Earlier this month, Capcom teased that a new entry would be coming in its beloved horror franchise to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Fans didn’t have to wait too long for answers, though, as Resident Evil Requiem was revealed to the world, and what they got was surprising in various ways. Today, the Capcom Spotlight decided to show off some key details about the game, its world, and its protagonist through interviews with the key people making the title. What’s immediately clear after hearing them all speak is that this is meant to be an original entry while also honoring all the games that came before in the series’ 30-year history.
Right off the bat, the team noted that the theme they were going for in Resident Evil Requiem was “addictive fear.” Why? Because they wanted the player and the protagonist to overcome their fears and push to do even more within the game. That led to them talking about Grace Ashcroft, the all-new protagonist for the series. Ironically, they almost went with Leon S. Kennedy, but there was an immediate problem with that. Leon would be so battle-hardened by this point in the series that he wouldn’t be scared of pretty much anything thrown at him. As such, he’s only good for action, not for scares.
In a series first, Grace is someone who may be trained in combat due to her FBI training, but she’s anything but fearless like Leon, Claire, Chris Redfield, or even Ethan Winters. She’s going to react to anything and everything because she’s not prepared for the dangers of Raccoon City.
To that end, the team noted that some time has passed since the missile strike that “saved” Raccoon City, and through first or third-person perspectives, you’ll get to experience it via Grace and help her push through the dangers ahead. The team went to great lengths to highlight the dangers and harm that Grace would come up against, including making a custom wig so they could understand how her hair would move in the game.
They also said that the game’s title is a reference to how this is a “eulogy” to all the characters and stories that have come out before, including the ones based in Raccoon City.
Arguably, the coolest thing about all of this is that if you go to the “Resident Evil Portal,” you’ll get to hear the uncut interviews that were shown in the presentation and get even more insights about the game, including why they almost didn’t do Raccoon City as the setting, and who Grace’s mom might be…