Resident Evil: Requiem – a personal return to fear and control

Back in 1999, I turned on my PS1 without knowing my older brother had left a copy of Resident Evil 2 inside the console.

The old Sony Computer Entertainment logo appeared on a white screen, followed by that strange, unforgettable startup sound. The disc drive struggled — you could hear it fighting with the pirated copy spinning inside. Then the Capcom logo appeared. I pressed Start.

“RESIDENT EVIL TWO!”

That was it. The moment that changed me. The moment that shaped me as a gamer. It probably desensitized me to blood and violence and maybe even caused a few minor traumas — but that’s a story for my psychiatrist.

Leon became my hero. Resident Evil became one of my favorite franchises.

When Resident Evil 4 launched on the GameCube with Leon as the protagonist, I spent every bit of saved birthday money on that purple Nintendo box without hesitation.

And now, over 20 years later, Leon is once again on the cover of a mainline Resident Evil game.

Resident Evil 9: Requiem marks the ninth main entry in a franchise that has now spanned three decades. But this isn’t just another sequel. It’s something more balanced. More self-aware.

Grace Ashcroft – Fear Reborn

Requiem brings together some of the strongest elements in Resident Evil history. The story follows Leon S. Kennedy and Grace Ashcroft as they navigate a world filled with blood, dismemberment, chainsaws, dread — and yes, the occasional cheesy one-liner straight out of the early ’90s.

Grace couldn’t be more different from Leon.

She’s essentially an FBI desk analyst thrown into the field for the first time — completely out of her depth. And the gameplay reflects that beautifully.

Playing as Grace feels closest to Resident Evil 7. First-person perspective. Slow movement. Careful exploration. Avoidance over domination.

Through her anxious breathing and shaky reactions, the game reminds you that horror isn’t just around you — it’s inside her.

There were moments when I had to pause. My palms were sweating. My heart rate spiked. I haven’t felt tension like this since Silent Hill 2 Remake.

I’d go as far as saying that Resident Evil 9, during Grace’s sections, might be the scariest the franchise has ever been.

There are a few moments where her audio reactions become slightly repetitive — but nothing that significantly affects the experience.

Leon S. Kennedy – Control in Chaos

And then there’s Leon.

A man who could say “I am Batman” and everyone would nod in agreement.

His confidence, experience, and razor-sharp focus fundamentally shift the atmosphere. The tension doesn’t disappear — it transforms. Fear gives way to control.

Playing as Leon feels like pure gaming catharsis.

After vulnerability and hesitation, you suddenly feel power. Movement becomes decisive. Shots become precise. Encounters stop being desperate survival scenarios and turn into demonstrations of mastery.

Knife counters. Perfect headshots. Devastating weaponry tearing enemies apart — all choreographed like a scene from John Wick.

Leon represents control over chaos. Blood, screams, destruction — they become part of a brutal but perfectly timed action symphony.

You’re no longer prey escaping dark corridors.

You’re the force entering the room.

The contrast between Grace and Leon isn’t just a character swap. It’s an emotional transformation. From anxiety to adrenaline. From survival to dominance.

The game breaks you first — then hands you a weapon and says: now it’s your turn.

Leon isn’t just a protagonist.

He’s catharsis.

Structure and Pacing – A Calculated Rhythm

The alternating perspectives don’t just affect gameplay — they manipulate your perception of time.

With Grace, every hallway feels longer than it actually is. With Leon, those same spaces fly by in seconds.

This isn’t accidental. It’s rhythm design.

Requiem forces you to feel slowness and vulnerability before accelerating into empowering action.

Not everything is flawless. There are mid-campaign segments where pacing slightly dips. Some sequences could have been trimmed. A few moments feel like tension extended for tension’s sake.

But the game never loses focus. You never feel lost.

Its climaxes are carefully controlled. Requiem doesn’t waste its biggest moments early. The escalation feels earned.

In an era where many AAA titles suffer from bloated runtimes, Requiem remains tight. Compact. Purposeful.

That might be its greatest structural achievement.

Story – Horror Beneath the Surface

Resident Evil has never been just about zombies.

It has always been about consequences.

About humanity believing it can control what should never exist.

Requiem pushes that theme further.

The narrative doesn’t rely purely on shock value or grotesque mutations jumping out at you. Instead, it builds a sense of inevitability.

From the beginning, you feel something went wrong long before you arrived.

Leon and Grace aren’t simply there to “save the world.” They’re there to uncover rot that’s been spreading beneath the surface.

The story moves slower than expected. It allows you to absorb locations. To sit in silence. To feel the weight of space.

And in that silence lies its strength.

This isn’t just external horror.

It’s internal.

Grace experiences events as overwhelming and surreal. Leon sees patterns. History repeating itself. Mistakes humanity refuses to stop making.

That duality shapes not only gameplay — but narrative perception.

Requiem doesn’t aim to be the loudest entry in the series. It builds tension patiently.

And when the bigger picture becomes clear, you don’t feel shock.

You feel weight.

And that might be the scariest part.

Technical Performance – A Showcase for 2026

Technically, Resident Evil 9: Requiem is exceptional.

On PS5, performance is stable. Frame rate remains consistent. Animations are smooth. Loading times are nearly nonexistent.

The RE Engine once again proves its strength. Detailed textures. Dynamic lighting. Rich environmental design. Even in the darkest corridors, clarity remains intact — which is crucial for horror.

PC optimization is equally impressive. With proper hardware, the game runs smoothly and looks phenomenal — a refreshing change in an industry still struggling with problematic ports.

On PS5 Pro, Requiem reaches a new visual tier thanks to PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution) AI upscaling. The image approaches native 4K while maintaining high frame rates and sharp detail.

It’s one of the first titles to showcase this technology — and it sets a strong precedent.

This isn’t just a well-packaged game.

It’s an example of how horror can look and perform in 2026.

What Requiem Means for the Series

When I started my second playthrough immediately after finishing the first, something became clear.

Resident Evil is no longer searching for its identity.

It has reconciled with it.

For years, the series oscillated between pure survival horror and explosive action. Between dread and dominance.

Requiem doesn’t choose.

It embraces both.

It’s not a revolution like Resident Evil 4. It’s not a full return to roots like Resident Evil 7.

It’s synthesis.

Leon isn’t fan service. Grace isn’t an experiment. Together, they represent two philosophies that once divided the fanbase — now coexisting.

If Resident Evil 7 saved the franchise and the remake era solidified its commercial success, then Resident Evil 9 is stability.

Proof that the formula works.

Proof that horror doesn’t have to mean weakness — and action doesn’t have to mean excess.

Requiem doesn’t redefine the genre.

But it reminds us that Resident Evil is still one of its pillars.

Back in 1999, I had no idea a pirated disc would shape me as a player.

Three decades later, Resident Evil still makes my palms sweat.

The difference now?

When Leon enters a room…

I don’t just feel fear.

I feel control.