Thirty years ago, the world almost ended. Or rather, a fictional city was blown up to prevent a zombie outbreak that jeopardized society. Now, there’s nothing but debris and ashes in a place that once stood thriving. Raccoon City is the home to an incredibly famous video game series: Resident Evil. For the past five games, the remains of Raccoon City weren’t touched. None of the characters went back until now. In the most recent and ninth installment of the series, the main character finally went back to where it all started.

Resident Evil: Requiem was released on February 27th, 2026. It follows two main characters: one new and one familiar. Grace Ashcroft is a new face to the franchise. She’s an FBI analyst who gets kidnapped by the antagonist, Victor Gideon. It’s immediately clear this is her first rodeo. Grace shows a lot of anxiety throughout her gameplay, questioning the situation and panicking when monsters pursue her. It’s rather refreshing to see a new personality, one also much more realistic than a strong, placid character in a situation full of stress. The unique addition allows players to resonate closer to the characters.

Leon S. Kennedy is a distinct character in the Resident Evil series. Appearing first in the second game, he started out as a rookie cop who faced the zombie outbreak in Raccoon City on his first day on the job. For a man who’s unlucky, he managed to escape. Within the past thirty years, he continued to fight monsters formed from bioterroism. Now, Leon is trying to save Grace from Victor, whilst also dealing with his own issue. He’s dying. Leon’s immunity is fading away–the same infection that caused the outbreak is killing him. 

Combining both horror and action, the game strategically aligns them with each character. For the first half of the game, Grace is focused on, with horror driving her gameplay. A first-person perspective is recommended for her, and she has many areas located in the dark. Whereas Leon’s gameplay has much more action, is third-person, and is focused on in the second half of the game. It’s genius. The mechanics heavily satisfy both sides of the fanbase. 

One of the most memorable moments in the game is Leon’s homecoming. In the second half of the game, Leon returns to Raccoon City’s police station, the main location in Resident Evil 2. Overcome with survivor’s guilt, the scene gives Leon so much more personality. He’s not a robot. He cares about the people he lost and blames himself.

There’s a lot of pressure for a video game to be good, and Resident Evil: Requiem did not disappoint. The game celebrates the franchise’s 30th anniversary by bringing back favorites in the series. Carrying the legacy, the game is astonishing. It’s way better than what many people expected. One of the most annoying things in the media is plot holes–stories that are left unanswered. In a lot of former Resident Evil games, there were a lot of unanswered questions. Requiem finally answered some of them, even ones that were decades old. Satisfying many fans, the game is a success and really shows how far the franchise can go.