Resident Evil Requiem

Resident Evil has been on an extraordinary run, and Requiem is where that run reaches its peak. The ninth mainline entry hands you two protagonists — FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft, whose chapters are pure, resource-starved survival horror, and Leon S. Kennedy, whose chapters lean into the confident, kinetic action the series perfected in RE4. The trick is how Capcom braids them together: neither feels like the “filler” half, and each recontextualises the other’s story as they converge.

Fear, engineered

Grace’s sections are the scariest Resident Evil has been in years. Ammo is scarce, sightlines are cruel, and the returning midwestern city — Umbrella’s old headquarters, now a ruin — is a Metroidvania knot of locked doors and shortcuts that rewards you for actually learning it. You can switch between first and third-person at will, and both are properly implemented rather than one being an afterthought.

The moment-to-moment tension is exquisite, and the spectacle when it finally lets rip is jaw-dropping.

Technically it’s the series’ best-looking game by a distance, with lighting and material work that make every flashlight sweep feel dangerous.

The catch

At $69.99 it’s a premium ask, and the presence of in-game purchases in a full-price single-player horror game is a sour note. Some longtime fans will also find Leon’s chapters tilt further toward action than they’d like — though for many, that variety is precisely the appeal.

Verdict

Steam’s verdict is emphatic: Overwhelmingly Positive, around 96% of 47,000+ reviews, holding at 95% in the last 30 days — extraordinary consistency for a AAA horror title six months on. Requiem is a confident, terrifying, gorgeously made survival horror that justifies both its price and its hype. If you own a PC capable of running it, this is essential.