Grace and Leon have distinctly differing approaches when dealing with the many threats that are between them and the truth about Elpis. But Requiem does something truly special with that dichotomy.
We all know that Leon’s bringing a lot of experience to Requiem, using all of his DSO training to put down any threats in his way like they were nothing more than a nuisance. But Grace’s FBI analyst training doesn’t allow her that luxury, and she must rely on silence and quick thinking to get to the truth behind her abduction and the murders at the Wrenwood Hotel.
Add in the fact that the game will likely switch between the two when you’re exploring levels makes Requiem sound amazing. But it’s more than that, as that isn’t the upcoming title’s secret sauce. Freely switching between characters was already done in Resident Evil Zero, with a shared world state that Rebecca and Billy could impact through their actions. That the shared world feature is returning to Requiem isn’t good news on its own, though.
What’s really cool is that exploring areas as either of them impacts the other. According to developer interviews, the items and enemies you interact with as Grace affect Leon when he visits the same area. The shared world state isn’t the speciality here, but the fact that their varying approaches are underlined by a tactical layer that you, as the player, get to use to your advantage is worth a second look. While it isn’t confirmed if you can switch between them at will, it’s still an interesting take on what Resident Evil Zero has done in the past.
Why do we think so? That’s what we’re here to tell you. Let’s dive in.
Let’s start with what’s been confirmed about this mechanic by none other than the developer of Resident Evil Requiem. In an interview with PlayStation Blog, they enthusiastically pointed out that any enemies you take down as Grace are going to stay that way for Leon, and that the same applies to items. Obviously, that applies to anything Leon does as well.
They then went on to highlight a few strategic possibilities tied to having two protagonists who actively affect the world they’re in, saying that when Grace might not be able to take down every enemy in an area she’s exploring owing to her limited resources, you could very well switch to Leon who can deal with the threats that his less experienced counterpart couldn’t handle.
While they were careful not to confirm if you can switch between them at will, we believe that it doesn’t matter, as there’s enough value to be found even if you cannot. Sharing the world state between a pair of protagonists who have such vastly differing skill sets is already a facet of Requiem that’s making us mighty impatient to try it out, and there are a few reasons for that.
You might be forgiven for raising an eyebrow at the word ‘strategy’ in a Resident Evil game. What role would that play in a game that’s focused on tension, fear, and of course, a story that lets you overcome those sentiments? A significant one, actually, since Requiem can be a title where you use each protagonist’s skill set to ensure that returning to an area as the other becomes a tad easier, thanks to your forward thinking. Allow us to explain.
Imagine an area where Grace has trouble with a group of enemies, where it would be a massive problem to try taking them on. They’re in the way, and getting past them is the only path to progress. Retreating to a safe point, presuming you can’t switch to Leon at will, and then returning as him to dish out some serious damage to the group is going to allow you to easily clear a path to your next objective. It’s definitely better than deciding to empty your limited supply of bullets and healing items, hoping that what you have on hand is enough to deal with the threat you’re facing.
Having such options is a superb tweak to the Resident Evil formula, playing right into the strengths of its more survival-oriented approach from the classics, Zero included, and the action-focused one that was a part of more recent titles. And there are three reasons why it could work very well to make Requiem stand out from all the games that have preceded it.
Firstly, it brings a new layer to managing your fear, which has been a staple of the franchise, irrespective of whether the title in question belonged to the survival or action camps. Grace’s sections certainly invoke fear, the camera showing you things from her point of view to great effect. Her relative helplessness against vicious zombies is a part of her gameplay loop, making you avoid enemies as much as you can while you conserve your limited resources for when you really need them.
Having the option to retreat and bring Leon to situations that need the extra firepower he brings can let him become a sort of release valve for all the tension that builds up when you explore an area as Grace. It lets you reclaim a space from your enemies without being forced into situations where you try to brute force your way through an area, which might have been the case if Grace were the only playable character in Requiem.
Second, it makes backtracking a viable strategy in a way that even RE Zero couldn’t achieve despite sharing a similar mechanic between Rebecca and Billy. In older titles from the franchise, backtracking was often necessitated simply because a puzzle or mission objective required you to go back and hunt for an important item in an area you previously explored.
Here, it becomes a matter of planning your routes through an area with the knowledge that there are two distinct toolkits at your disposal. You could make a first pass as Grace, utilizing her injector and the Requiem pistol to deal with isolated enemies without creating too much of a ruckus.
That ensures that Leon isn’t going to get surrounded and swarmed by overwhelming forces. He’s a capable fighter, yes, but he is essentially one man against an entire horde, after all. Thinning the herd is going to make him all the more effective in battle, making him a powerhouse that his opponents cannot overcome without superior numbers.
Third, it makes exploration in the game a whole lot more intentional. See an item that you can pick up? You’re best served to stop and think about who would use it best. Do you leave it behind as Grace to make life easier for Leon? Or do you think that his combat skills are more than enough, and pick it up for Grace?
Having levels where you’re constantly asking these questions is definitely something that we’re looking forward to when we get to dive into Requiem. But we already know that switching between your protagonists isn’t unique to the game, not on its own. So what makes it so special this time around?
We mentioned Resident Evil Zero a few times as we examined how Requiem letting us switch between Grace and Leon could make it stand out. Zero is an obvious choice for a comparison thanks to the exact same mechanic being present in Rebecca and Billy. They too could leave items for one another, and had slightly different skill sets that affected how they could respond to situations in any given level.
But aside from minor differences, they were largely the same. The story justified that similarity, with both Rebecca and Billy being operatives with similar training regimens. There was variety in their areas of expertise and physical strength setting them apart. But, aside from a few differences, they were more or less different skins of the same protagonist.
That’s where Requiem sets itself apart. Grace and Leon aren’t the same, not by a long shot, and the story sets up that difference quite well. And, by establishing that difference, you’re given two distinct playstyles spread over two characters. It’s the perfect way to present the concept of fight or flight from both a narrative and gameplay perspective.
It alters both the moment-to-moment gameplay by introducing a tactical element to your exploration while improving replay value across the board for the overall experience. You could, in theory, choose to double down on either Leon or Grace for the majority of one playthrough and then return to it as the other character.
Is it an interpretation of Resident Evil Zero that’s unprecedented? Certainly not. But as a recontextualization of a past idea, it’s both innovative and potentially entertaining, a factor that does it wonders.
It ties the game’s core idea of surviving hostile environments to two distinct ways of spiking your adrenaline and two very different combat identities that are framed very well from a narrative standpoint, while making meaningful changes to the gameplay loop from Zero.
Requiem is doing a lot of things right, sparing no effort to be a love letter to fans who have stayed with the genre over the years. And by placing Grace and Leon at the center of all its great ideas, it ensures that you engage with them all as you dive in.
