Capcom promised fans a Resident Evil Showcase focused on Resident Evil Requiem, after its major Leon S. Kennedy reveal in the third trailer at The Game Awards 2025. While there is still plenty more we don’t know about the ninth instalment, the new reveals are enough to suggest Requiem could be the best in the franchise.
It’s evident that Capcom wants to hold as much as possible to its chest regarding RE9‘s story, locations, and returning characters. We already know Leon will be returning to Raccoon City, and characters from Resident Evil Outbreak will appear in some form.
Admittedly, marketing for the game was very stale and slow before The Game Awards 2025, but after this year’s Resident Evil Showcase, I’m more than satisfied with what Requiem has to offer – and several features that were revealed, and other omissions, that leave me incredibly antsy to get my hands on the game.
1. Leon S. Kennedy’s stylish melee finishers
After playing nearly 400 hours of the Resident Evil 4 remake, I must admit, I didn’t think there would be any way for Capcom to level up Leon S. Kennedy and improve the beloved character’s melee and general combat expertise. From roundhouse kicks, knife parries, and suplexes, RE4 features so much fun combat, contributing to its replay value.
Capcom must’ve looked at RE4 and said, ‘no, that’s not enough,’ because every single second of Leon’s gameplay reveal was filled with jaw-dropping action, possibly some of the most brutal and stylish melee I’ve seen in the entire series so far.
While Grace’s gameplay revolves around pure survival horror, Leon is crushing zombie skulls and beheading enemies like it’s a practice course for him. Again, I’m sure there’s still so much more to it that we haven’t seen, but from the short segments we’ve seen, we’re seriously in for a treat when it comes to intense and stylish combat.
Perhaps Leon is turning into Dante, after all – fun fact: Devil May Cry originated directly from RE4‘s development, so I shouldn’t be surprised Capcom is making Leon a veteran monster slayer.
Capcom has already given us a brief showcase of Resident Evil Requiem during its early development phase, which was an open-world multiplayer game eventually scrapped due to worries over fan preferences.
At the Resident Evil Showcase, we saw another version of what was developed for RE9, but something entirely different from its early multiplayer concept.
The game’s director, Koshi Nakanishi, previously stated that Capcom tried to make Leon the main protagonist, but decided against it, due to the idea that he would be a bad match for horror – and in case you missed it, that led fans to believe that he wouldn’t be in RE9.
The footage (available above) revealed gameplay of those initial plans, highlighting a very spooky and slow-paced style of horror that won’t feature in the final game. However, this sequence (or multiple similar sequences) will likely be in the final game, but only when playing as Grace, and that’s very promising.
Resident Evil 7 is the scariest in the series, and the footage of Leon’s early horror-based gameplay indicates that Grace’s sections in RE9 will be terrifying.
3. Dynamic stealth sequences
Stealth gameplay is an aspect that the franchise has attempted, specifically in the Resident Evil 4 remake, but it doesn’t work out very well. Many would even argue that giving RE4‘s ‘stealth’ segments a stealth label is inaccurate, as players have little to no control over enemies being alerted.
Resident Evil Requiem looks set to improve upon that, in both Leon and Grace’s gameplay segments, giving all players an opportunity to dive into different play styles.
Nakanishi states that RE9 features multiple dynamic encounters, which leave players with a choice: engage and fight, or flee to survive, and I’d imagine players will likely be doing more of the latter when playing as Grace.
It’s the franchise’s first true attempt at stealth gameplay, and while we’ve only seen small glimpses, it looks truly impressive.
4. Zombies maintaining human personalities
One of the most terrifying revelations during the Resident Evil Showcase is that zombies in Requiem still harbor human personalities. It was an element to enemies that was speculated among fans in the third trailer, with the talking chainsaw-wielding zombie, and is seemingly Capcom’s tool for the goal of adding more weight to the story and the enemy encounters.
You’ll find that enemies continue with tasks their ‘human-self’ was accustomed to, like a chef in the kitchen, or cleaners still attempting to clean facilities. It’s something that will lead to unpredictable enemy encounters, as you might not know what the enemy’s next move will be.
I also have a strong suspicion that zombies may be fully aware of what is happening internally, but can’t stop themselves from attacking our main protagonists – and the creepy wide smiles with tears rolling down their faces, make me wonder what exactly this game’s virus does to those infected.
The Resident Evil Showcase was only 12 minutes long, which included a few ad placements related to RE9 amid the gameplay reveal, so it’s safe to say that we still don’t know a whole heap about what exactly is happening in Requiem. What we do know is that Elpis, whatever it is, plays a significant part in the story and Leon S. Kennedy’s role within it.
It’s pretty noticeable via the third trailer and gameplay reveal that Leon either has a severe scar on his neck (which I would assume may come from the Wrenwood Hotel burning down), or he’s infected with the virus that has infected several people in the game.
Capcom hasn’t been shy about showing this in multiple shots, so while his potential infected state may be a vital part of the story, I don’t think that is what Leon’s secret is.
It’s hard to pinpoint whatever that is (good job, Capcom), but it’s at least directly related to the death of Grace’s mother, Alyssa Ashcroft. I’m certain that it will end up being a major plot twist we learn as the story progresses, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it to unravel that mystery on February 27.
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