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'Resident Evil Requiem' PS5 review: Three playthroughs later, it’s still hard to put down
Playing as Grace and Leon creates two very different experiences, mixing immersive sound design, tense stealth, and satisfying combat
- PUBLISHED: Wed 11 Mar 2026, 2:52 PM
The moment I finished Resident Evil Requiem, I realised two things. First, the hype around it wasn’t exaggerated. And second, I had accidentally become a Resident Evil fan. Not bad for someone who usually spends more time in RPGs than horror games.
I played the game on PlayStation 5 and ended up going all the way — three playthroughs and the Platinum trophy. That means every single trophy tied to the game is unlocked. But the interesting part is that I didn’t plan it that way. My first run was simply about experiencing what the game had to offer. And it immediately pulled me in.
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A short but nostalgic story
The storyline is admittedly short, but it works. There’s a strong sense of nostalgia woven into it, especially for long-time fans of the franchise. The way it connects past events and characters feels deliberate without becoming overwhelming for newcomers.
Even as someone who hadn’t spent much time with previous Resident Evil games, the narrative still landed.
Two characters, two very different moods
A big reason the game works is how differently it treats its two protagonists.
Playing as Grace Ashcroft leans heavily into survival horror. Her sections encourage stealth, patience, and a constant sense of vulnerability. I played her part, as advised, in first-person mode, and it completely transforms the experience.
If you’re planning to play the game, do yourself a favour and use a good pair of headphones.
You can hear Grace trembling, breathing, and reacting to the environment around her. The sound design is incredibly immersive, the kind that makes you feel like the danger is right behind you.
Then there’s Leon S. Kennedy, whose sections flip the tone entirely.
The combat system when playing as Leon in third-person is fantastic. You’re still dealing with the same threats, but the power dynamic shifts. Instead of feeling hunted, you often feel like the hunter. After all, Leon is one of the most iconic characters in the franchise, and when he shows up, it’s the zombies that should probably be worried. His section also brings some of the game’s nostalgic callbacks.
Three playthroughs later
After finishing my first playthrough, I decided to try a speed run and completed the game in 3 hours and 12 minutes. Then I went back for a third run on the hardest difficulty.
Playing as Grace on Insanity mode is a genuinely terrifying experience.
The margin for error becomes razor thin, and the horror elements really shine when survival isn’t guaranteed.
The verdict
If there’s one real downside, it’s the length. The story wraps up faster than I would’ve liked.
But aside from that, Resident Evil Requiem is a fantastic experience. For someone who didn’t usually gravitate toward horror games, it was enough to turn curiosity into fandom.
And honestly, if a game makes you finish it three times and still want more, it’s probably doing something right.
Starting at Dh259 in the UAE, Resident Evil Requiem is available across PlayStation 5, Xbox, Nintendo, and PC.
