Resident Evil: Requiem

I was going to play Resident Evil 3, but I ended up succumbing to hype. Requiem has an overwhelmingly positive reception on Steam, and reviewers routinely award it high marks. I acquired a discount code that brought the price down to 47 dollars instead the normal sticker price of $70. So, I figured, "why not?" and made my purchase. I guess I succumb to hype whenever the price is right. I definitely don't regret my purchase. Indeed, Requiem is a very well done game. However, even though it's not fair, I can't help but compare it to the old school Resident Evil games I just played. I must say, I think I preferred Resident Evil 2 over Requiem. There are really only a small handful of reasons why, but either way, Requiem is absolutely worth playing and about as good as everyone says it is.

Leon

The events of Requiem take place nearly three decades after those of RE2. Leon is a different person compared to that Rookie cop during the Raccoon City incident. He is experienced and hardened and is able to manage high-risk situations capably with little problems. This is reflected in his playstyle; it's much more action oriented. You will pick up plenty of ammunition and multiple weapons to take down large numbers of zombies. You will also fight any bosses head on without being encouraged to avoid them. What's most surprising is that, despite the heavy emphasis on firepowered action, it retains a very strong sense of horror throughout. It's quite the pleasurable blend of action and horror. Action takes the front seat, of course, but the mutated creatures, and dilapidated, eerie environments deliver a strong sense of horror.

Tasty Nostalgia Bait

I particularly enjoyed Leon's return to Raccoon City. Yes, it was nostalgia baiting. It even played the original music upon his arrival to the police department. But it also enabled an opportunity to navigate a post-apocalyptic scenario where, not only did you have to gun down zombies and monsters, you had to engage in the same item acquisition in order to unlock the next area, which is something that Resident Evil does so well.

Grace

Playing as Grace is radically different to that of Leon. She is not a battle-hardened veteran of Umbrella's immoral escapades. She's rather timid and stutters alot. She won't be lugging around all manner of firepower to mow down zombies. Instead, she must rely and stealth and cleverness to either take them down zombies or avoid them altogether. Her only firepower is a handgun and ammo is relatively scarce. Another main weapon of choice is the hemolytic injector. This contains fluid that will instantly disintegrate any zombie or monster you come across. I particularly enjoyed her boss battle against the Girl. In fact, every encounter with the girl was genuinely horrifying.

Adjacent Nostalgia Bait

The only reason to be nostalgic about Grace's playthrough was that it was a return to the old 90's formula of Resident Evil. It's less about action and more about horror and survival. Resources are limited and rationing must take place. It is not necessary and even ill-advised to take down every zombie. You'll have to choose your battles. Not only that, it harkens back to puzzle solving, back tracking, and item acquisition to unlock the next section of the map. My other favorite part of this game is playing as Grace in the care center. It almost felt like being in the old Spencer mansion or the Raccoon City Police Department.

Tag Team Fun

Both of their stories become intertwined when they investigate a series of mysterious murders whose victims possess the same strange bruises. Leon already knows it's the usual suspects, but Grace doesn't quite know what she's in for. Both of their paths lead them to assist one another to escape confinement from locations with a sinister history and to stop power hungry maniacs from controlling an ultimate-bioweapon and destroying innocent lives.

Past Traumas

An interesting dynamic that I'd like to point out is how both Leon and Grace are possessed by past traumas. Leon recollects his past nightmarish experiences when he revisits Raccoon City Police department. Grace is forced to confront a hideous tragedy when she is assigned to investigate the Wrenwood Hotel. They are both burdened by the lives they couldn't save. So, they set out to make a difference by putting a stop to these psychopathic freaks, once and for all.

Appreciations

Replay

One thing I did appreciate is the challenge and points system. From the main menu, you can unlock models, concept art, and items that can be used in-game. This makes the game replayable because once you spend points to unlock a new weapon or costume, you can replay the game with that unlockable. It's simple, but pretty neat.

