Following multiple showings throughout the year, Press Start recently sat down with Resident Evil Requiem and played through its tense sanitarium demo. The short slice puts players in the shoes of newcomer Grace Ashcroft as she’s hunted through a crumbling asylum by a mysterious new creature. The game features a tightly focused, back-to-basics setup that has fans eager to see how Capcom plans to steer the franchise deeper into pure survival horror.
After completing the demo, the outlet’s interviewer interviewed producer Masato Kumazawa, whose credits include Kunitsu-Gami, Resident Evil 4, and the latter’s Separate Ways expansion. Kumazawa explained that Requiem’s new protagonist is central to the game’s tone. Grace, whom he describes as “the most scared protagonist in the entire series,” allowed the team to explore a more vulnerable, raw style of horror. Her connection to Alyssa from Resident Evil Outbreak came naturally once the team decided to revisit the Raccoon City incident through a new generation.
Despite the rich legacy behind the series, Kumazawa noted there’s no strict “lore bible” limiting who can return. Instead, characters are allegedly chosen thoughtfully based on the type of experience developers want to deliver. And while Requiem offers both first- and third-person viewpoints, the team worked to ensure scares translate across both perspectives — particularly through Grace’s fear-driven animations and reactive behavior. Kumazawa went on to state:
So, with Requiem, we decided to make sure it was scary until the end. But to put more details and be more specific, it’s not about scaring people the entire way but using elements of non-horror to improve the horror. For example, you have horror, but then you put a bit of action in there. By putting in the action, and making sure the player isn’t thinking about the horror, the next horror part will scare more effectively than non-stop scares.
Kumazawa also confirmed that Resident Evil Requiem originally began as an online multiplayer project, though it evolved back into a single-player experience after the team determined fans wanted something more traditionally terrifying. Some elements from the multiplayer build survive, but their purpose remains tightly under wraps.
Capcom’s goal is clear in that they hope that the game will be scary from start to finish, using careful pacing rather than relentless intensity. Kumazawa promises long-time fans and newcomers alike will find something to love when Resident Evil Requiem launches on February 27, 2025, for PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series X|S and is available for pre-order at most major retailers. You can read the full interview at Press Start yourself, and let us know your thoughts and impressions.
