On Feb. 27, the newest addition to the Resident Evil series, Resident Evil Requiem, the ninth game, was released. Many fans of the franchise were excited about the game when it was first announced, and for good reason: it brings back a fan-favorite character, Leon Kennedy. His appearance in the game automatically generated a lot of excitement, on top of the trailer’s visuals, which promised another exciting story.Â
The protagonist of the game isn’t Leon, though, but Grace Ashcroft, daughter of the character Alissa Ashcroft from Resident Evil Outbreak. One thing Resident Evil games do well is create strong female characters in a male-dominated environment, which is rare. However, in most Resident Evil games, there is at least one extremely capable and cool female character. I think this has set an amazing precedent: a game from an extremely well-known and well-liked franchise featuring Grace as its main protagonist.Â
Without giving away too many spoilers, the plot of RE9 is very good. In Resident Evil Requiem, Grace is an FBI analyst and is assigned to look at a crime scene at the hotel where her mother was killed. While there, she’s kidnapped, and the perpetrator starts a T-virus outbreak, creating zombies. This is done to distract our leading man, Leon Kennedy, from following, though he does manage to catch up. Grace and Leon separately end up in a hospital, must figure out what’s been going on, and escape. They go through many trials and horrors as there are even more infected zombies at the hospital, but before they can escape, Grace is taken once more, and Leon is hurt. At this point, the game’s point of view shifts; we have been playing as Grace up until now. From here, we follow Leon back to Raccoon City, the place where it all began. The T-virus was first spread out of Raccoon City, and it’s now a desolate and deserted place. However, Leon still has to fight his way through to find Grace and help her.Â
There are two endings you can get in this game: the “good” ending and the “bad” ending. Regardless of the outcome, the game has been a major success, with over five million copies sold in five days. The internet has been raving about this game since its release, with many focusing on Leon’s return and comparing him to his previous games. The beauty of the Resident Evil games is the community; the stories told aren’t simple, cookie-cutter ones. There’s a lot of in-game content, and everyone finds different pieces of the puzzle, so being able to come online and theorize about what everything means is incredibly satisfying.
Regardless of your opinion on video games, Resident Evil feels like a movie, with its captivating plots and well-written characters. In the gaming industry, it’s important to support games that make an effort to ensure their characters, especially women, are represented—all without compromising the integrity of their storytelling from prior releases.