Resident Evil Requiem has been (officially) out in the world for a few days now, and the gamer consensus is that it’s a genuine banger.
I had the pleasure of reviewing Requiem (I scored it quite highly) and have had the game for a few weeks already, and I’ve been having a ton of fun watching people’s reactions to the gameplay and story beats. While many are complaining that the game is too short (around 9-13 hours on a first run), the enjoyment found within has caused a wave of positive user reviews.
The reaction has been so positive, in fact, that Requiem has become the second-highest rated game ever on Metacritic by user score, putting it just percentage points behind last year’s game of the year, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. And a lot of the praise has to do with the game’s dual protagonist setup.
While newcomer Grace Ashcroft is bringing in tons of scares and clip-worthy moments, everyone cannot stop fawning over 49-year-old Leon S. Kennedy and his over-the-top action segments where he “aura farms” and slays zombies with ease. And the dichotomy between the two gameplay styles has become the subject of countless memes that crack me up whenever they appear.
General sentiment on social media can’t get enough of Leon’s funny one-liners, his proficiency with his hatchet that he uses to behead and destroy anything in his way, and of course, a ton of thirsting over his “daddy” appearance and his bulging biceps. Playing as the series veteran is a fun reprieve from the tension of Grace’s horror segments, and it makes for a truly memorable experience.
“Resident Evil Requiem doesn’t just continue the legacy of the franchise, it elevates it,” one fan review said. “From the very first hour, the atmosphere is suffocating in the best possible way. The game masterfully blends psychological horror with intense survival mechanics. Every corridor feels dangerous, every sound matters, and every resource decision has weight. It brings back that classic tension the series is known for, while evolving it for modern players.”
It’s clear that Capcom has another hit on its hands. Requiem peaked at over 344,000 concurrent players on Steam alone this past weekend, and on a Monday morning in the US, it currently has just under 200,000 concurrents, too.
If you ask me, the success is well-deserved. I hope to see the franchise continue at this quality for a long time to come. To celebrate, here are some of my favorite spoiler-free memes I saw over the weekend:
