Resident Evil Requiem is ‘Almost an Upgrade’ of RE2’s Style of Horror and Gameplay

Resident Evil Requiem director has revealed that the upcoming title can be considered “almost an upgrade” of RE2’s style of horror and gameplay.

Capcom’s ninth installment in the Resident Evil series is set to arrive on February 27, 2025, and we have received a wealth of information about the upcoming title through interviews with the developers. Recently, the devs commented on the numerous leaks surrounding the upcoming title, and now we have been told that Requiem leans more towards RE2 than RE4.

Resident Evil Requiem Leaning Towards RE2 Was Always Their Intention

The director of Resident Evil Requiem, Koshi Nakanishi, spoke about taking inspiration from RE2 during a new interview with IGN. Nakanishi first explained how players can “broadly classify Resident Evil titles on a scale of how much they’re like Resident Evil 2 or Resident Evil 4.” He said that Resident Evil 7 leans more towards RE2, thanks to the return to survival horror roots, and Resident Evil Village is more towards the RE4 side of things, thanks to the action and gameplay.

When the developers kept heading in the direction of “adding more and more action to outdo the previous title”, they ended up with games like Resident Evil 5 and 6, which were good. Still, the consensus was that the series was pushed “so far in the action direction that it was no longer horror.”

The director didn’t want to pursue the same treatment with Resident Evil 9, where they had “tried to outdo the action in Village.” Instead, they intended to always “firmly swing the scale toward the Resident Evil 2 style,” which makes Requeim “almost an upgrade” of RE2’s style.

Resident Evil Requiem Devs Don’t Know What’s Scary Anymore and Almost Cut Off Grace’s Legs

Later in the interviews, Nakanishi spoke about how they have created so many horror games that they can’t tell if they’re scary, “until someone else plays it.” The team was also concerned that the game might not be horrifying enough for the hands-off experience at SGF and the hands-on experience at Gamescom.

When asked if anything was cut from the game for being too scary, the director explained that they “didn’t really implement it, so it wasn’t cut.” At one point, they were like “What if [Grace] gets a big gash in her leg, or her leg gets cut off, because that thing attacks her, and oh my god, it’s so scary, but we talked ourselves down a little bit.”

Talking about scary, Resident Evil Requiem’s new horror system will play with your emotions. Additionally, Fantastic Four star has joined the live-action RE Movie’s cast. What are your thoughts on Resident Evil Requiem leaning towards RE2?