During this year’s Gamescom, I was fortunate enough to play an early demo of the upcoming Resident Evil Requiem.
Resident Evil Requiem feels like a deliberate mix of the franchise’s classic roots and its modern innovations as Capcom continues its tradition of mixing classic survival horror mechanics with an evolving gameplay loop. One of the notable new additions to the franchise is the ability to freely switch between first and third-person perspectives. Each offers its own unique gameplay feeling; first-person can feel more claustrophobic, while third-person can increase your view of the horrors around you.
I noticed the gameplay leans heavily into the older Resident Evil design philosophy. Lots of locked doors, hidden keys, and items where the right item needs to be found and in just the right spot. This backtracking-driven structure adds a layer of resourcefulness and makes exploration tense, with the constant fear of what might be waiting in the darkness. Thankfully, you’re given a flashlight for your exploration in the pitch black areas of the game.
This game has doubled down on the horror atmosphere, as the new main creature is a terrifying presence. A blind stalker that relentlessly hunts you. Unlike Mr. X or Nemesis, this monster relies on sound and smell. You can throw objects to create noise and lure it away, but standing too still or getting too close puts you at risk of being sniffed out. This creates moments of high-stress strategy, where every movement and every decision you make feels like a life-or-death choice.
One of the most important aspects of any media is the opening, which sets the tone for the entire way forward, and Resident Evil sets the tone perfectly for horror. You begin trapped in a bizarre medical contraption, but due to your character’s smart thinking, you’re able to escape this claustrophobic setup that forces you into survival mode immediately. After escaping, the first environment is shrouded in darkness, with the creature lurking unpredictably. Light becomes your only real ally as stepping into illuminated areas causes the creature to recoil and vanish into the ceiling, giving you safety in those areas to think and strategize. This mechanic makes managing darkness and light a central tension point in exploration.
Overall, Resident Evil 9 really feels like it’s going back to what made the older games so loved, but with some fresh touches to keep it in line with the modern titles. Being able to swap between first and third person is a nice new addition, the classic item-hunting puzzles are back, and the new monster is extremely creepy. While I was playing at Gamescom, someone genuinely screamed so loud when the monster first appeared, and that was quite funny. It’s got that mix of old-school tension and new ideas that makes it feel both familiar and exciting to fans of the Resident Evil franchise.
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