Verdict
Resident Evil Requiem wonderfully blends survival horror and action together, featuring two compelling protagonists with starkly different experiences that keep the gameplay fresh. The story is excellent, fitting nicely into the Resident Evil universe at large, and the game runs really well on the Nintendo Switch 2.
I may have just rolled the credits on my 2026 Game of the Year. No, I'm not exaggerating - we're only in February, and I'm convinced that Resident Evil Requiem is going to be my GOTY. I'm a huge Resi fan, with the release of a new mainline entry always being among my most anticipated games - even a remake hypes me up. Still, I've been especially keen to try Requiem.
While Village pulled me in early thanks to the impeccable Lady Dimtrescu, it's a fresh-faced protagonist that piqued my curiosity when Capcom first revealed Requiem. Of course, the return of a fan-favorite Resident Evil character who's arguably one of the most iconic videogame characters, period, is also nice.
Before I get into Grace and Leon, I have to say that Miss Ashcroft isn't the only new character of note, with Requiem receiving some excellent cast members - I'm personally a fan of Emily, a girl you'll be spending some time with at the Rhodes Hill care facility. I was so invested in her story, and there's more to her than meets the eye, but that's something I can say about many people in Requiem and the Resident Evil franchise at large.
Honing in on Grace, I wasn't sure what I'd make of her, as she seemed quite similar to Rose Winters in the trailers, and I didn't think we needed another character like that so soon. Yet, she's a compelling protagonist in her own right, more than deserving of her time in the spotlight. There's a certain likability to Grace. I feel what she feels; she forces me to reach levels of empathy I don't typically experience while playing a horror game. Perhaps it's because she truly has no idea what awaits her, whereas Rose had a pretty good idea and willingly went into danger anyway.
Leon, meanwhile, needs no introduction whatsoever, with everyone and their grandmother at least knowing the name Leon S. Kennedy. Requiem's rendition of Leon is a bit more rugged, though, which makes perfect sense considering he's been dealing with all of this zombie, virus, and evil corporation stuff for a couple of decades at this point.
The game begins with Grace's superior asking her to go to the Wrenwood Hotel, a place she hasn't been for eight years, and with good reason. Her mother, Alyssa Ashcroft, was horribly murdered, and it goes without saying that I was immediately intrigued. Grace deserves the truth about what happened to her mum, and I was all too happy to go along for the ride.
I'm never fond of giving spoilers in any capacity, so I'm going to keep things about the narrative to a minimum, even in the early game, but I'll say that there is this mysterious word 'Elpis' that will pull you in and keep your attention throughout the campaign, as you watch Grace and Leon try to discover the truth of what's happening. The fact that Leon's tackling an illness also gives a sense of urgency, my sweet emo boy didn't survive the initial RC outbreak and put up with the President's daughter calling him a pervert as he fights against a cult in a remote European country, just for an illness to pick him off.
Throughout the intro, I found myself constantly thinking, "How does Grace fit into this?" Capcom once again excelled in its storytelling, keeping things mysterious and offering twists that force you to ponder whether your intuition about what's happening is correct. The story of Requiem is honestly one of my favorites in the entire franchise, and I implore you to experience it for yourself first-hand. With that in mind, I need to say how disappointing it is to see people constantly trying to spoil it online - not cool, let people unravel it for themselves, please.
Moving on to the gameplay, at first, the game is calm, almost friendly, as Grace wanders down the street. However, when she enters the hotel, it immediately reminds you of what the Resident Evil games excel at: atmosphere and survival horror.
Capcom perfectly blends the survival horror of Resident Evil 7 and Village with the high-octane action of 4 through splitting the campaign between Grace and Leon. Yes, Grace works for the FBI, but she's just an analyst; she's not combat-trained or battle-hardened like Leon. As such, the sections in which you play as Grace can be incredibly tense, as you feel her fight for survival, whereas playing as Leon is just carnage; there's no fear present, and you get to feel like a badass as you mow down your enemies with an arsenal of weapons. It feels extra sweet to swing a chainsaw around after the villagers torment him with them in Resident Evil 4.
There's also a stark difference in inventory management between Leon and Grace that plays into their respective gameplay. Leon has an entire briefcase, just like in Resident Evil 4 and Village, meaning you can carry plenty of guns, ammo, scrap, gunpowder, and healing items. In contrast, Grace has the typical inventory space you see in instalments like Resident Evil 7, forcing you to be more selective about what you pick up and when.
