When Resident Evil Requiem was unveiled last summer, developers promised fans a “new era of survival horror” and director Kōshi Nakanishi said the game was the “most extreme” entry in the long-running zombie series yet. Gamers are used to that sort of hyperbole, especially for a franchise celebrating its 30th anniversary, but the ninth mainline Resident Evil game is shockingly brilliant.
Set in an alternative present where the shady Umbrella Corporation has developed a deadly virus that can transform humans into brainless killing machines, Requiem starts with nervy FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft being asked to investigate the latest in a series of mysterious infections. The catch? She’ll need to return to the same hotel where she saw her mother brutally murdered eight years earlier. “Perhaps it’s time for you to face your past,” says her unsympathetic boss as he ushers Grace away from his desk.
