In the recent Capcom Spotlight, Resident Evil Requiem director Koshi Nakanishi revealed that, though Grace Ashcroft is the game’s main protagonist, there were plans to bring back franchise mainstay Leon Kennedy. These plans were scrapped after it was decided that Leon’s experience as a government agent would not be compatible with the game’s horror aspects. With no hardened or stoic protagonists in sight, Capcom is dedicated to making Resident Evil Requiem as scary as it can be.
Resident Evil’s legacy characters have made the games less scary
Resident Evil has a habit of turning inexperienced characters into bona fide badasses. Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.) member Chris Redfield, for instance, has survived multiple crises and become insanely stronger as a result. Leon Kennedy, a former rookie police officer, received special government agent training and became one of the frontliners against biohazard outbreaks.
While these characters were initially more vulnerable physically and emotionally, the games they were in made for scarier horror experiences. Conversely, subsequent returns eventually dulled the horror themes and paved the way for more action.
Chris has gotten to a point where he can punch large boulders into pools of lava. Leon, once timid and insecure, has become a sharp-witted crack shot who can suplex infected Spaniards. Given their years of experience, it would be hard to imagine veterans like Chris and Leon being scared of another biohazard crisis.
Ethan Winters’ everyman status and Resident Evil 7’s first-person perspective was a pivot back to horror
Ethan Winters was a unique attempt at bringing horror back to Resident Evil. Introduced in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Ethan was billed as an everyman trying to find his lost wife. While the horrors Ethan encountered on the way toward achieving his goal were terrifying, many of his reactions were rather stoic. For example, after having his hand cut off, Ethan nonchalantly douses his stubbed arm with First Aid liquid before continuing on his merry way. While this stoicism is eventually explained, there are times when it creates a disconnect between Ethan and the player.
This disconnect became more apparent in Resident Evil Village, which can be played in the third person, and has Ethan receiving training from none other than Chris Redfield. Armed with an arsenal of weapons and ammunition, Ethan takes down hundreds of Lycans as he searches for his missing daughter, Rose. Thanks to Ethan’s new status as a grizzled veteran and Capcom’s desire to make Resident Evil Village more action-oriented, the game felt less scary overall.
Grace Ashcroft is a return to an inexperienced Resident Evil protagonist
Grace Ashcroft is shaping up to be the ideal vessel through which players will get to experience the horrors of Resident Evil with fresh eyes. As a technical analyst for the FBI, Grace is a timid person with little field experience. She is also haunted by the death of her mother, Alyssa Ashcroft, who died while investigating the Wrenwood Hotel. With her tragic family history and reserved nature, it will be interesting to see how Grace deals with the nightmares of Raccoon City.
Resident Evil Requiem’s swappable first and third-person cameras will also give players better insight into Grace’s personality. Unlike Ethan Winters, whose first game portrayed him solely from a first-person perspective, we’ll be able to see all of Grace’s actions and reactions.
Resident Evil is at its scariest when it introduces new protagonists. Chris Redfield in Resident Evil, Leon Kennedy in Resident Evil 2, Ethan Winters in Resident Evil: Biohazard – their inexperience makes players feel just as scared as the characters they are inhabiting.
Grace Ashcroft’s debut in Resident Evil Requiem looks to be just as scary as Ethan Winters’ foray into the Baker Estate. Provided Capcom doesn’t make Grace a hardened survivor by the end (which was hinted in the Capcom Showcase trailer with a snippet of Grace wielding a firearm), she might be able to set herself apart from the franchise’s growing roster of superhero-like survivors.
Resident Evil Requiem is set to release on February 27, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows (Steam).
