Resident Evil Requiem’s Leon Must Die Forever is Fun, But It’s Not What Fans Really Wanted

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Following the success of Resident Evil Requiem, expectations for the next installment are incredibly high. The game was a critical and commercial hit, selling over seven million copies and becoming the fastest-selling Resident Evil game ever. It also dominated Steam, significantly surpassing other titles in both sales and player numbers. Given this level of success, fans are eagerly awaiting any news about what comes next.

We were really excited to get ‘Leon Must Die Forever.’ Unlike the free Photo Mode, this is a full-fledged mini-game that gives players something substantial to do. With everyone expecting the first expansion to center around Leon and Ada Wong, it felt like a great way to keep players engaged. Plus, Mercenaries and Raid Mode have always been popular bonus modes from the developers, so it’s a win-win!

Leon Must Die Forever isn’t quite a traditional new game mode, and it might not keep you playing for as long as others, but we’ll explain that later. The main thing to know is you only play as Leon S. Kennedy. That makes sense, considering the mode is named after him and he was the primary character throughout much of the main game. He’s the one with all the weapons, ammo, and special attacks needed to take down enemies.

The way the game handled Grace, who felt like she was in a traditional Resident Evil survival horror experience, was very effective. While Leon could likely work well in a fast-paced, action-focused mode like Mercenaries, the overall structure of the game is different.

Leon Must Die Forever is a straightforward rogue-like game. You start with just one gun and fight zombies in levels taken from the main game’s campaign – for example, the first level where Leon fights enemies on a rainy street while people flee. In fact, it plays almost identically to those campaign stages, which is a bit unusual.

Okay, so killing the enemies doesn’t buy you more time, which is kinda annoying. Instead, you need to shoot those glowing spiders – they actually drop ammo and useful items! You can also find crates lying around with more supplies. There are even special military crates that give you better and better weapons, which is awesome. But just like in the main campaign, my inventory space is limited, so I have to be smart about what I keep and what I ditch. Gotta prioritize!

After defeating enough enemies, you can advance by interacting with a sign. The transition to the next stage is simple – there aren’t any cutscenes or story moments. You just choose the next stage on a branching flowchart, similar to Slay the Spire, and it loads with a brief text description.

There’s a catch: you need to unlock Enhancers for Leon as he levels up. Each time he gains a level, you get to choose from three upgrades, similar to games like Survivors, to improve different weapon types. Sometimes, you’ll find options that reward you for having empty case slots, making it a good idea to focus on a single weapon and stockpile ammo. You can even build a close-combat character, especially with Enhancers like Proximity Boost, which gives a 60% attack boost within 10 feet, but reduces damage at longer ranges by 40%.

If you’re not happy with the enemies you’re facing, you can use the Shuffle feature to get a new group. You’ll encounter some tougher zombies that you’ll need to skillfully block to hurt them. Keep doing this until you reach a boss, and ultimately, the final boss – the one you’d expect to fight.

That covers most of it. You can earn some cosmetic items, such as a funny hat for Leon that looks like his Porsche. However, it’s clear this isn’t the Mercenaries mode. It feels more like a reimagining of the main campaign with elements of rogue-like games, possibly designed for players who want to revisit levels and bosses without a full replay.

Honestly, playing through this felt a little disappointing. It was missing some of the really iconic moments – you know, like Grace struggling against that crazy meat grinder, or Leon’s awesome motorcycle chase? And the biggest letdown was that I couldn’t just choose which bosses I wanted to fight. A proper boss rush mode would have been so much better, letting me tackle them in any order I wanted.

The developers didn’t advertise a ‘Mercenaries’ mode, so it’s understandable they didn’t deliver it. However, the current offering feels lacking, and players are right to expect more. Adding a timer that doesn’t actually pause when you eliminate zombies—unless you buy an upgrade—makes the experience feel flat and removes any real sense of urgency. The repetitive music doesn’t help either, further diminishing the tension.

This new mode feels similar to the Raid Mode in Resident Evil Revelations. That mode let you play as different characters, each with their own special skills and appearances. Even if the developers didn’t want to include Grace in the main story, there were other characters they could have used. For example, Sherry or Xeno could have been playable, using their unique abilities to fight enemies. It’s possible they didn’t have time to create the necessary animations or special items that would fit each character’s style – it wouldn’t make sense for Sherry to wield an axe or for her to fight like Leon.

Honestly, this feels really rushed. A big part of what makes Leon, Leon, is his awesome lines, and they’re totally missing here. Instead, you’ll hear him complain about being “sick of this” over and over – seriously, a lot. It’s weird because sometimes you’ll get story dialogue that isn’t from a cutscene, especially during the final boss fight, which makes people think this is just a remix of the original campaign. And to top it off, there aren’t even any new Achievements or Trophies to earn. It just feels incomplete.

Okay, so I’ve been playing Leon Must Die Forever, and even if you go in expecting a tough rogue-like, it gets a little repetitive. The levels and enemies don’t change up enough, and honestly, I was hoping for way more ways to build my character. It feels like adding a few different characters with special abilities, or even just some unique weapons for each, would’ve made a huge difference. Right now, the core gameplay just feels a bit too basic.

If there’s a silver lining, it’s that the game labels these as “Extra Games,” suggesting more could be coming, maybe with the first expansion. While I wouldn’t expect a full mode like Mercenaries or Raids, it’s still possible.

Leon Must Die Forever is a simple, free mini-game that’s enjoyable for a quick play or two as you try to beat your high score. It’s great if you just want to jump in and start shooting as Leon without worrying about a complex story, building up your character, or a smooth gameplay experience. It’s decent as it is, but it had the potential to be much better, and fans are right to hope for more considering how good games in this style can be.

Please be aware that the opinions shared in this article are solely those of the author and don’t reflect the official stance of GamingBolt.

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2026-05-12 16:18