Resident Evil Requiem is a potent mash-up of the series' best ideas

I have a conflicted history with Resident Evil. I love the first game and, like many people, I consider Resident Evil 2 one of the best in the series. Unlike most, I adore 3 and Zero - I'd even love for a Zero remake to be next - and I have a strong dislike for 4. Sorry, Leon. Resident Evil 4 signalled a significant change in the series, a pivot from horror to action. RPD was no more, and, with the location change, so too went the zombies, Umbrella, the T-virus, and all the things that drew me to the games in the first place.

So I dropped off after this point, returning to the horror game series only to try a little of Biohazard and the brief Village demo, more than enough to confirm that they didn't quite scratch my itch. Controversial, I know, but beyond Resident Evil 3, the series feels to me like it's leaning on a name, capitalizing on the popularity of the brand without actually maintaining any semblance of what it was. They're not Resident Evil. As far as I'm concerned, the second the bomb dropped on Racoon City, Resident Evil was no more.

There are two main groups of Resident Evil enthusiasts. One set, which I consider myself part of, are fans of the puzzle-horror aspect. The tricky corridors and locked doors of RPD; the groaning, jerking zombies; the clunky inventory management and minimal weaponry. And then there are the gung-ho action adherents; those who loved the tonal shift in Resident Evil 4 and faster pacing punctuated by one or two horrific bosses as opposed to a lingering threat.

Resident Evil Requiem looks set to return to the golden era of RE while maintaining some of the series' modern mechanics - seeing the crumbling remains of RPD in the first Requiem trailer was enough to bring me right back on board. Now that I've spent an all-too-brief 20 minutes playing the game, I am full of hope that Capcom has returned to top form, while still catering to newer fans of the series.

Waking up as new protagonist Grace in a scene first spotted mid-way through the reveal trailer, a cut scene plays out before we're left, alone, in a residential-looking, almost cozy room - if it weren't for the inversion table and IV stand. In fact, with its leather armchair, filigree-adorned door, and medical paperwork, this room could almost have been plucked straight from Spencer Mansion.

Indeed, as you further explore this unknown building, an ominous silence emphasizing Grace's footsteps and shaky breathing, a red glow the only light in a pitch-black corridor, the return of Resi's horror and puzzle origins is increasingly more apparent, as is the inspiration from those early locations. I walk Grace over to a horse statue protruding from the wall, my mind already in overdrive, wondering what the relevance will turn out to be. I'm reminded of the RPD fuse box as I approach a drawn shutter and, of course, there's a keyhole, an ornate cherub design on the door of some importance, no doubt. We're a far cry from a rural Spanish village or snowy Romanian town here.

On completing a few more puzzles and unlocking a few more rooms, though, something altogether more important reveals itself about Resident Evil Requiem. There be zombies.

It makes sense. We already know we're returning to Raccoon City for at least some of Requiem, and while the full story remains a secret, it stands to reason that there would still be some remnant of the T-virus lurking about. To be clear, no roaming zombies appear as enemies during my time with the game - the undead here are, err, un-undead. But even if there are no longer zombies roaming the streets of Raccoon City, there may at least be some classic Itchy Tasty-esque tidbits to take us back to the good old days.

While there was another formidable foe in the preview segment, it's hard to know how much they appear and what their story is. I don't want to ruin too much, but this enemy does seem like they would be at home in Biohazard. While this doesn't fit my personal desires for the series as a fan of the earlier games, it does complement the return to zombies, infection, and Raccoon City by tying all aspects of the iconic series together in a perfect bow.

A major change in Requiem also seems to reflect this conflation of the two halves of Resident Evil: the choice between a third or first-person perspective. Earlier games were all played in third-person as standard, while Biohazard and Village saw a move to first-person. The latter eventually added a third-person view post-launch, but Requiem offers the choice from the jump. It's a clear indicator that, with Requiem, Capcom is aiming to appeal to both fans of the earlier games and those who prefer the post-RPD entries.

For die-hard fans, there are clearly some ties to Outbreak, as well. We already suspected this with Grace being the daughter of Outbreak's Alyssa, further confirmed in the Gamescom ONL trailer, but my hands-on demo also revealed a familiar special item: an empty ink ribbon, a clear homage to the limited save functionality of earlier entries.

While I still can't confirm from my time with Requiem whether the beloved Leon makes an appearance, everything I've seen leads me to suspect he does. Leon as a playable character not only fits in the timeline, but would also be the most obvious second protagonist to complement Grace. Despite her links to Outbreak, Grace is a fresh character to the series, while Leon is Resident Evil's most recognizable face and name. Working together, the pair would be the perfect personification of this balance of old and new.

Grace herself, meanwhile, is an incredible addition to the Resident Evil roster. Strong, independent, but still feminine, she feels perfectly placed to join the likes of Jill, Ada, and Claire in the Resi Hall of Fame. Overall, it's clear the appropriately named Requiem is a loving ode to Resident Evil's past, and I'm so ready for the dead to return.

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