During the midpoint of Summer Game Fest in 2025, Resident Evil executive producer Jun Takeuchi made an appearance on screen to fuel the excitement surrounding the unveiling of Resident Evil 9. “Hang in there a bit longer,” he said. “Just a moment more, and it’ll be ready.” True to his words, by the end of the event, RE9, now known as Requiem, was unveiled, catching everyone off guard. The trailer generated many queries: Could the new character, Grace Ashcroft, be the daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft from Resident Evil Outbreak? Is it set in a post-bombing, quarantined Raccoon City? And most crucially, is it a first- or third-person game? In another unexpected turn of events, I was given the opportunity to play the game for approximately 20 minutes, and although I got some answers, I left with even more questions.
After having a brief taste of the game, I can already pose one question that it answers clearly: It offers both third-person and first-person views. During gameplay, you have the flexibility to pause at any moment and switch between these perspectives as desired, unlike Resident Evil Village which added third-person later and required a new save file for this mode. Although I hoped for a quick button press to change perspectives, this is nevertheless an upgrade. Moreover, it’s evident that Capcom aimed to make Requiem equally engaging in third-person perspective as their recent remakes of RE 2, 3, and 4. This is particularly noticeable in the cinematic cutscenes where you see Grace interacts within the scene, unlike Biohazard and Village which maintained a consistent first-person view. However, the game still encourages playing in first-person mode.
In this practical session, I opted to experience the game using its suggested first-person viewpoint. However, I paused for a bit to explore the third-person perspective, finding it quite comfortable and similar to the recent Resident Evil remakes. It’s quite different from the third-person mode in Village, where efforts were made to keep Ethan Winters’ face hidden most of the time. Normally, I favor third-person Resident Evil games, but the part I played seemed more fitting for a first-person perspective (which I will soon explain). It remains to be seen if other parts of the game may benefit from one perspective over the other. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I didn’t get a chance to play the demo again entirely in third-person.
The demonstration commenced by introducing Grace Ashcroft, a fresh FBI technical analyst and our new lead character, who found herself strapped upside down on a stretcher. The reason for this unexpected predicament was unclear at the time, leaving both Grace and myself in a state of bewilderment and alarm. However, with great determination, Grace managed to break free from her restraints. As I stepped into Grace’s shoes, I surveyed the room, which bore the elegant charm of an antique medical facility. The intricate wooden furniture, vintage wallpaper, and aged ambiance hinted that it wasn’t a typical hospital but perhaps a personal medical center, possibly located within a mansion.
As I stumbled into this mysterious place, I had no clue about my destination or the path ahead. Navigating through pitch-black corridors felt like a daunting task, but I pressed on, hoping to find a way out. Interacting with light switches and lamps, a level of engagement that was scarce in past versions, seemed promising for the game’s progression. Unfortunately, a fuse had gone out, leaving me in darkness. Just my luck!
Several blind alleys, shrouded in darkness, halted my advancement, making it impossible to proceed without some light. The first-person perspective amplified this experience, immersing me in the oppressive darkness and stirring feelings of claustrophobia and tension – sensations that wouldn’t have been as impactful if I was playing in third-person.
In my gaming adventures, I inevitably stumbled upon a locked door, along with the necessary key and a lighter to pierce through the suffocating darkness. To top it off, there was an eerie children’s book about a woman with oversized eyes that kept watch in the shadows. The lighter turned out to be quite crucial, reminiscent of Resident Evil Code: Veronica, serving as a key itself for previously unreachable dark areas. This allowed me to scavenge for a fuse and restore the lights, all while hoping to escape this nightmare. However, my wishful thinking was short-lived when I encountered the terrifying lady with the enormous eyes – not your typical Lady Dimitrescu. Instead, she was an unsettling and grotesque depiction of a humanoid creature with massive staring eyes, eager to lift me in her claws and chomp on my skull. She seemed to be the equivalent of Requiem’s Mr. X, Jack Baker, or Lady D in this particular region. I treaded carefully through the environment, performing death-defying maneuvers to nab a fuse and escape her grasp.
In my experience, it brought on a controller-clutching tension, yet it seemed strangely reminiscent to me – a sense of déjà vu transporting me back to the House of Beneviento in Resident Evil Village. Similar to an unforgettable scene from the Village, I found myself disarmed and defenseless, compelled to traverse dark, confined corridors, all while outwitting a horrifying creature. This uncanny sense of been-here-before felt distinct from the direction Capcom has been steering the game in. During Summer Game Fest, Geoff Keighley stated that the game represents a significant change for the franchise, not only in tone and mechanics, but also emphasizing survival horror less and high-stakes cinematic action more. However, none of this dynamic, action-oriented gameplay was evident in my preview.
From what I gather, this demo only gave a tiny taste of the overall game, not providing a complete picture of the intended experience. As a sneak peek at gameplay, it didn’t elicit excitement or disappointment, but rather left me indifferent. There wasn’t enough information to understand the game’s new direction or the character of Grace Ashcroft, the new protagonist. It’s uncertain whether she has combat skills like gun use, suggesting a more stealth-oriented gameplay. However, it’s possible that there could be multiple playable characters. This isn’t unprecedented for game director Kōshi Nakanishi, who also managed Resident Evil: Revelations, which allowed switching between various protagonists. Additionally, a line in the trailer seems to echo Leon Kennedy, voiced by Nick Apostolides, but this hasn’t been confirmed yet. We’ll have to wait and see.
Discussing the surprising unveiling at Summer Game Fest where Keighley initially suggested it was from a completely new studio, but later revealed it as Resident Evil 9 after a minute, might symbolize the game’s atmosphere, possibly creating unexpected twists and turns in player expectations throughout the gameplay.
In a different tone, let me rephrase: Resident Evil: Biohazard marked a significant shift from RE6, while Village wasn’t as drastic a change from RE7, it took the core gameplay of Biohazard and transformed it into a horror-themed amusement park. Biohazard brought the series back to its original atmosphere of fear and suspense, but Village incorporated the intense action elements seen in Resident Evil 4. After playing Requiem for about 20-25 minutes, there’s still uncertainty about what Capcom has in store for the next installment. All I can say is, despite a sense of familiarity, I’m eagerly waiting for February 26, 2026, when the game is set to release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
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2025-06-11 18:39