Resident Evil Requiem’s Leon Segments Would Be Better as a Separate Campaign or DLC

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The Resident Evil series has seen many reinventions, from complete remakes to experiments with different gameplay styles. A common thread throughout these changes is the use of multiple viewpoints. The new game, Resident Evil Requiem, continues this trend by allowing players to experience the story through the eyes of both Leon Kennedy, a popular character from the series, and a new character named Grace Ashcroft. However, despite Leon’s appearances in some of the most beloved Resident Evil titles, the main story of Requiem would have actually been stronger without his inclusion.

Leon starts strong with an exciting introduction that sets up the main conflict. It feels like a spiritual successor to the Resident Evil 4 remake, offering similar fast-paced shooting and stylish defensive moves. However, this promising beginning doesn’t quite hold up throughout the entire game.

Leon Deserved His Own Separate Ways-Like Campaign in Resident Evil Requiem

The game frequently switches between the perspectives of Grace and Leon, especially early on. These shifts happen quickly, with many of Leon’s sections being quite short – often lasting only about ten minutes. Just as players become comfortable with Grace’s gameplay, the game interrupts it with brief segments featuring Leon, then throws them back into the more challenging sections as the new character. This constant change of pace is disorienting and feels like a poorly edited version, possibly made in response to criticism that Grace’s parts were too slow.

One reason these parts of the game feel slow is the lack of a strong upgrade system, which is a key feature in most Resident Evil titles. After RE4, the series became known for letting players grow stronger and rewarding them for carefully managing resources. However, in this game, Leon can’t improve his weapons or abilities for quite a while, making those early sections feel less impactful. Without that sense of progression, the action feels less meaningful and more like filler.

By the time you get to really play as Leon for a while, the upgrade system feels rushed and limited. It’s surprisingly easy to fully upgrade all his weapons before the next chapter begins, which feels like an oversight. What makes it even worse is that there’s no charming shopkeeper to buy things from – instead, you get upgrades from a cold, impersonal computer, which perfectly sums up how uninspired the whole system feels.

Leon’s restricted weapon choices also affect how Grace plays. While it’s understandable her horror-focused side wouldn’t have a huge arsenal, she feels incomplete as a character. Her crafting options are limited, and she can’t find many significant upgrades or new weapons. This lack of variety makes her sections less interesting, and they often feel like they’re just repeating ideas from previous Resident Evil games.

Honestly, as a fan, Leon and Grace just didn’t feel fully realized to me. They almost felt like additions to a game that was already complete, you know? I was really hoping Grace would be the main focus and build on the creepy, atmospheric stuff from Resident Evil 7 and Village, and that Leon would have a clear story and a way to really improve his skills throughout the game. Instead, it felt like Capcom split their focus and gave us two okay characters when they could have given us one truly amazing one.

Resident Evil Requiem’s Leon’s Segments Ride Too Heavily on Nostalgia

Capcom’s decision to include Leon feels like a safe, and somewhat disappointing, one. It suggests they worried a game focused on a new character – despite featuring them prominently – wouldn’t attract enough players without a familiar face. While it’s hard to say for sure, the game Requiem relies heavily on nostalgia and references, which makes it seem like Leon’s inclusion was motivated more by commercial concerns than creative vision.

The second half of the game relies heavily on references to past installments, feeling like it just wants players to recognize and react to familiar elements without meaningfully integrating them into the story. This feels like a contrived attempt to evoke nostalgia, and it steps away from the self-contained narratives that made games like RE7, Village, and RE4 so effective. Resident Evil games are weakest when they prioritize including as much old lore as possible, and this new installment is a prime example of that problem.

Although the story would have needed some tweaks, it probably would have been better to introduce Leon as downloadable content after the game’s release. This would have allowed the main story to focus more on Grace, potentially making her character and gameplay more interesting. It also would have given Leon a smoother progression of upgrades and story chapters, instead of feeling disjointed. The Resident Evil 4 remake handled this well with its Separate Ways DLC, which told Ada’s story alongside the main game without making her feel like a secondary character. Ada felt fully developed, with her own personality, and was just as compelling as Leon.

Leon and Grace should have received the same level of care as other characters in Requiem, but the game’s unfocused story held them back. While Capcom’s downloadable content hasn’t always been great, it could be a real fix for one of the biggest issues with Requiem.

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2026-03-01 18:12