Resident Evil 9 is, for a lot of, a long-awaited promise. Not solely due to the quantity it carries with it, an emblem of a veteran saga that refuses to age, however due to what it represents: a brand new alternative to return to one of the vital emblematic settings of recent video video games. And though I acknowledge that the mere point out of Raccoon Metropolis could make us really feel a sure nostalgia, what Capcom has offered at Summer season Sport Fest 2025 appears to level to way more than a easy reminiscence train.
Through the occasion, the Japanese firm revealed Resident Evil 9: Requiem, a title that can arrive on February 27, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Sequence X|S, and PC. It did so with a trailer that, with out exhibiting an excessive amount of, made it clear that we face an essential shift within the tone of the saga. No excesses or extreme spectacles: the main focus is on a extra contained, psychological, and intimate narrative, with a horror that appears much less occupied with shocks and extra in persistent unease. And above all, within the weight of the previous.
The sport introduces us to Grace Ashcroft, an FBI agent who returns to the ruins of Raccoon Metropolis to analyze the loss of life of her mom, Alyssa. Years after the assault that razed the town—and which appeared to have buried its horrors—one thing stays. It’s not solely the organic menace but in addition a type of emotional echo, a legacy that has not been absolutely closed. Grace will face not solely what’s left of Umbrella or her experiments but in addition her personal demons. Capcom thus proposes a private story and, on the identical time, one deeply linked to the expanded universe of the franchise.
From a technical perspective, Resident Evil 9 will as soon as once more guess on the third particular person, recovering the visible and playable fashion that labored so properly within the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3 and that had continuity in Village. The RE Engine is as soon as once more the technological base, albeit in a considerably improved model, and this supply is predicted to take full benefit of the present technology {hardware}. There aren’t any particulars but in regards to the fight system or the bogus intelligence of the enemies, however the extra introspective tone of the trailer means that the tempo may very well be slower, centered on environment and narrative relatively than fixed motion.
On a thematic degree, the choice to return to Raccoon Metropolis has apparent implications. The town isn’t just a spot: it’s the rotten coronary heart of your entire saga. Each nook of its destroyed streets, each forgotten basement, each laboratory hidden underground, holds a narrative that connects straight with the origins of organic horror on this universe. Recovering that area, however doing so from a up to date perspective and with a brand new character as a automobile, permits us to reopen outdated wounds with out essentially falling into recycling.
As well as, Resident Evil 9: Requiem appears to have the intention of closing a number of plotlines that the saga has been creating in earlier installments, particularly since Resident Evil 7. If Village has already hinted at a change of cycle, this installment can affirm it. And though Capcom has not made statements about whether or not will probably be a stage finale, the title chosen —Requiem—and the darker strategy of the fabric proven invite us to consider a piece that desires to be one thing greater than a typical sequel.
There should be a lot to know, and the unknowns might outweigh the certainties for now. But when one factor is evident, it’s that Capcom desires to return Resident Evil to mature, emotional, and narrative horror territory.. Not simply zombies and mutations, but in addition loss, reminiscence, and redemption. And to take action, furthermore, returning to the symbolic epicenter of every thing, is a declaration of intent. Personally, I’m assured that Resident Evil 9 is not going to solely be a tribute but in addition a brand new pillar within the historical past of the saga. And that, at this level, is saying so much.
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