Resident Evil Requiem is shaking things up for the long-running series. Having recently played several hours of it, we can say that it honors the two sides of the series: the slow, methodical, resource-management side of its roots, which were elevated by Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil 2 Remake, and the tense action ballet of Resident Evil 4’s remake.

Many surprises lie ahead–including some notable changes to both tried-and-true playstyles that are bound to keep even the most veteran fans on their toes–so here are the biggest changes Resident Evil Requiem is bringing to the series that we noticed from our hands-on time with the game.

Resident Evil Requiem launches for PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series X|S on February 27, and it’ll be available in several different editions. For more info on what each one includes, check out GameSpot’s Resident Evil Requiem preorder guide.

Zombies talk now

Zombies: the festering beating heart of the franchise. The gurgling shuffling corpses are making a return, but this time, with a little elevation to shake things up. And it’s awesome. Having spoken with Requiem’s director, Koshi Nakanishi, he told us that this new breed of infected–who recently succumbed to their viral infection–retain some of their lingering personalities. And, in the process, yap away.

One encounter saw two zombies shuffling together, spouting fragmented words and nonsense to one another, as if habitually doing something they once did when alive. Talking zombies aren’t entirely new to the franchise, but never has it been put front and center as it has here. Zombies being able to talk dates back to Resident Evil 1, the series’s first and seminal entry, in 1996. The Keeper’s Diary, in particular, documents someone in the process of becoming a zombie. The last entry being nothing but two iconic words: “itchy, tasty.”

The other notable instance of a zombie talking is in Resident Evil 3 Remake, with poor ol’ Brad, who, in zombie form, says “sorry” before taking a bite out of poor ol’ Marvin.

Zombie habits are hard to shake

The inclusion of their personalities means that characteristics of who they once were carry over too, and, as a result, have design implications when coming toe-to-toe with them. This means that each zombie encounter will differ in some subtle and not-so-subtle ways, making each run-in feel unique. A cleaner, for example, can be found cleaning blood manically in a bathroom. If you choose to spare her when you first meet her, there’s a strong chance you’ll run into her later roaming the halls finding other messes to clean.

But then, there’s the hulking cook you meet in the kitchen, carrying on his routine to prepare “dinner.” If you sneak past him, you risk running into him later–and let me tell you, he’s no zombie pushover like the others. This implies that zombies will differ in challenge based on their body types and personalities.

Oh, and there’s a singing, dancing woman who twirls around and around. But when she sees you, she’ll unleash a deafening scream, alerting other zombies to your presence. This zombie type came from someone who was labeled with “main character syndrome,” according to a doctor’s note that can be found in the asylum. Zombies also have an array of weapons, contextual to what they were doing when they were changed: a zombie upstairs was clearly hitting the bottle hard that night, holding a wine bottle. In another case, a patient was armed with an IV pole.

The inclusion of their personalities has given the zombie archetype a ton of variety and context unseen in previous Resident Evil games. We think it absolutely rules, and we can’t wait to see how it evolves throughout the game.

Zombies are now a resource for crafting

Killed zombies can now provide a valuable resource that co-protagonist Grace Ashcroft needs for crafting, which is a big shake-up for the series. Traditionally, killing zombies in previous games–notably the survival-focused ones like Resident Evil 1-3, Code Veronica, and the like–provided no reward. Instead, choosing to kill a zombie was a cost of resources in exchange for a chance of survival. This was the risk/reward of choosing to tiptoe around a zombie: the reward was not wasting resources; the risk was encountering them again later. As is the opposite: the reward of not being attacked, at the risk of not having enough resources to survive a later encounter.

In Requiem, killing zombies as Grace provides blood, which can be used to craft ammunition and other much-needed resources. That also goes for collecting the vital fluids from all sorts of dubious places, like buckets full of mopped-up blood or even literal blood baths. Still, with that comes its own juggle: the syringe that’s used to collect blood takes up a slot in Grace’s limited inventory, and it also takes time to collect blood, creating a risk/reward scenario in trying to do so when enemies are around.

But like other resources in the game, the blood deposits you leave behind are automatically marked on your map, ready to be retrieved at a later time.

Crafting is different

In previous games–most notably Resident Evil 4’s remake and Resident Evil Village–crafting recipes were purchased from the game’s merchant. For Grace, however, learning new recipes to craft is a more layered process that plays into many aspects of the game’s design, such as inventory management and additional puzzle-solving. In Requiem, Grace will find lab samples scattered around in the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center. These tubes take up inventory space and must be processed on a special machine in the facility. Upon reaching a dedicated machine to identify the sample, Grace must solve a simple puzzle by interacting with molecules until the correct pattern is revealed.

While the first was a cake walk, the preceding samples actually became quite challenging. Once solved, Grace is rewarded with a new crafting recipe. The whole ordeal just adds another layer of friction in an already stressful scenario. But, hey, that’s what we love about Resident Evil, right?

