Resident Evil Requiem is an RE4 successor as much as it is a Village sequel

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The latest trailer for Resident Evil Requiem, revealed at the Game Awards, confirmed that Leon S. Kennedy will be returning to the game. While new character Grace Ashcroft seems promising, Leon’s presence significantly boosts the game’s appeal. As a long-time fan favorite, many players have been eagerly awaiting Leon’s return to the Resident Evil series for years, and his inclusion adds a lot of excitement.

As a long-time Resident Evil fan, I’m really hyped for RE Requiem. It looks like it’s going to strike a great balance between the action we loved in older games and the scary, survival horror vibes of RE7 and Village. Those last two were amazing, but I’m excited Leon Kennedy is back – it feels like the series is getting back to its roots. It continues the story after Village, but honestly, it’s shaping up to be the RE4 sequel I’ve been waiting for, and I know a lot of other fans feel the same way!

I’m super excited – Resident Evil: Requiem is coming out on February 27, 2026! It’s going to be available on pretty much everything – the new Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. I’ve already marked my calendar!

Resident Evil Requiem’s Newest Trailer Has Some Serious RE4 Vibes

Leon is back, and this new game, RE Requiem, is bringing back the over-the-top action and fun that fans loved in RE4. While recent Resident Evil games like RE7 and Village focused on realistic combat, Requiem lets Leon get back to tearing through enemies with chainsaws and signature moves like his roundhouse kick. Though the settings are different from RE4, the gameplay feels like a return to that classic style. Considering how popular the RE4 remake was, it’s no surprise Leon is embracing his action-hero roots again.

While Resident Evil: Requiem doesn’t take place in a rural village like Resident Evil 4, returning to Raccoon City is a thrilling experience, especially as it revisits Leon’s origins. Aside from the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3, it’s been a long time since the series explored the town where the initial outbreak happened. This time, the combination of Leon and Grace’s unique abilities promises a more diverse and engaging gameplay experience.

Image via Capcom

How Resident Evil Requiem and RE4 Compare

RE Requiem RE4
Leon’s signature action moves Leon’s signature action moves
Set in Raccoon City Set in the rural Spanish village of Valdelobos
Action-focused horror Action-focused horror
Revolves around the investigation of the mysterious Dr. Victor Gideon Revolves around Leon saving the president’s daughter from the Los Illuminados cult and investigating the Las Plagas.

Resident Evil Requiem Still Holds Onto Village’s Sweat-Inducing Survival Horror Elements

The first trailer for RE Requiem showed players could expect the same intense, frightening survival horror experience the series is known for. The game follows Grace Ashcroft, an FBI analyst who relies on her intelligence rather than physical strength. Her quiet nature also makes her a compelling character for a survival horror game. With RE7 director Koshi Nakanishi back at the helm, fans anticipated a scary game, but it appears RE Requiem will be even more terrifying than before.

Similar to both RE7 and Village, RE Requiem appears to take place in confined, unsettling spaces – a key element that made Village so impactful. While the extent of RE Requiem‘s connection to the previous games is currently unknown, the involvement of Nakanishi suggests potential story links. Just as the Donna Beneviento house in Village was a particularly frightening experience, the demo for RE Requiem, featuring Grace escaping a massive creature, evokes a similar sense of dread.

Image via Capcom

Unlike the remote European village in the original game, RE Requiem takes place in a confined city setting. So far, the game has primarily showcased the mysterious Wrenwood Hotel, and its complex network of hallways and rooms clearly echoes the house-based levels of the first game, such as those featuring Beneviento and Lady Dimitrescu.

How Resident Evil Requiem and Village Compare

RE Requiem Village
New protagonist Grace Ashcroft, who is less physically trained than the franchise’s S.T.A.R.S. agents. Return of RE7‘s protagonist Ethan Winters. Since RE7, he has had a bit of training, but is still less physically capable than the likes of Leon or Chris Redfield.
Uses an urban setting to build its claustrophobic scares Takes place in a mysterious and isolated Eastern European town
Intense survival horror sequences Intense survival horror sequences
Seems to focus on a central antagonist Focuses on a variety of powerful villains

Resident Evil Requiem Promises a Celebration of Classic Resident Evil While Also Embracing the Future

  • Leon S. Kennedy honors the foundation of the franchise.
  • Grace Ashcroft offers a protagonist for a new generation.

The Resident Evil series is one of the most famous horror franchises in gaming, and each new game brings changes. The recent RE7 and Village showed that a focus on intense survival horror works really well for the series. However, RE Requiem proves that the games haven’t forgotten what made them popular in the first place. While classic Resident Evil games always had some elements of survival horror, RE7 and Village took it to a new level. Older games mixed in more action, but Village tried something different by switching to a first-person perspective. RE Requiem lets players choose between both perspectives, showing that it’s trying to find a good balance between the style of the older games and the newer, more intense approach.

Similar to Ethan Winters, Grace represents the future of Resident Evil, while Leon embodies the series’ core and spirit. Resident Evil‘s strong history has cemented its place as a horror classic, and RE Requiem aims to demonstrate how the old and new can combine to create an even more frightening experience. Leon’s action-packed sections will offer a welcome change of pace, because when players switch back to controlling Grace, they can anticipate being truly scared. This approach should create a good balance, avoiding the common issue of saving all the action for the end of the game, which has caused pacing problems in previous Resident Evil titles.

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2025-12-14 13:05