Capcom’s long-awaited ninth instalment in the beloved action horror franchise, Resident Evil Requiem, is almost here, launching on February 27, 2026. The wait feels like it’s been an eternity, as most of its marketing has been very secretive, with the big Leon S. Kennedy reveal at The Game Awards 2025 clearly being what Capcom was so adamant to hide.
In case you missed it, both Grace Ashcroft and series veteran Leon S. Kennedy will feature as duo protagonists, as many had speculated, sharing the same amount of screen time. It means Capcom is aiming to blend horror and action once again, and that suggests one major thing to me.
A blend of RE2 and RE4’s gameplay sounds phenomenal
I’m sure many fans will agree that the Resident Evil 2 Remake is one of the best titles the series has had to offer when it comes to horror, just behind Resident Evil 7.
Many would argue that this epithet is held by the Resident Evil 1 remake, but (hot take incoming) I’m not a fan of this title, and I’m very much hoping it can be redone again in the RE Engine in a third-person perspective, but that’s beside the point.
Director of Requiem, Koshi Nakanishi, has highlighted how Grace Ashcroft’s gameplay segments will feel very much like Resident Evil 2, where players will be left fighting for their lives on the edge of their seats, as Grace’s vulnerability and unfamiliarity with an outbreak are poised to introduce some truly terrifying sequences for both the character and player.
We’ve already seen a strong example of this with the first gameplay reveal, as the old hag or ‘Big Mama’ (as most people refer to her) stalks Grace through a chronic care center, before being saved by Leon, as recently revealed. It’s not like action will be completely absent from Grace’s segments either, so there’s an element of combat to be explored for her character as well.
With Nakanishi stating that Leon’s gameplay is built on the foundation of the Resident Evil 4 remake, it tells me that Capcom is aiming for Requiem to surpass the beloved 2005 and 2023 titles, with some of the best horror and action in the series working simultaneously.
Leon is supposedly at his peak in this brand new title and will be pushed to his limits more than ever before. I’m afraid of what the latter means (I don’t want our favorite hero boy to die), but Kennedy at his peak and the descriptions of ‘martial arts’ and ‘melee moves’ in Requiem indicate we’ll be seeing the most expansive and creative combat system yet.
It’s not just elements from RE2 and RE4 that will make it great
There’s clearly still plenty more to what Requiem has to offer; the addition of Leon’s axe seems to be a knife replacement from what we experienced in the Resident Evil 4 remake, and it seems like we could also be seeing a dynamic weapon ‘stealing’ system, with the trailer showcasing Leon getting his chance to use an enemy’s chainsaw on them.
The collaboration with Porsche doesn’t seem like it’s just set for cutscenes either. I’m fully expecting players to get multiple opportunities to drive around Raccoon City and other locales we haven’t seen yet in Requiem, similar to the short boat traversal section in RE4.
Grace is also introducing something new to the table entirely; in the franchise’s mainline titles, we’ve never seen a character as afraid as Grace clearly is in Requiem, at least at the start, with Nakanishi describing her as a ‘scaredy cat’, before eventually growing in courage as the story progresses.
It will be very interesting to see how our new ‘rookie’ (in terms of combat experience with monstrous enemies), Grace, will interact with an older and seasoned Leon S. Kennedy, who has fought numerous deadly enemies, and how the juxtaposition of horror and action will impact the overall experience.
From what I’ve seen so far, it’s shaping up to be Capcom’s best work in the franchise, and a near-perfect celebration on its 30th anniversary. Let’s just hope it’s executed well.
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