Stick to the shadows

While stealth was a key element of Resident Evil 7 and used sparingly in Resident Evil Village–whether it was avoiding Lady D or the House of Beneviento baby–it’s an integral part of Grace’s section, and it’s deeply integrated into her gameplay. In Resident Evil 4 and its expansion, Separate Ways, stealth segments felt more like scripted on-rails segments, leaving little creative agency to the player. But that isn’t the case for Grace, as she has many options for dealing with a situation, like throwing glass bottles or playing to a zombie’s specific characteristics to counter them.

There are other environmental tricks, too, like tapping the piano keys to distract a group of zombies or shattering a pot. Additionally, Grace can’t perform silent takedowns unless she’s armed with a powerful purple syringe, which can one-shot kill regular zombies. However, it’s a massive waste of a valuable and rare resource, and it’s best saved as a last resort or when dealing with the big bads.

Multiple things chase you now

Move over Lady D, Mr. X, and the Baker family–there’s a whole new crew keeping Grace on her toes. And we do mean a crew. Based on what we played, there’s a grisly gang of ghoulies frequently wandering around the halls, with fresh twists to each encounter. First, there was the big-eyed lady hunching and lurking in the shadows. Then, there’s a big boy, who is, more or less, a walking physical wall, squeezing its way through anything it can fit through to get its hands on you.

It’s like if Lady D, the Benviento Baby, and Nemesis were all put into one game and set loose on you all at once.

Dual protoagonists

While having multiple protagonists isn’t new to the series, what is new in Requiem is the approach to different playstyles. Grace and Leon feel unique, with Grace leaning into Resident Evil 2 and 7 survival-horror in terms of combat, inventory, and pacing. As for Leon? His approach is an evolution of the survival-action gameplay from Resident Evil 4 and its remake. After sneaking around as Grace with her limited inventory and wobbly aim, switching to Leon is like a sigh of relief, as you gain access to his enormous inventory and chainsaw-wielding arms.

Resident Evil Village sort of did this at the very end when you stepped into the boots of Chris Redfield and went all Call of Duty, but that is a burp of a moment when compared to Requiem’s approach and how the game trades off between Grace and Leon. And, of course, we’d be remiss to not mention Revelations 1 and 2, which switched between characters frequently, even if the playstyle and design philosophy didn’t change as much.

Leon’s got a few new tools

Leon is clearly in peak mid-life crisis mode, what with the Porsche car and Hamilton watch being dead giveaways. What are you compensating for, Leon? You have nothing to worry about. Your fancy car and watch don’t define you. Anyway, he’s got a hatchet now, which essentially replaces his knife.

Like the knife, it can be used to deflect, parry, and stop chainsaws, and of course, it also has a durability stat. But unlike the knife, it doesn’t break or require a trip to the merchant for repair. Instead, Leon’s got a sharpening block in his pocket to get the thing back into shape–at the cost of making sure to do it at the right time–sort of like in Lies of P. There are still a few questions surrounding it, however. First, it appears that sharpening it is not resource-dependent.

At least, when looking at Leon’s inventory space, there’s no discernible item matching a sharpening block, potentially implying that Leon can keep wailing on an enemy with this thing as long as he can find a safe corner to keep it sharp. That also means Leon likely won’t be picking up any additional knives to help him in a bind like he did in Resident Evil 4 Remake–but that’s a mechanic that still exists for Grace. The hatchet also has bespoke takedowns and–based on what we gleaned from Leon’s inventory–two upgradable slots.

What those will entail, time will tell.

Chainsaw man

That’s right, Leon can finally shoot the chainsaw out of an enemy’s hands and use it to cause some hysterical chaos. It’s an overpowered option, but there’s still a risk/reward element in using it. For starters, when a zombie drops it, the chainsaw spins wildly out of control and can harm both Leon and his enemies until it slows down. However, it then becomes a race for Leon to grab it before another zombie does. Hilariously, there was even a moment where we shot a zombie’s feet out while it was holding a chainsaw, only for them to fall and be dragged across the floor with it.

It isn’t always a one-shot-kill too, as ramming a zombie with a chainsaw can cause them to wobble off with it stuck running in their chest. Lastly, the chainsaw plays into level progression, acting as a key to saw through barred doors. This will break the chainsaw in the process, preventing Leon from taking it everywhere.

Leon’s first new campaign in 14 years

That’s kind of wild, right? While we’ve seen plenty of Leon over the last seven years, Resident Evil Requiem is the first new storyline for Leon–in the games–since Resident Evil 6. Requiem is also the official bridge between the remakes into the modern mainline series. This makes it something of a trilogy for the icon, following his debut as a rookie cop, his evolution into a roundhouse-kick-delivering government agent, and his current role as a veteran counter-bio-terrorist agent.

For a recap, you can watch a video of all these changes right here.

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