Leon Kennedy Can Finally Use A Chainsaw In Resident Evil Requiem

Resident Evil Requiem comes out next month, and fans have been frothing at the mouth for more news about it, especially since seeing the Game Awards trailer that confirmed Leon's playability. Today's Resident Evil Showcase gave us exactly that, with director Koshi Nakanishi breaking down the gameplay styles of both protagonists, Leon and Grace, amidst other tidbits of information about the game.

Capcom wanted to bring Leon back into the main series, especially after the success of the Resident Evil 4 Remake, but Leon's inherent combat skills and action hero vibe make him ill-suited for a full-on horror game. Grace Ashcroft is the solution to that, as her relative lack of experience makes her much more vulnerable and afraid of her encounters with zombies. Her sections play more like Resident Evil 2 or 7, Nakanishi says, while Leon's gameplay is very reminiscent of the remake of 4.

For example, Leon can parry again, but instead of his trusty combat knife, he now has a hatchet. Mechanically, it looks identical, and can be sharpened to maintain its durability. Leon can also take weapons from fallen foes – the showcase shows him parrying a massive chainsaw, shooting its wielder, and then grabbing it for himself. The footage also gives extra focus to how shooting specific body parts can be strategically helpful, like blasting out a zombie's kneecaps to stun them for a hatchet swing.

Meanwhile, Grace has much slower gameplay. We see her explore some kind of mansion, and while she has a weapon, ammo is much more scarce, so combat is worth avoiding if possible. That weapon, a large caliber assault revolver, is called "Requiem", which explains the game's title. Grace also shows off a new crafting system that requires zombie blood, so while fighting is especially deadly, the rewards might be worth it. One concoction is later injected into a zombie's neck, causing it to explode in a splatter of blood. Gross!

After showing some gameplay, the showcase moves on to remind players that either Grace or Leon's journeys can be played in first- or third-person, though footage typically shows Grace's camera perspective as the former and Leon's as the latter. There will also be a Casual difficulty option, which includes heavy aim assist, and a Classic option, which requires the player to find ink ribbons to save the game while playing as Grace.

The back half of the showcase is less gameplay-focused, explaining the game's collaboration with Porsche and watchmaker Hamilton, giving slightly more details about the deluxe edition, detailing the game's compatibility with GeForce NOW, announcing an upcoming worldwide concert series, and showing off some figurines of the protagonists. You can watch the full showcase for yourself right here.

Resident Evil Requiem launches February 27 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC. For more Requiem, check out our hands-on impressions and our interview with director Koshi Nakanishi and producer Masato Kumazawa.