Not Completely Mindless Zombies

Another point of appreciation for me was how the zombies had a certain personality of their own. The chef was a menace, there where opera singers that used their voice to attack you, and I also loved how the cleaners and handymen where stuck in a cleaning and lightswitch loop. This is definitely an improvement over those old games where they where just mindless zombies coming at you.

Old Man Yells at Cloud

Some folks complained about the puzzles being too easy, but I never onced thought that the puzzles in RE2 where challenging. I would even go as far as to say that they where easy, too. So, no real degradation in my eyes. However, there is one minor quibble between the two. Requiem definitely felt more linear. For the most part, it seemed to follow a sequential chain of item acquisitions that progressed directly towards the next item or area. There didn't seem to be a way to choose to go one way versus the other. You where greeted with this decision as soon as you entered the police station in RE2. You could go to the hall way on the right, or the room on the left. Granted, it's not like these decisions where super abundant, but its presence was missed in Requiem.

Retreading Past Glories

Some folks also complained that Requiem is basically rehashing formulas of past games into one. I generally believe in that sentiment. I already pointed out the nostalgia baiting. I also have zero problems with it. I find nothing wrong with an artist discovering a formula that works and recycling it until it becomes stale. Not once did I feel the gameplay formula becoming stale throughout my playthrough of Requiem. However, it did feel a little jarring transitioning between Leon's and Grace's playstyles. I almost felt that it would be better off separating the two campaigns into two different games. Then again, it probably wouldn't work since the two characters interact frequently and the manner in which the transitions occur did suit the storyline. So, it's a minor quibble.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere here isn't as thick as that of RE2. I can't put my finger on why that is. The only thing I can think of is that perhaps the limitations of old hardware forced the developers to create a certain art style that leaned into surrealism. Being only adjacent to the real world and mostly fantastical, it was able to transport my mind into the fictional world of Resident Evil more effectively. Requiem obviously has more realistic graphics. Perhaps my brain thought to itself "well, it's real life", and failed to transport itself anywhere because of that realism. Nevertheless, Requiem is visually appealing and there is no break from immersion as you're playing. It's really another non-issue that, for whatever reason, my brain can't seem hurdle over. Maybe it's the modern graphics, maybe it's the locations, or maybe it's the music.

Creepy Sounds

Speaking of music, RE2 definitely has the better soundtrack. I could barely recall the save room jingles in Requiem and they where played so faintly in the background. In RE2, they where front and center of, not just the save rooms, but throughout the entire game. And, my goodness, they where beautiful in the best and most eerie way. I genuinely can't remember any of the music in Requiem. It's like it took a backrow seat to everything else in the game and just became an afterthought.

In fact, I would argue the entire sound design in RE2 is better. Every footstep, squishy noise, and monster howl was exaggerated. Every sound in Requiem was, well, realistic. Once again, I am finding myself being carried to another world by RE2's "outdated" surreal design and mildly reacting to the realism of Requiem with a "well, that's just real life". Maybe I'm just an old geezer stuck in the past, reminiscing about the first time I watched this game at my friend's house in the 90s. That's just how I feel about these things. I can't help it.

Character Gripes

I think my only legitimate gripe is that the characters make questionable decisions throughout. One such character decision that irked me was Grace's where she willinigly rode with the bad guys after they have been making her life miserable and knowing about their depraved experiments. Hell, the fact that these evildoers are totally dependent on the survival and compliance of Grace is such a strange story choice to me. Not to mention Spencer's final decision. I'm not going to spoil anything. There's just a small handful of events that made me stratch my head. I'm not a stickler for story, so I didn't think about it too much.

Still Incredible

I will now cease my complaints and postively assert that Resident Evil Requiem is a fantastic game that deserves your time and attention. All but the story complaints I have can be brushed aside as just an old man yelling at clouds. I believe the younger generations will love this game. Us old folks will love it, too. But we won't be able to help ourselves and think back to the good old days as we're playing it. This is especially true during that trip back to Raccoon City. Highly recommended.