RESIDENT EVIL REQUIEM Feels Like Two Games Colliding Thanks To Leon Kennedy and Grace Ashcroft
Capcom’s Resident Evil Requiem is shaping up to be one of the studio’s most experimental entries in years, and that’s largely because its two protagonists could not be more different.
Pairing Leon Kennedy with newcomer Grace Ashcroft has created a dynamic that bends the franchise in two wildly distinct directions. According to the development team, that contrast isn’t just a stylistic choice.
It’s the core of the game’s identity, and it’s so extreme that it “almost like having two games” fused into one experience.
Fans expected Leon after PlayStation accidentally spoiled his return earlier in the week, but the real surprise came from how his gameplay was presented in the newest trailer.
Leon’s section blasts straight into Resident Evil 6 territory, complete with spin kicks, frantic gunplay, and even a moment where he revs up a chainsaw and slices a zombie clean in half. It’s a complete tonal shift from Grace’s terrifying sequences, which lean into claustrophobic dread and the kind of suffocating horror that defines the series at its creepiest.
Speaking with Automaton, director Akifumi Nakanishi confirmed that this split was absolutely intentional. Reflecting on his earlier comments about Leon being “a bad match” for pure horror, Nakanishi explained:
"Since quiet sections where you cower before monsters don’t fit him, his chapters focus on intense, adrenaline pumping action. Grace’s sections, on the other hand, are the scarier ones. We’re really emphasizing the difference in their experiences this time."
He continued by noting just how dramatically the two halves diverge, saying, "It’s almost like having two games with completely different types of tension mixed together."
Thatcontrast originally raised concerns inside the team as he acknowledged, "Early on, we worried players might not be able to keep up." Still, as development progressed, their confidence grew. According to Nakanishi, "we feel that the contrast gives the game a unique rhythm, like jumping into a cold bath after sitting in a hot sauna."
Requiem producer Masato Kumazawa expanded on that thought, explaining why the alternating tension works so well. "After a scary segment, the action feels even more exciting. And after an action segment, the horror feels even more terrifying. I think it’s a combined experience only possible by merging two completely different styles of gameplay."
Nakanishi added one last tease about the emotional ride this structure creates. "While Requiem is certainly scary, I think players will also feel a kind of exhilaration and satisfaction that past Resident Evil titles didn’t offer."
If Capcom sticks the landing, Resident Evil Requiem might deliver something fans will enjoy as Grace’s nightmare inducing horror and Leon’s chaotic heroics amplify each other, creating a pulse pounding cycle of fear and adrenaline that could make this chapter stand out among the franchise’s best.