Resident Evil Requiem’s Leon brings ‘adrenaline-pumping action’ to complement ‘scaredy-cat’ Grace, says director
Leon and Grace’s sections in RE9 are almost equally split
Resident Evil Requiem’s director has discussed Leon’s gameplay for the first time, following the character’s long-expected reveal at The Game Awards this week.
Speaking at a media event attended by Automaton, Requiem director Akifumi Nakanishi revealed that Leon and Grace’s sections in Requiem are almost equally split, with the latter focusing on horror, and Leon on “intense, adrenaline-pumping action”.
Grace’s gameplay is based on Resident Evil 2, he said, whereas Leon’s gameplay includes martial arts and melee moves, based on Resident Evil 4.
“Requiem has just one, unified story,” explained Nakanishi. “As the plot advances, you switch between Leon’s sections and Grace’s sections. There are even some scenes where they meet. Grace is ‘the biggest scaredy-cat in Resident Evil history,’ while Leon is a seasoned veteran, so seeing how those personalities interact is part of the fun.”
He added: “In terms of gameplay, Grace and Leon’s playable sections are almost equally split. The structure is similar to Resident Evil Revelations.
“I’ve said before that Leon isn’t well-suited to horror. Since quiet sections where you cower before monsters don’t fit him, his chapters focus on intense, adrenaline-pumping action. Grace’s sections, on the other hand, are the scarier ones. We’re really emphasizing the difference in their experiences this time.”
The director said the idea behind the dual protagonists was to blend two types of tension, with Leon’s action providing a break from the terror on Grace’s side of the story.
“As a result, while Requiem is certainly scary, I think players will also feel a kind of exhilaration and satisfaction that past Resident Evil titles didn’t offer,” he said.
“It’s almost like having two games with completely different types of tension mixed together. Early on, we worried players might not be able to keep up, but now we feel that the contrast gives the game a unique rhythm, like jumping into a cold bath after sitting in a hot sauna (laughs).
“It was important to combine the slow and fast segments well, and Grace and Leon turned out to be the best combination for that. Leon also has lots of new actions, giving you a strong sense of release compared to Grace’s sequences.”
On Leon’s design, which sees the RE2, 4, and 6 protagonist appear as an older, more battle-worn man, Nakanishi said his designers thought hard about what the hero would look like in 2026.
“Although he’s a character who carries a lot on his shoulders, we took a lot of care in refining him to be an ‘ikeoji’ (a cool/attractive older guy). The reactions to the trailer on that front have made us happy (laughs).”
He added: “A major development theme for us was: ‘What would Leon be like in 2026?’ Even though he keeps fighting to save people, bioterror never goes away, so what state of mind has he reached now? What can he do with his seasoned combat skills? With those concepts in mind, we added new elements on top of a Resident Evil 4-style foundation.”
Resident Evil Requiem will release on February 27 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. VGC recently spoke to the game’s development team about the Switch 2 version, leaks, and future remakes.
