The next mainline installment in the long-running Resident Evil franchise,Resident Evil Requiem, was revealed at the end of the Summer Game Fest show as a “surprise” that had been hinted at several times throughout the presentation.Requiemwill star newcomer Grace Ashcroft, daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft from theunderratedOutbreakspin-off games. But I’m not convinced she is the only protagonist, especially after the abrupt name-drop of Leon Kennedy from director Koshi Nakanishi during the Capcom Spotlight showcase.
There have been major rumors aboutLeon being an additional playable character, and despite Capcom’s insistence that Grace is the lead, I’m full of speculation and doubt over Capcom’s comments. The marketing forRequiemhas been strange, and the motif of the game being a “requiem” is suspicious, with a new character returning to Raccoon City instead of one of the original survivors. AsRequiemis allegedly the “most ambitious"REgame to date, I think Capcom is holding onto one major secret. I also think I’ve figured it out, and Capcom might have already teased it.
Two Different Camera Angles Could Hint At Two Campaigns
The Series Has Seen Survival Horror And Action Horror
Capcom has confirmed that all ofRequiemcan be played in first-person or third-personperspective, andthe camera perspective can be changed at any time in the pause menu, an ambitious decision that requires the game to be designed to fit both styles. The first-person mode has been described as ideal for getting up close to the horror as Grace experiences it, while the third-person option allows players to see more of the action, as detailed by producer Masato Kumazawa.
With an option already baked into the game to let fans lean into horror or action,it’s a little surprising we have yet to see any of the fast-paced actionthat was described inRequiem’s description onPlayStation Blog, which reads:“While survival horror takes centerstage[sic], Resident Evil Requiem will feature high-stakes cinematic action that will take the series in a bold new direction.“So far, what Capcom has shown hasn’t been new or action-heavy, so is Capcom keeping those parts a secret?
If the game is truly focused on slow-paced"addictive horror,“similar toRE7, then I don’t think Capcom would be teasing “high-stakes cinematic action,” especially with what’s been shown of Grace. She is an introvert and easily spooked, someone who wouldn’t necessarily pair well with action horror. She has firearms training, sure, but she’s also a desk worker. I thinkit’s fully possible thatRequiemis divided into two different campaigns, one focused on horror with Grace, and another focused on action with Leon, and the dual-camera early reveal might have been the clue.
Capcom Has Done Multiple Campaigns In The Past
Resident Evil 6, Revelations 2, And More
On top of every mainlineREgame, and most of the spin-offs, featuring more than one playable character (even if it’s for a brief period, like Ada and Sherry’s segments inRE2or Ashley’s puzzle section inRE4),severalREgames have had more than one campaign, going all the way back to the original game with Jill and Chris.RE2had Leon and Claire.Code: Veronicawas divided into two halves, with the first being Claire and the second being Chris.Revelations 2’s episodic structure also had two different campaigns for each chapter, split between Claire and Barry. Two campaigns wouldn’t be anything new.
Additional campaigns with other playable characters have been added recently to the mainline games, too, withRE7gettingNot a Hero, which starred Chris, andEnd of Zoe, which starred Joe Baker, andShadows of RosefromVillagefeaturing Rose.
Most fans, though, will probably immediately think ofRE6, agame heavily criticizedfor its over-the-top action and the convoluted story that overlaps over its four campaigns.RE6was a game that aimed to please everyone, and in doing so, became a game disliked by many. Its division between action, horror, survival, and puzzles was not cut-and-dry, with the whole game featuring huge action spectacles, hordes of enemies, and an overabundance of explosions.RE6was the exception, not the rule, when it comes to the history of multiple campaigns and playable characters inRE.
With Capcom being as close-to-the-chest as it has been withRequiemso far, and the previous way-too-early reveal of Chris’s heel-turn inVillage’s early marketing,it’s plausible that Capcom is keeping the two campaigns a secret, for now. LeakerAestheticGamer aka Dusk Golemon X is"100% sure Leon is the protagonist still,“and if that’s the case, he will probably be playable for at least half of the game, or one campaign, if my theory comes true.
Resident Evil Requiem Is Celebrating 30 Years Of Horror And Action
A Requiem In Multiple Ways
TheRequiemtitle has multiple meanings. One of those is Grace dealing with the death of her mother eight years prior; another is the return to Raccoon City, where the entireREstory began.Requiemis being marketed as a celebration of 30 years ofRE, andREhas not just been focused on scares. The series has jumped around in the umbrella genre of horror since its inception, with some of the games having elements of survival horror but heavier on action, likeRE4, andothers fully embracing the survival horror identity, likeRE7.
Requiemhas been rumored to be the most ambitiousREtitle yet, and if that is true,I would bet on the game celebrating both its action and horror triumphsby having two starring characters and potentially two separate campaigns. The series has implemented this concept successfully on multiple occasions, and with the camera choice being made available, I think it makes sense for the game to lean into both styles of gameplay, too.
Nakanishi’s discussion of Leon reminded me of Andrew Garfield saying he wasn’t inSpider-Man: No Way Home.
The developer interviews during the Capcom Spotlight actually put a larger shine on Leon, despite him"not being fit for horror,“as described by Nakanishi. He’s right— Leon isn’t fit for true horrorat this point in theREtimeline— buthe’s a perfect fit for the action side of the horror. Leon’s name-drop was abrupt, and Nakanishi’s word choices and mannerisms seemed quite careful. Nakanishi’s discussion of Leon reminded me of Andrew Garfield saying he wasn’t inSpider-Man: No Way Home, and I could easily see that being the case with Leon inResident Evil Requiem.
