Resident Evil 9: Requiem
The latest entry in the Resident Evil series, featuring dual protagonist switching mechanics. The initial atmosphere is impressive, though the later stages have a slightly faster pace and level design is conventional. A nostalgic journey for series fans, while newcomers may benefit from familiarity with previous entries.
Art Appreciation
Rating Breakdown
Deductions
Guidance for using special items is poor.
It's 2026 and horror games still share the same elements and settings: always a hospital, always some odd collectibles inside the building to unlock doors — what hospital director has that much free time... The two-protagonist switching looks innovative, but its scope is heavily limited and the overall playtime is too short for it to really stretch its legs.
There are two camera perspectives by default, with the recommendation to use different modes for the two protagonists' action and exploration, but neither perspective strikes a great balance.
Much of the horror rests on Grace's little trembling reactions scaring herself... The thing is, she's supposed to be FBI — her nerves are way too weak. She keeps shaking even in safe rooms, and after a while it does wear on the experience.
After finishing it, it's hard to immediately recall which puzzle or boss fight was the most stunning.
Highlights
The early atmosphere is strong, especially the horror buildup when the girl first appears.
Deductions
Some scenes inexplicably suffer severe frame drops.
Models weren't adapted: start the game in a bonus costume and you get anti-gravity earrings. Sometimes, when switching between object close-ups and wide shots, there's an obvious break in ambient lighting.
Deductions
Unfriendly to newcomers: however famous Leon and Raccoon City are, complete newcomers can't follow some of the context, so all the flashbacks after returning to the police station mean nothing to new players. No wonder reception is polarized — it leans hard on the nostalgia card.
Zeno is built up as powerful and mysterious, yet doesn't even get a boss fight... The villain is underdeveloped, to the point that making him the final boss would feel meaningless anyway. As for the protagonists, Grace doesn't grow much either; despite her extraordinary background, she doesn't act like FBI at all.
It barely ties back to its title — what is a game named after a powerful firearm actually trying to say?
The Ark storyline and content feel rushed compared with the early game, like yet another crunch job. As for the final either-or choice with two endings, the bad ending is obviously the bad ending; the two choices aren't balanced.
Deductions
Fairly short — about as long as a puzzle-only Silent Hill game — but this one swaps between two characters, one for puzzles and one for action, and doesn't make full use of that hook.
Aside from hardcore players solving the final puzzle, there's basically no particular incentive to replay.
Mr. Raccoon is a purely achievement-driven collectible with little meaning; hardly any players even talk about the collectibles, which says they aren't worth much. Files are a bit more interesting as collectibles, since the hard final puzzle needs some numbers mentioned in them.