First unveiled in 2025, the latest entry in this horror series, Resident Evil: Requiem, introduces Grace Ashcroft. She is a newcomer to the fold—an FBI investigator tasked with a string of mysterious serial killings. To be blunt, she is quite timid and lacks any real combat prowess. Early demos have already made it clear: the game leans heavily into survival horror, forcing her to flee from towering zombies while scrambling to solve puzzles.

However, last December, the appearance of series veteran Leon S. Kennedy was officially confirmed. Having honed his skills since the original Resident Evil 2, Leon is essentially the apex predator of the undead, possessing the kind of physical conditioning and combat experience that makes zombies look like mere nuisances. The developers have noted that they intend to create a sharp contrast in Resident Evil: Requiem, pitting the terrifying helplessness of Grace against the sheer action-heavy dominance of Leon.

Gamemeca recently had the chance to step into the boots of both Leon and Grace. This build, distinct from the ones shown at Gamescom 2025 and Tokyo Game Show, offered a much clearer picture of how their gameplay styles diverge, and let me tell you, the sheer power of the returning anti-zombie specialist was something to behold.

The demo is split into three main segments. Upon Leon’s arrival at the mansion of the primary antagonist, Victor Gideon, a level 6 alarm triggers, unleashing a horde of zombies. This is where you see the 'superhuman' Leon in full flow. He starts with a tomahawk, which doubles as both a weapon and a parry tool. The blade dulls with every strike and sustains heavy damage during parries, though you can keep it in top shape using a handheld whetstone.

You can also get creative with the enemy's own gear. Take the chainsaw-wielding zombies, for instance: parry their attacks, clear the room, and the tool is yours to command. Just keep in mind that these things don't automatically shut off when dropped; they keep running, potentially causing collateral damage. You’ll need to wait for the engine to stall before picking it up to slice your way through the opposition.

Then, we shift focus to Grace. Perhaps it was the jarring transition from Leon’s high-octane demolition, but Grace’s movement felt sluggish and, quite frankly, frustrating. She lacks a dedicated melee weapon, forcing you to scavenge for kitchen knives or letter openers, and her pistol feels like it’s firing blanks compared to Leon’s ordnance. To make matters worse, she’s slower on her feet and ammunition is scarce, forcing you to play the game as a traditional survival horror title where avoiding conflict is the smarter play.

As you navigate the puzzles as Grace, the game occasionally hands the reins back to Leon. Here, he feels even more lethal. You gain access to a shotgun, which is a godsend for the giant zombies that Grace was forced to evade. The loop is satisfying: blast them in the face with the shotgun to stagger them, follow up with a crushing blow from the axe, and repeat. You’ll find yourself breezing through areas that were sheer nightmares for Grace.

Grace’s sections are defined by puzzle-solving, tight inventory management, and stealth. You’ll spend most of your time roaming Gideon’s mansion, hunting for clues to solve puzzles involving the sun, moon, and stars. Once you have the solution, you have to trek back through infested halls to input the answer. You save your progress via 'typewriters', and the game is merciful enough to place them right before particularly brutal segments. Also, Leon leaves you with his cannon-like handgun, 'Requiem'; it rarely holds more than three shots, but it puts almost anything down in one pull of the trigger.

Resource management is vital. Unlike Leon, Grace has a cramped inventory, limited ammo, and a fragile health bar. However, she can collect zombie blood to craft specialized chemicals that can destroy zombie cells or create ammo. You can also gather 'coins' to purchase inventory expansions or upgrade your blood-collection gear. While not strictly mandatory, I’d highly recommend it for a smoother experience.

Leon, on the other hand, plays like a janitor cleaning up a mess. He doesn't bother with typewriters for saving, he can craft but lacks the blood-collection utility, his inventory is cavernous, and he doesn't even bother picking up coins. He uses his tomahawk to smash through cabinets and doors that Grace simply couldn't open, revealing stockpiles of ammunition hidden away.

With his shotgun, powerful handgun, and tomahawk, zombies are little more than speed bumps. While Grace might waste dozens of rounds on a single screaming zombie, Leon clears them in three shotgun shells. Even the giant knife-wielding zombies that kept Grace up at night go down in five. Securing keys and clues through combat allows Leon to access locked rooms and hidden safes that Grace would have simply missed, uncovering the darkest secrets of the mansion.

Perhaps anticipating Leon’s dominance, the late-game introduces incredibly resilient zombies. These foes shrug off everything but headshots and hit like a truck. Their movement is erratic and fast, sometimes even vanishing from your field of view. You’ll want to save your grenades or use precise shotgun aim here; trying to rely on a pistol or melee is a gamble only for the most seasoned players.

This is where the cracks in Resident Evil: Requiem’s design start to show. The damage consistency feels off. Even among 'standard' zombies, some seem to soak up three headshots from Leon’s pistol while others drop instantly. While some seem to have a limb-destruction system where their skulls shatter, it’s not always visually intuitive.

This inconsistency becomes even more glaring when the tougher variants appear. Between the pellet spread of the shotgun, variable enemy health pools, and simple hit registration, some enhanced zombies fall in three shells while others require five plus a melee finisher. It feels less like a challenge and more like a lottery.

Furthermore, Grace’s gameplay loop feels unnecessarily sluggish. While her lower damage, tiny inventory, and slow movement effectively sell the horror and make the puzzles feel high-stakes, there is a real risk that players will simply grow to resent the character. If Capcom wants us to care about the next generation of the Resident Evil series, a slight boost to her movement speed wouldn't go amiss.

Despite these gripes, Leon’s brand of visceral action is undeniably cathartic. There is a genuine thrill in swinging that axe at an encroaching horde or blasting an enemy into pieces at point-blank range—a feeling heightened by the contrast with Grace’s limitations. The impact of the axe blows and the satisfaction of a well-timed kick when a zombie staggers are what kept me pushing forward. Even now, the tactile 'weight' of those moments sticks with me.

Resident Evil: Requiem launches on February 27 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC, with official Korean language support included.