Resident Evil Requiem is the first entry in the series to be set in Raccoon City since Resident Evil 3, though Resident Evil 6 dipped its toes in the setting. As a result, Requiem is already looking very different to its two immediate predecessors: instead of seedy backwaters and toothless hicks, the footage we've seen thus far takes place in the claustrophobic environs of faceless high rises and labyrinthine halls. In that sense, it's quite reminiscent of Resident Evil 2.
During a chat with Requiem producer Masato Kumazawa, I noted the shared DNA in Resident Evil 4 and Village, and asked if Requiem might have a similar relationship with any older entry in the series. He confirmed my theory with no hesitation: "I believe in that regard, it's very close to Resident Evil 2," he said.
Aside from the setting, Requiem also has a stronger focus on the qualities of its player-character than the last two instalments. Sure, Ethan Winters had a backstory, a personality, and a very pressing motive, but Kumazawa makes an interesting distinction between Ethan and Requiem's new protagonist Grace Ashcroft, who is extremely vulnerable and unused to confrontation or violence.
"When you look at Resident Evil 7, while Ethan is the protagonist, he's more of the character for the player," Kumazawa said. "He's like a moving camera, because we wanted to have the player be immersed, to be involved, and to be scared. So, when you compare her with Ethan, Grace has a lot more characteristics: she has a lot more feelings involved, she's more easily scared."
Kumazawa drew attention to one of Requiem's most interesting features: the ability to switch between third- and first-person perspectives. This means the studio can have it both ways: the third-person perspective allows us to see Grace as she's "rushing, panicking, being surprised" and to trace her fate as a character in a story, while the first-person perspective allows us to become the protagonist in the way we could in Resident Evil 7 and Village.
Returning to Raccoon City is not without risks, though: this is a 30-year-old series and its fanbase can be very particular about the lore that has accrued over that time. "Raccoon City's a very important place, not just for the series but also for the development team," Kumazawa said. "So that's a lot of pressure for us."
I had to ask Kumazawa whether he had played Silent Hill f. "Yes, I did play it, and I really enjoyed how they still kept that very Silent Hill perspective, while taking on the challenge of putting it in a new Japan environment," he said, adding that he admires how Konami managed to make an action horror game with no guns.
As Andrea noted recently, it's a great time to be a fan of vintage survival horror: in the space of six months we're getting new Silent Hill, Fatal Frame and Resident Evil games. As for the latter, Resident Evil Requiem releases on PC on February 27.
