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Hands-on preview
Resident Evil Requiem Returns to Raccoon City
Resident Evil Village drew on different eras and styles of the series, but its tense, helpless dollhouse sequence stood out for its resemblance to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. That slower, fear-driven approach appears to inform Resident Evil Requiem, the ninth mainline entry, directed by Resident Evil 7 director Koshi Nakanishi. The game also returns to Raccoon City, a location closely tied to the franchise’s origins.
A 30-minute demo focused on a section of the game set in the derelict Wrenwood Hotel. The story follows Grace Ashcroft, an FBI technical analyst and daughter of investigative reporter Alyssa Ashcroft, who appeared in 2003’s Resident Evil Outbreak. Grace wakes up captured and strapped to a bed, then escapes into a building connected to her mother’s murder. The demo emphasizes survival and exploration rather than combat, reflecting Grace’s limited fighting experience.
First-Person and Third-Person Options
The game defaults to first-person, but players can switch to third-person through an option in the Pause menu. First-person is described as the recommended perspective for a more frightening experience; however, the hotel’s oppressive atmosphere keeps the tension high in either view. Players who prefer a clearer view of their surroundings can try third-person, while those seeking a more immersive scare may want to keep the default setting.
Exploring the Wrenwood Hotel
The hotel’s dark corridors and unsettling noises make it difficult to tell whether a creak comes from the aging building or a nearby threat. Although the location is called a hotel, its rooms contain hospital beds and signs of medical staff, including messages and bodies. The setting gradually suggests that the building may have served another purpose, though the demo does not provide a clear explanation.
Exploration leads into a familiar Resident Evil-style puzzle. A locked door bears a cherub symbol, while a nearby gate needs power from a fuse box. The fuse is inside a locked case, and a note points to a screwdriver in the nurse’s office. Searching rooms and drawers helps Grace gather useful supplies, including a healing shot and a green herb. A bottle can distract enemies, but it cannot stop them. A lighter provides a small amount of illumination in the dark.
Practical tip: Check rooms and notes carefully before attempting to open the gate. The clues connect several items and locations, so taking a moment to track what is missing can make backtracking more purposeful.
A Persistent New Enemy
In the nurse’s office, a body falls onto Grace, triggering the demo’s first jump scare. A huge mutated creature emerges from the darkness, takes the corpse, and pursues her through the narrow corridors. Its size makes the chase feel especially dangerous, and one attack leaves Grace needing to heal before continuing.
The creature does not always follow through doors. Instead, it can move through openings above them, with shaking and creaking light fixtures giving clues to its location. This makes listening and watching the environment important parts of survival. The enemy functions as a persistent threat, recalling the pressure created by Mr. X and Lady Dimitrescu. It can also break through walls to block Grace’s route, echoing the pursuit sequences in Resident Evil 7.
The demo’s final stretch has Grace quietly searching for the fuse while avoiding the creature. Finding it sets off a dash toward the gate, with the pursuer close behind. The preview ends before showing how the chase concludes.
What the Preview Suggests About Resident Evil Requiem
The demo does not introduce a major departure from the series’ established survival-horror formula. Instead, it combines careful exploration, item-based puzzles, limited resources, and a roaming enemy to build tension. The unanswered questions include Grace’s place in the larger story, the nature of the threat, and when the events occur in relation to Resident Evil Village and its Shadows of Rose DLC.
For fans of the series, Resident Evil Requiem offers a return to Raccoon City alongside a new character and a frightening hotel setting. The demo’s emphasis on stealth, observation, and resource management suggests that careful exploration will be just as important as surviving the chase. The game was announced for release on February 27.
