Resident Evil Requiem (Switch 2)

Woke: 0.0

Clean. Resident Evil Requiem is focused on being a survival horror game and nothing else. There's no shoehorned messaging, no agenda hiding behind narrative choices. Grace Ashcroft is a compelling character because she's well-written and her gameplay sections are mechanically distinct from Leon's. She earns her place in the story, not because she's filling a quota. Capcom let the game do the talking, and it says everything it needs to.

Gameplay: 9.5

Nearly flawless. Zero crashes across my entire playthrough, and the controls feel meticulously tuned for the Switch 2. The alternating protagonist structure is what makes this game special. Playing as Leon, you feel like a battle-hardened operative ready to handle whatever grotesque nightmare rounds the corner. His hand axe melee, explosive set pieces, and a motorcycle chase that had me grinning like an idiot all deliver that classic RE4-style action. Switch to Grace, and the entire tone shifts. You're holding your breath, sneaking past threats, rationing every resource, and getting creative with your environment just to survive. Her Blood Collector mechanic (crafting medkits and hemolytic injectors from zombie plasma) adds a layer of resourcefulness that keeps her sections tense and rewarding. The enemy variety is outstanding, with infected that retain fragments of their human personalities, muttering phrases and performing old daily tasks. Then there's Chunk, a massive lumbering zombie whose thunderous footsteps you can hear from seven rooms away. You always know he's coming. You're never ready.

Story: 7.0

The weakest link, and it's frustrating because the foundation is strong. The dual-protagonist narrative works mechanically, but the plot asks you to swallow some questionable logic. Sending a young analyst alone to investigate an unrelated murder at the same location her mother was killed is a conflict of interest so glaring it borders on absurd. The antagonists fare worse. Dr. Victor Gideon runs the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center as a front for modified T-virus experiments, assisted by Zeno from The Connections, but their motivations boil down to "we want power." That's it. Maybe Capcom is holding cards for future DLC, but as a standalone narrative, the villains needed more depth. The moment-to-moment storytelling and atmosphere carry the weight, and characters like Chunk and The Girl (a clone of Grace) add intrigue, but the overarching plot needed another draft.

Visuals: 9.5

The best-looking game I've seen on the Switch 2. Capcom's RE Engine continues to be a technical marvel, and whatever optimization work they did here deserves recognition. Character models are disturbingly detailed. You can see the decay on infected flesh, the wet gleam of something that should not be alive. Environments drip with atmosphere, from the grand halls of the care center to the gore-soaked underground corridors. Lighting is used masterfully to obscure and reveal in equal measure, and performance holds steady even when the action ramps up. I played about 65% docked and the rest in handheld mode, and it's stunning either way. This is the graphical benchmark for the platform right now.

Audio: 9.5

Terrifyingly brilliant. The sound design in Requiem is weaponized. Every creak, every distant moan, every wet footstep serves a purpose. The game uses advanced spatial audio that makes Grace's segments absolutely nerve-shredding. You can hear floorboards creaking exactly where an enemy is stalking, or the wet thud of zombies shuffling in the room above you. A biometric sound system shifts the music and environmental noise based on Grace's heart rate or Leon's combat intensity. Grace's heavy breathing and whispered internal monologues during stealth sections pile on the tension (even if they tested my patience at times). Leon's audio is the polar opposite: classic action-hero grit with cheesy one-liners during firefights and more somber reflections when exploring ruins. The contrast between the two is masterfully done. Play with headphones if you dare.

Replayability: 8.5

I'll be honest: I personally hate being scared. This is not my typical style of game, and I'm slow at puzzles. Requiem will not let you muscle your way through. The game is in control. You figure out the puzzle, and maybe it lets you pass, assuming you found enough ammo, because that tall bitch is going to chase you into a room where you either solve the problem or hit the power button and hope the nightmares don't follow you to bed. But the post-game content is substantial. Unlockable infinite ammo, Insanity Mode, alternate skins, and challenge modes give completionists real reasons to come back. The dual-character structure also means replaying sections with a different approach to mechanics you might have underused the first time. For the genre, this is a strong offering.