Resident Evil Requiem vs Resident Evil Village – 15 Changes That Matter

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As of today, with only a month until the release of Resident Evil Requiem, fans of survival horror are eagerly anticipating what could be the best installment in the series so far.

The developer has skillfully built excitement leading up to their major game release this year. Recent previews show a game with a strong, compelling story and a fantastic combination of everything fans love about the series.

So, how different is things now compared to when Ethan Winters tried rescuing his daughter from Miranda? A lot has changed, it turns out!

Join us as we dive into the most significant differences between Requiem and Village.

1. Two Protagonists, Twice the Fun

Look, Ethan was a great protagonist, and I really felt for him trying to save his family in Biohazard and Village – it definitely added to the scary atmosphere. But honestly, I’m super excited about Grace Ashcroft and Leon being the focus now. It feels like a perfect way to celebrate the series’ 30th anniversary, and Requiem seems like it’s going to be something special. Each character feels really different and interesting, which is awesome.

Grace focuses on being sneaky and uses only a few tools to get by, while Leon is heavily armed and knows how to use everything he has. This is a change from Ethan’s simpler approach, and it creates an interesting contrast in Requiem that should be really fun to watch.

2. A Better Combat Lane Split

Playing Requiem, it’s really clear how they’ve set up Grace and Leon. I’m playing as Grace, and she’s still learning the ropes, so I’m mostly dodging enemies and scraping by with whatever I can find. But when I switch to Leon? He’s a total pro! He just breezes through enemies, controlling the whole battlefield with awesome moves and even cracks jokes while doing it. He’s super precise with everything, it’s a big contrast to how I play as Grace.

This is a big shift from the way previous Village games worked, where you played as the same character throughout the story. Even though Ethan was a good hero, this new approach is different.

3. A More Dynamic Perspective

One of the coolest features in Requiem is the ability to seamlessly switch between playing in first-person and third-person perspectives. The game automatically uses first-person for Grace’s sections and third-person for Leon’s, but players will likely enjoy having the option to change views whenever they want.

Village was successful with its unique first-person perspective when it first came out, and the Winters expansion added a third-person camera option. However, Requiem is taking perspective-shifting to a much more impressive level.

4. Perspective-Specific Animations

Beyond being able to change how you view the game, we’ve added animations showing Grace’s fear as she tries to escape. While you might not fully see her panic in first-person, the third-person view reveals how her fear causes her to stumble – she might slip in blood or trip over obstacles as she desperately tries to survive.

This is a big shift from the original Village game, where the camera simply offered a different perspective without affecting how Ethan fought enemies.

5. A Cooler Way To Melee

Ethan found his knife useful while he was in Village, and it helped him deal with some troublesome enemies when needed. However, it wasn’t as powerful as his guns, and that was perfectly fine for the story.

The Requiem update gives Leon a stylish hatchet that allows him to deflect enemy attacks and quickly retaliate with powerful counters. It’s a fantastic new ability that expands his already impressive skillset, and we’re excited about it.

6. Staying Sharp During Combat

It was smart of the developers to avoid making the game too simple for Leon. While the hatchet is helpful, it needs frequent sharpening to stay effective. This is a nice change from the previous game, Village, where Ethan’s knife was mainly just used for basic attacks.

It’s always a little scary to see a tough enemy start sharpening their weapon during a fight, even if you’re just a zombie! The previous game, Village, didn’t include this detail, and we’re happy to see it added to the new one.

7. Getting The Drop On The Zombies

In Requiem, Grace understandably tries to avoid fights since she isn’t trained for combat. But you might be surprised to learn that Leon often prefers a stealthy approach as well. He uses his hatchet to quietly sneak up on zombies and quickly end their suffering.

Village didn’t have a strong need to add stealth features, as the game focused more on action and its story.

