Resident Evil Requiem Is as Scary as RE7 — Light Is Your Only Defense
Resident Evil Requiem leans hard into the unsettling, slow-burn horror that made Resident Evil 7 stand out. I played a short demo at Gamescom, and the section I tried feels polished, tense, and deliberately scary — especially because light plays a key role against one particular stalker enemy.
- Demo setup and setting: protagonist Grace wakes in a care center and explores Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center.
- Core mechanic: a large monster that is repelled by bright light and hunts via sound cues.
- Puzzles and inventory: standard Resident Evil tools like a lighter, screwdriver, fuse, and herbs.
- Camera options: both first-person and third-person views are available and effective.
- Platforms and release date: PS5, PC, Xbox Series X on Feb. 27, 2026.
- Official trailer: a linked YouTube video from Capcom.
Demo setup and atmosphere
The playable slice begins with Grace Ashcroft strapped upside-down to a gurney. She frees herself, checks a medical chart with no clear answers, and moves through dark corridors of the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center — a location tied to the older Resident Evil Outbreak titles. The demo leans on stark lighting contrasts: rooms are either pitch black, harshly lit by high-wattage bulbs, or bathed in red emergency light. As a result, tension is constant and the environment feels oppressive in short bursts.
Enemy design and mechanics
A large, stalking creature appears early in the demo. It quietly looms over a corpse, then gives chase. Importantly, the monster has a clear weakness: **light**. Brightly lit rooms stop its pursuit for a time, but it will still track the player via ceilings, ducts, and auditory signals such as thumps, falling plaster, and occasional wails. Because the creature reacts to sound, noisy actions — like moving a medical cart — can draw it closer. Thus, stealth and careful planning matter.
Puzzles and tools
The demo includes familiar survival-horror items: a lighter to see in dark spaces, a screwdriver to remove an important screw, and a fuse to open a gated area. Emergency healing items, like green herbs, are also present. Often, the monster is positioned between Grace and the puzzle or item she needs, which forces players to balance sound, light, and movement.
Perspective and performance
I ran the demo twice: once in classic third-person and once in first-person. Both perspectives feel solid and produce different kinds of fear. In first-person, seeing Grace’s own shadow and limited field of view amplifies immediacy. In third-person, the proximity of threats and broader movement options make close calls more visible. Overall, the build felt polished and responsive, consistent with recent Capcom entries.
Voice and characterization
Grace responds to danger with realistic fear and audible distress. The voice performance in the demo stands out compared with some past series entries. In short scenes, the character feels believable and grounded, which supports the game’s horror tone.
Release details
Resident Evil Requiem is scheduled for release on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X on Feb. 27, 2026. Capcom has promoted the game as delivering “addictive fear”, and the demo segment I played aligns with that promise.
That’s the core of what the demo shows: careful use of light, sound-based stalking, familiar inventory-driven puzzles, and solid presentation across viewpoints. If you like tense, atmospheric survival horror, this demo suggests Requiem is aiming to deliver on that front.
