Hot on the heel of its official reveal at Summer Game Fest, new details have emerged on Resident Evil Requiem. Media and influencers had the chance to go hands on with the next entry in the survival horror franchise at the recent event, following which multiple previews have gone up, containing not only new impressions, but details on the game’s gameplay, setting, and more, answering major questions and revealing intriguing new details. Here, we’re going to cover all of those details.
FIRST AND THIRD PERSON
One of the biggest questions that has been on everyone’s mind since Resident Evil Requiem was revealed is whether the game is going to be third person or first person the way Resident Evil 7 and Village were. Though Requiem’s reveal trailer didn’t reveal that, its recently published previews have confirmed that the game will be both first and third person. Both perspectives will be playable, something that the developer experimented with Resident Evil Village’s DLC, Shadows of Rose. The company supposedly intends for Requiem’s third person experience to be as polished and high quality as the likes of Resident Evil 2, which wasn’t necessarily the case with the decidedly experimental third person option in Shadows of Rose.
SWAPPING PERSPECTIVES
First and third person perspectives will both be offered as an option in Resident Evil Requiem, but swapping between those perspectives won’t be seamless and instantaneous the way it would be in, say, The Elder Scrolls, or even the aforementioned RE Village DLC. Instead, as confirmed in multiple previews, players will instead have to pull up the menu, select an option to change perspectives, and then hop back into gameplay. Of course, that means, swapping isn’t going to be as instant or snappy as some may have hoped.
RECOMMENDED PERSPECTIVE
Resident Evil Requiem will let players play with either of its two available camera options, and the developer is of course working to ensure that both are polished experiences- but which is the intended way to play? Interestingly, similar to Resident Evil 7 and Village, Requiem is best played through a first person perspective (not that you could play 7 any other way). The developer says that that is the default setting, and the recommended way to play, not because it improves the gameplay in any way, but because it does decidedly heighten the horror.
NO MORE FIRST PERSON CUTSCENES
Though Resident Evil Requiem is continuing RE7 and Village’s focus on first person gameplay, in other ways, the game is deviating from that style. Unlike 7 and Village, for instance, Requiem won’t have first person cutscenes. Where the Ethan Winters titles showed players every single thing through the protagonist’s eyes, be that gameplay or a scripted cutscenes, Requiem will feature cinematic cutscenes with all of the changing camera angles, perspectives, and what have you. Usually that should mean more engaging storytelling, so here’s hoping that’s the case here as well.
GRACE ASHCROFT
Resident Evil Requiem’s reveal trailer at Summer Game Fest revealed that the game will feature a its protagonist a young FBI agent named Grace Ashcroft, who, interestingly enough, is the daughter of Resident Evil Outbreak protagonist Alyssa Ashcroft. While further light has yet to be shed on that specific connection, more details have nonetheless emerged on Grace herself. Though she is obviously an FBI agent, the developer describes has as something of a bookworm, what with her primarily being an analyst and everything. That means Grace isn’t nearly as trained or capable in combat situations as the likes of Leon S. Kennedy or Chris Redfield by any stretch of the imagination, which should make for a more vulnerable protagonist and, in turn, a scarier experience. As per previews, we’ll see Grace visible and audibly reacting to terrifying sights and sounds around her as well, which should hopefully make her a much more relatable protagonist than someone like Ethan Winters.
HORROR FOCUS
With the history that Resident Evil has, people are always going to have that little seed of concern about the series maybe becoming too action focused and in the process losing sight of what makes it so beloved- the horror. Thankfully, however, it seems that that is something that Resident Evil Requiem’s developers are well aware of. Multiple previews have spoken about the devs’ focus on pure horror and survival horror gameplay and design, to the extent that the section that media recently got to go hands on with had little to no combat whatsoever. Apparently, the bookish and untrained in combat Grace is equipped only with bottles that she can find and throw to use as distractions against enemies in the part of the game that media experienced. That is supposedly an early section, but even so, it does paint an interesting picture of the sort of tone Resident Evil Requiem is trying to establish, especially as far as its horror style is concerned.
And what else did the recent gameplay demo feature? Well, that brings us to our next point…
WRENWOOD HOTEL
Resident Evil Requiem’s announce trailer revealed that one Wrenwood Hotel will serve as a key location in the game, not only because Grace will find herself there at some point, but because that’s where her mother was murdered years before the events of Requiem. The early section of the game that previews covered sees Grace hanging upside down, as we see her in the reveal trailer, and it just picks up from there. Following that, the section apparently follows a classic Resident Evil formula in many ways, having players explore environments to find and gather items, open locked doors and pathways, and solve elaborate puzzles. But, of course, that’s not all by any stretch of the imagination…
STALKER ENEMY
In case you were wondering, yes, Resident Evil Requiem absolutely is going to have a stalker type enemy. From Mr. X in Resident Evil 2 to Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village to Jack Baker in Resident Evil 7, we have seen the RE franchise deliver some truly frightening stalker enemies to date, and Requiem looks set to follow in their footsteps. As it turns out, Wrenwood Hotel also happens to be the haunt of a horrific monstrosity that looks like an old, deformed, gigantic bug lady plucked straight out of someone’s worst nightmare, from the way she looks to the way she animates, and more. Will she be a constant presence throughout the game similar to Mr. X, or will she be contained to a specific area or section, like the likes of Jack Baker and Lady Dimitrescu were in their own games? That much remains to be seen, but in typical fashion, the next Resident Evil is indeed going to have a relentless pursuer style enemy who will stop at nothing to find you and chase you down to a swift, terrifying, and deadly end.
LIGHTING DETAILS
Interestingly enough, one aspect of Resident Evil Requiem that several previews have pointed out and praised is the game’s lighting. Resident Evil games have never failed to look spectacular, especially those built on the RE Engine, but apparently, Requiem’s using its light and shadow visuals to great effective, especially where effectively building up horror and a healthy fear of the dark is concerned (something that will presumably be that much more potent in first person view). Hopefully, the developer will have more tech details to share on how Requiem is building on its predecessors in the near future.