8. Turn Your Enemy’s Weapons Against Them

Leon finally got his hands on a chainsaw, which was fitting considering all the times he’d faced them before. He didn’t find it lying around, though – he took it directly from an enemy, giving him a significant advantage for a good stretch of time, until the fuel ran out. Even after that, knocking the chainsaw away from enemies created a dangerous hazard, as it spun around and sliced at the legs of nearby zombies.

The game Village didn’t have very engaging combat, and we’re now considering whether it would have been improved with a more exciting approach.

9. Brutality Baked Into The Gameplay

If you’ve been keeping up with news about Requiem like we have, you likely know Leon is a fierce fighter. We’ve already seen him use his hatchet and powerful kicks to take down enemies, smashing zombie heads against walls with brutal force.

In Requiem, the main character is a relentless fighter, but Ethan in Village mostly survived by using his firearms and occasionally defending himself.

10. A New Blood-Based Crafting System

You might think Leon is the only one having fun in Requiem, but Grace is just as capable. She can create powerful items using her enemies’ blood, including a particularly gruesome injection that instantly eliminates a foe. She can also craft healing supplies this way.

The Village’s crafting system leaned towards traditional methods, primarily focusing on creating items you use up, like potions and ammunition.

11. Mutating Corpses

Requiem features some unique enemies, like zombies infected with a parasite. If you defeat one of these zombies, it will mutate after falling, creating a nasty surprise if you return to that location later. Grace can use her injector to deal with this, but Leon prefers to simply destroy the mutated zombie when it appears.

Unlike some games, Village didn’t have enemies that came back to life after being defeated. Considering how many enemies there were in that game, that was probably a good thing – reanimated corpses would have made it even more challenging.

12. Time to Cook

In Requiem, creating useful items involves a detailed crafting system. You’ll need to locate the right lab equipment and discover recipes, then analyze those recipes in the lab before you can actually craft anything to use during gameplay.

Unlike in Village, Requiem makes you carefully consider the powerful tools you find. We believe this adds a great strategic element to the game, rewarding players who explore thoroughly and pay attention to detail, and we’re happy to see it.

13. A More System-Driven Stalker

Let’s be honest, Lady Dimitrescu was terrifying! She chased us so relentlessly that we often had to pause the game. Once we adjusted to the idea of being hunted by a powerful vampire, though, those chases became thrilling, classic escape sequences.

The Stalker in Requiem is a much more dangerous enemy. It can track you by scent, use the building’s ventilation system to find you, and even break down barriers once it’s on your trail. These new abilities make the game significantly more immersive and frightening.

14. Keeping Things Tight

The level design in Requiem feels much more confined compared to the expansive levels of Village. It was a little easier to escape enemies in Village because the environments had more vertical space – you could climb buildings and use other obstacles to reach safety or gain a better position to fight back.

The tight corridors and restrictive spaces of Requiem provide little comfort, so you’ll need to stay alert and focused to navigate its challenging levels.

15. Smarter Enemies, More Chaos

The enemies in Village were scary, but the zombies in Requiem are different – they still act a bit like the people they used to be. This creates unique challenges, like enemies switching off lights to avoid being stunned, or getting lost in their old routines, making it easier to sneak past them as Grace.

Okay, so the zombies in this game are seriously creative! Some of them actually sing – and it’s not just for fun. They use their voices to call more zombies to attack, or they let out these super loud, ear-splitting screams that can totally freeze you in your tracks if you’re not ready. Honestly, it’s way more interesting than the basic, run-of-the-mill zombies we saw in the original Village. This is a real step up!

Bonus: Bringing The Light

The updated RE Engine in Requiem significantly impacts how you play the game, especially when facing the Stalker. Unlike Village, which had open areas and used darkness in confined spaces, Requiem’s lighting is a core gameplay element.

Lighting plays a crucial role in the horror of Requiem – a bright room can offer a welcome break from the fear. We’re really excited to experience this ourselves when we get the chance to play the game.

We think these improvements will make Requiem a better game than Village. Now we just need to wait until next month to experience Grace and Leon’s journey into the past, which could shape the future of the series.

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2026-02-05 15:44