic motivations, but he gradually became more well-rounded by the end of his story in Village. Now, with Grace, we’re thrust into an unfamiliar situation, as she’s more of an active participant in the story — talking to herself throughout the demo — and I felt a stronger connection to her sense of vulnerability as a protagonist.

One of my favorite moments from the preview came shortly after I encountered the monster for the first time. After evading it, I went to the clinic’s waystation to find a tool to open a fuse box. As I was wheeling a cart over to an elevated toolbox, the creature came into the room. As I tried hiding behind the cart, the monster spotted me and smashed the cart into me, which sent Grace hurling back to the wall. The beast then grabbed Grace and took a giant bite out of her shoulder. I used up my only health item and fled the room, returning to the well-lit safe that started the preview. Once the monster was gone, I snuck back into the waystation to retrieve the item — but more carefully this time around. It was a scary moment, but still totally exciting, and it had me on edge for the rest of the preview.

Much like Resident Evil VII and Village, Requiem is by default a first-person game, which certainly creates a palpable sense of dread and uneasiness when exploring with a limited perspective. However, Requiem also adds the option to switch to third-person, which was introduced post-launch for Resident Evil Village and its DLC, Shadows of Rose. Having played the demo from both perspectives, I was impressed with how well the presentation feels tuned for both styles. The third-person perspective captures that sense of dread and adds in the expanded visibility, which gave me a clear and distressing view of the monster stalking me from behind as I ran towards the safe room.

In the final stretch of my preview, I had all the tools I needed to make my exit. However, the storm outside the building blew out the lights in the area, allowing the monster to give chase. This sprint to the finish was tense and riveting. Even having seen the demo hands-off months prior, playing the sequence on my own made for a captivating experience. Once Grace made her exit, she had one last confrontation with the monster before the demo came to an abrupt end.

So far, Resident Evil Requiem feels like a souped-up version of the immersive survival horror found in recent entries of the series — and it does very well based on this preview. I appreciated just how atmospheric this one, fairly limited, area of the preview was — seeing the long stretch of the hallway, with only my lighter and a dim red light illuminating in the distance, made for a striking visual — especially with the silhouette of the monster looming in the distance.

That said, as well made as these sequences were, I’m already looking forward to seeing what sort of other tricks and events Requiem has in store. While I was a bit mixed on Village‘s Resident Evil amusement park-style structure, I’m hoping Requiem will still take some big swings with its new twist on the series’ survival horror. I have plenty of questions about Resident Evil Requiem, but I’m intrigued about what’s to come for this series’ next big move ahead.

Resident Evil Requiem will be released on February 27, 2026 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S.