Resident Evil Requiem Can't Afford To Make The Same Mistake Its Predecessors Did

Resident Evil Requiem will finally be with us next year, and what we’ve seen so far is very promising.

After playing the demo at Gamescom and reading our very own preview piece I couldn’t be more excited and there’s so much I want to talk about regarding Capcom’s next survival horror.

While I’d love to go on and on about expressive third-person movements I saw during my own gameplay and theorise on when Leon will swoop in to save the day, there’s one aspect of the game I’m particularly fond of, if it holds true until the end credits.

Resident Evil: Requiem introduces a new protagonist, Grace Ashcroft, daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft who survived the events of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3. While we don’t know the ins and outs of the story just yet it’s presumed that something tragic will happen to Grace’s mother that’ll serve as her motivation to undergo her own investigation, and the horrific events that’ll follow.

My Gamescom demo started off with Grace tied up, drugged up, and somewhere she’d never been before. While she does manage to compose herself well enough to break free she’s rightfully terrified. When she does break her bonds she freezes like a deer in headlights and listens out for anyone coming to recapture her.

If you’re playing in third-person mode when the monster that stalks the halls starts chasing her she’ll trip and stumble her way down the corridor, and I’m hoping she has a similar reaction to every new monstrosity she comes across throughout the game.

Capcom

So far she feels like everything Ethan Winters wasn’t. That’s not to say I dislike Ethan, I liked him in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and I loved him in Resident Evil: Village, but his debut could have been a lot better.

After being attacked by his possessed girlfriend Mia and captured by the Bakers he’s understandably shaken, yet not as much as you’d expect for someone who’d had his hand sliced off. When contacted by Zoe Baker over the phone he demands to know what’s happening but is still trusting of an unembodied voice directing him through a murder mansion.

It only takes a few hours before he’s blasting and wise-cracking like Leon in Resident Evil 4 (2005), and while I’ve always loved the humour of Resident Evil games it doesn’t quite feel warranted in Ethan’s scenario, after all he’s just an average man flung into a living hell. In Resident Evil: Village his one-liners and cocky attitude are more understandable as it isn’t his first rodeo, and unlike the first time he’s had training under Chris Redfield and co.

I’m hoping Grace is tackled differently. She’s clearly in over her head in Resident Evil: Requiem and while I’m sure she’ll grow more confident as the story progresses I can’t say I wouldn’t be disappointed if she turned out to be yet another badass monster-slayer in a franchise overrun with them.

After recently replaying Resident Evil HD (2002) I think the best story arc for Grace would be one that mirrors Jill Valentine or Rebecca Chambers. Out of her depth but doing the best she can given the current situation, but unlike Jill and Rebecca she doesn’t have the knowledge and experience of a S.T.A.R.S operative.

If Leon is a main character as fans are theorising there it could lead to an interesting gameplay dynamic, with Leon’s segments containing his usual over-the-top and dynamic action segments, whereas Grace’s segments play like more interactive Ashley segments from Resident Evil 4 (2005). You’d likely get a good balance of combat and puzzles this way, which as we all know is a crucial pairing for a good Resident Evil game.

Resident Evil: Requiem comes out on 27 February 2026, and from what I’ve seen I’m optimistic it’ll easily be up there with Resident Evil 2 (2019) and Resident Evil HD as one of the best games in the franchise.