Resident Evil Requiem relies a lot on the series’ past

Vampire He turns thirty this year. The series is full of history – new Resident Evil Requiem It’s technically the ninth mainline game, but there are a host of spin-off games, remakes, films, and even TV shows – which could make it fun for fans to follow. But it’s also scary for people like me who haven’t played everything. latest version, Resident Evil Requiem, It attempts to appeal to both sides by starring a new character, shrunken FBI agent Grace Ashcroft, and series favorite action hero Leon Kennedy.

At first, it really worked: the first half of Resident Evil Requiem It is one of the most modern horror games I have ever played. But as the game goes on, you get stuck Vampirethe past.

**Spoilers for Resident Evil Requiem Below.**

For most of the first half of massThe balance between the two is close to perfect. For the most part, you play as Grace, and her limited arsenal means you have to carefully consider every move and bullet. I was always on guard as I crept through the halls of a medical care facility, slinking past horrors like a monster known only as “The Girl” and a massive zombie wielding a butcher knife. Despite some connections to previous games, Grace’s story stands on its own, meaning I wasn’t worried about the lore I’d missed while also trying to survive.

When the game switches to brief sections from Leon’s perspective, I could take down enemies I felt powerless against like Grace with relative ease. Leon is more capable in battle than the inexperienced Grace – he’s been through Vampire Juicer several times already – and I felt a tremendous sense of relief when I managed to kill that zombie with a butcher knife in a few shots from my rifle. But soon, I’ll be back in Grace’s place, experiencing pure terror all over again and counting down the seconds until the game lets me play as Leon for a break from the stress.

The game goes back and forth like this until Grace, after a very satisfying encounter with the girl, leaves with a mysterious new evil character who basically comes out of nowhere, and you’re forced to play as Leon as he tries to track down Grace in Raccoon City. Longtime fans will recognize Raccoon City as one of the key locations in the series; Leone plays a rookie cop in the city Resident Evil 2and was eventually destroyed by a nuclear bomb to contain the zombie virus.

in massyou spend a lot of time exploring the bleak wasteland that Raccoon City has become, including the ruins of the police station where Leon got his start. But without having to switch between Grace and Leon, the game starts to slow down like an overly long action movie. There were also some nods to previous games, such as Leon commenting on a puzzle he once solved, although they may be relevant to those in the know. Vampire Series inside and outside, it was less effective for me. next to massI played 7, villageAnd both are original Resident Evil 4 And its remake, so none of that nostalgia happened. I felt like I was going to get more stuff on my way to finding Grace again for some actual horror.

mass The last major area, the high-tech lab, was much more interesting to explore, especially when the game switches between Grace and Leon again. But for a game that makes Grace the primary protagonist, I found it disappointing that Leon primarily takes on the starring role, even being the one who fights the final boss. (Which is disappointing in itself: a giant plant-like zombie with obvious red boils that can be accidentally shot.)

It was all a bit of a letdown for the back half of what was apparently one of my favorite horror games. Maybe I would feel differently about it mass If I had played Resident Evil 2. But because massThe game’s reliance on Leon’s nostalgia, the game’s dual character perspective, which started out as its greatest strength, eventually became a weakness.