Resident Evil Requiem starts strong. And I hate to say it, maybe even a little too strong. Because what it builds in the first half of its 10-15 hour campaign sets a standard that large parts of the second half struggle to maintain. But before I start ranting like a YouTube comment section, let’s focus on the good stuff.

Dual Residents

The opening hours feature some of the best survival horror the series has delivered since RE7, and that’s a high bar to reach. You’re placed in a tightly designed, semi-open facility where shortcuts loop back into each other, progress is gated in satisfying ways, and every bullet feels accounted for. Classic Resi Evil. So much so that Capcom even included zombies that reanimate—with a vengeance—like the Crimson Heads from Resident Evil Remake back in 2002, unless you pop their heads off or just straight blow them up with Grace’s blood creations.

Yep, you heard that right. Nervous newcomer, Grace can collect infected pools of blood to craft ammo, items and upgrades when mixed with other materials. It’s a little weird, not gonna lie. Though it does present several options to tackle any immediate or future threats, especially since you might wanna dispose of any dead zombos lining the halls. Just saying.

Well, unless your name is Leon. My guy is so badass here, he’ll just stylishly burst through (what are we up to now?) the T-virus like a casual Tuesday. One minute, Leon’s poppin’ heads from afar, the next he’s absolutely slicing ’em up in the coolest ways possible. He can even bust out the chainsaw and combo with it! Is there anything he can’t do at this point? I really don’t know… Oh, wait. He can swing and throw dropped weapons for big boy damage too? Heck yeah!

Not Sticking To Thy Guns

It’s just so much fun switching between the two lead characters at points, as they really do have two distinct styles of gameplay and atmosphere that the devs lean into. Since Grace is a scared little sheep, she gets more of the dark and gritty survival horror moments that can be very tense at times. Whereas when Leon comes in, he’s all about the action; cycling through an arsenal of weapons and using parts of the environment to get the high ground… Then the second half happens. And Requiem shifts… hard.

What begins as a flawless mix of the two styles suddenly morphs into something far closer to a simple corridor shooter. If you haven’t wiped the ending sections of Resi 4 from your brain, I’m sorry. But you’ll soon start encountering enemies in full military gear, complete with guns, explosives and launchers that just feel so out of place for this series. I never liked this extreme swing to pure action back in 2005, and I still don’t now.

While Leon’s gameplay itself remains tonnes of fun (and there still are some cool moments up ahead), once you start comparing the first half to the second, it really does start to lose its identity. The game feels more interested in putting you in “cool situations” rather than maintaining tension. It’s not quite Call of Duty levels of spectacle, though the influence is obvious. This shift doesn’t make the game bad—but it does make it inconsistent and disappointing.

On The Edge

What’s really frustrating is that the mechanics are still great. Gunplay is tight, movement feels responsive, and the enemy design remains solid, yet the context changes. Instead of carefully choosing when to engage, you’re often forced into encounters that feel designed for pure spectacle, rather than strategy.

Narratively, the same split applies. The first half is restrained and character-driven, focusing on isolation and uncertainty. In contrast, the second half leans into bigger stakes and tries to awkwardly tie in loose threads from the series. And while it’s not poorly written, it loses the grounded tension that made the opening so compelling. That said, Requiem never fully loses its identity; Leon never forgets to throw in some spicy zingers and melee attacks. But thankfully, it doesn’t spiral into the excess of Resi 6, yet it definitely brushes up against it more than it should.

Decision

Resident Evil Requiem is a tale of two halves. The first is a near-perfect blueprint for modern survival horror, as it’s tight, tense, and intelligently designed. While the second trades that identity for a more action-heavy approach that feels competent, yet ultimately misplaced. It’s still a very well-made Resident Evil game that runs at a solid 60FPS on base PS5s, though you can’t help but wish it trusted its own strengths all the way through.

By Anthony Culinas – Reviewed on PlayStation 5

Great

Resident Evil Requiem kicks off as a near-perfect slice of modern survival horror, but can’t sustain that brilliance across its full campaign. As it pivots into a more action-heavy, borderline Call of Duty-style second half, it remains fun and polished, yet loses the special sauce that made its opening hours so damn entertaining.

This game was reviewed using a download code provided by Capcom. The Beta Network uses affiliate partnerships, however, this does not influence reviews or any other content published. The Beta Network may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links that are on the website.