Both Grace and Leon can craft things, which I love to see in a survival horror game, but there's a neat new element to crafting as Grace. She needs to use the blood of the monsters and zombies she defeats, which you can collect with a gadget you receive in Rhodes Hill. This mechanic works so well, as it takes you precious seconds to collect the blood, leaving you vulnerable if an enemy is lurking nearby. You really don't get any reprieve in your time as Grace, beyond being in a safe room.
If I can touch more on your time as Grace, the game informs you at the beginning that the optimal way to enjoy Requiem is to embrace the first-person perspective as Grace and go for third-person as Leon - a sentiment I echo entirely. I've played through both in first- and third-person as Grace, and I felt more terror in first-person. I actually have a small nitpick when in third-person, as she falls over quite a lot while running in the care facility in this view, which isn't ideal when trying to avoid becoming lunch for zombies and monsters.
Requiem is very atmospheric, the environments are hair-raising to explore, and, in typical Resident Evil fashion, there are tidbits of lore for you to discover in the form of documents littered throughout the game in each area. It's particularly thrilling to return to Raccoon City after all this time, and it's ever-so fitting that you go back as Leon, revisiting where his personal nightmare began. It was almost cathartic for me, offering closure on the entire RE2 experience. There are some great nods to Resident Evil 2 that you can discover, each one bringing a small, bittersweet smile to my face. I don't want to give any examples so that you can find them for yourself.
The puzzles are clever, as ever, encouraging you to fully explore your surroundings and pay attention to any documents you find - they either offer lore to help piece the story together, or give a hint of explanation on how to solve a puzzle. Being a Resident Evil veteran, I can typically piece everything together myself, but for a newcomer, you absolutely need to pay attention to the smaller details to solve a puzzle - something as simple as a note can be your answer, and you can access these any time after you discover them.
As ever, the monsters and enemy designs are fantastic. The first time I met The Girl, I audibly went "nope" and ran - it's a tense moment, honestly, serving as a great introduction to what your time as Grace is like. Then there's the huge, grotesque Chunks that you encounter, one of which you find at the Rhodes Hill care facility when playing as Grace, putting some pressure on you as you explore the area, with this huge monster constantly being on the prowl, a bit like the portion of your time in Dimtrescu Castle when Lady D stalks you. Except, you have a big gun, aptly named Requiem, and you can kill the Chunk - there's actually a challenge to do it as Grace.
The challenges are one of my favorite things about modern Resident Evil games, and Requiem is no different. They offer another level of replayability. Just this morning, I completed another playthrough without using any herbs or med injectors, earning me a tasty 35k CP. Let's be honest, beyond being able to say "yeah, I did that," it feels great to collect CP in these games and buy the rocket launcher and infinite ammo, allowing you to just plough through everyone your next go around.
Before I move on to the final portion of this review, in which I discuss the performance of the game on Nintendo Switch 2, I'd be remiss if I didn't discuss the performances of Angela Sant'Albano (Grace) and Nick Apostolides, the latter of whom has plenty of experience portraying Leon at this point. Both of these actors brought the characters to life wonderfully, and they're part of what makes Requiem hit the way it does. Sant'Albano fully sells the fear that Grace feels.
Performance-wise, I'm thrilled to say that the Nintendo Switch 2 is a solid platform for you to play Resident Evil Requiem on. I was genuinely impressed from the second that opening cutscene began. However, I did experience a couple of instances of frame rate drops and rendering issues, both of which were fleeting, with the longest issue lasting maybe a few seconds at most, and the instances were few and far between. I can pinpoint one specific place where this happens after completing the game a couple of times. Give the framrates a second to stabilize after using the zipline in Raccoon City if that sort of thing bothers you.
Requiem is Resident Evil at its finest, offering a pinnacle experience in the genre, blending survival horror and action together perfectly. It runs incredibly well on the Nintendo Switch 2, boasts a compelling cast, and a story that fits nicely into the Resident Evil universe at large. Whether you're a new or existing fan, Resident Evil Requiem is a must-play, and it's going to be incredibly difficult to top it as my 2026 Game of the Year. It's certainly a candidate for the best Resident Evil game. Period.
If you decide to give the game a go on PC instead, our sister site PCGN can give you all the details on Resident Evil Requiem's best settings.