Gamescom 2025 has brought some very welcome news about Resident Evil Requiem, the upcoming instalment to its ever-popular horror franchise. With a story and gameplay showcase now made public knowledge, there’s a lot more to unpack about the new game than meets the eye.
From likely occurrences in the game’s story to gameplay tweaks that could up the ante for Grace Ashcroft as she encounters more horrors than she bargained for when she joined the FBI, here are some new details that we were able to glean from the gameplay showcase and the nostalgic look it gave us into Grace and Alyssa’s time as mother and daughter.
Let’s dive in.
1. The New Lighting System Is More Than Just Cosmetic
Grace’s terrifying time in the game’s demo brought something very interesting to, er, light. We already knew that Requiem was going to be quite photorealistic, presenting the series’ trademark terrors with cinematic flair and a frightening level of authenticity. Its lighting systems were terrific additions, adding to the oppressive atmosphere the developers wanted to convey.
But the new demo showcases that they could be important parts of the gameplay loop as well. Grace is shown turning on an overhead white lamp in a specific room as she is relentlessly pursued by the game’s new Stalker enemy. Surprisingly enough, the monster is seared by the light, immediately retreating from the room and giving Grace a brief respite from the chase.
It’s quite likely that other enemies in the game could face similar negative effects, making the strategic use of lights in certain environments quite crucial to surviving the ordeal that’s in store for us. It would be quite a smart way to utilize current-gen power to amp up the experience on offer, and the RE Engine seems quite up to the task at this point.
2. Eerie Enemies
Requiem seems to be striking a balance between the original Resident Evil games and their modern counterparts, blending action and slower sequences with aplomb. Of course, that blend needs the right kind of adversaries to bring it all together, and this upcoming title seems to have that covered.
The Stalker is terrifying, no two ways about it. Grotesque, imposing, and seemingly devoid of a shred of mercy, its pursuit of Grace has been the highlight of several analyses of how the game delivers its scares. However, we just can’t seem to shake the image of the monster from the story showcase, the dried up blood around its eyes and mouth as haunting as the way in which it killed the poor hotel manager with no qualms and an almost bloodthirsty demeanour about it.
If these two enemies are any indication, this is a game that makes us hesitate to take it on, no matter how eager we are to play it.
3. Ink Ribbons Don’t Save
It seems that the game is continuing with more traditional methods of saving your progress, with a tongue-in-cheek reference to ink ribbons included in the demo. Grace finds one hidden away, only for the item description to state that it’s completely useless.
For those of you who are unaware, ink ribbons used to be an item available in limited quantities throughout older Resident Evil games, adding a layer of strategy to each playthrough as you needed to be careful about using them.
Perhaps there’s more to that reference, and the studio is attempting some serious misdirection? We’ll have to wait to find out.
4. Parallel Perspectives
While a lot has already been said on the relative merits of a first-person versus a third-person perspective in the game, we would weigh in by saying that both angles are equally terrifying and perfectly viable ways of enjoying the game.
It’s going to boil down to your preferences and how you choose to enjoy the experience. Our recommendation would be switching between the two, which seems to be quite seamless, just as the game intended it to be. They are both equally terrifying, which is what really matters in a game like Requiem.
5. The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same
Although Requiem is bringing a lot of groundbreaking additions to the franchise, it’s still a Resident Evil title at its heart. You’re still going to be making your way through locations, chasing down useful items and supplies like healing herbs while avoiding confrontations with the game’s terrifying enemies.
It’s nice that there’s a modicum of familiarity to offer us some comfort in a game where safety and security are very valuable commodities.
6. A Bond of Blood
It’s time to turn our attention to the story showcase, and the flashback to Grace and Alyssa’s time at the hotel is a great place to start. Grace is clearly unhappy with Alyssa’s absence for an unspecified, extended duration, but their relationship seems quite strong despite that.
However, the fact that they are staying at a hotel, coupled with Alyssa’s response to the mysterious phone call she receives, suggests that the two may have been on the run from someone, or something.
That’s further solidified by the fact that Alyssa immediately reaches into her purse for a handgun, exhorting Grace to join her flight. That plan clearly goes awry, with the pair being attacked by the enemy we mentioned before and Alyssa’s apparent off-screen death. We’re still not convinced that she’s really dead, a theory that we’re going to dive into in just a minute.
7. Alyssa’s Pistol
Before we dive into Alyssa’s presumed death, let’s talk about the gun she draws from her purse after the phone call. It’s quite similar to the pistol that Leon and Ada Wong use in Resident Evil 2, which opens up interesting possibilities.
For instance, we know that Alyssa’s time with the Racoon Press brought her in contact with the Umbrella Corporation’s shady dealings. We also know that Resident Evil, where she made her first appearance in the franchise, is set between the events of RE2 and RE3, titles that featured Leon, Ada, and Jill Valentine. Could the phone call she received be from one of these characters, whom she may have met during the course of her investigations?
Once again, we’re going to have to wait to find out if bringing in some of its iconic cast from the past or if that pistol is just a clever reference.
8. The Stalker
With several recent Resident Evil titles featuring a Stalker enemy in some form, the one in this game could be as horrifying as it is for a reason. We’ve already put Alyssa at the very top of characters we would like to see making a return to the franchise, speculating that having her alive would lend weight and emotional heft to Grace’s harrowing journey and give meaningful development for her character.
The Stalker’s blond hair and its apparent obsession with Grace might very well mean that Alyssa’s fate at the end of the story trailer was that she was transformed into the Stalker after the attack at the Wrenwood Hotel.
It makes a lot of sense, and could be the catalyst for Grace finding the courage to face down her fears, spurred on by the hope of finding a cure for her mother’s condition and perhaps running into Leon on the way. Making the Stalker such an important part of the narrative could be an excellent way for Requiem to raise the stakes and perhaps help Grace become more than the fearful person she seems in the gameplay showcase.
9. Grace’s Potential Character Arc
Grace’s personality could be a huge part of the story and gameplay in Requiem, with all evidence pointing towards a journey from the nerdy little girl she was in the story showcase to the terrified FBI investigator she is in the demo, to an eventual badass who takes the challenges in her way head on to attempt saving Alyssa if she is indeed the Stalker.
On the gameplay front, playing in third-person sees her stumble and fall in fear as she flees the Stalker’s imposing presence, her fear and apprehension an almost palpable part of the experience. That could change as she finds her footing, seeing her become increasingly confident, if still a little terrified about the threats she faces.
It could be the perfect way to tie the narrative and gameplay together, making her the glue that brings the entire experience into a cohesive whole.
10. Leon’s Continued Absence
Leon’s prominent absence from any of the new promotional material only makes us more confident that he stands tall among the aces that the game is holding up its sleeve, ready to spring a very welcome surprise on Requiem’s players at some point during its story.
The time frame of the narrative, coupled with Alyssa’s flashback and perhaps even the pistol we mentioned, is either clever foreshadowing on the studio’s part or an absolutely brilliant attempt at misdirection.
For our part, we’re favoring the former over the latter.
Bonus: A Playable Demo
It’s likely that the gameplay demo that was available for testing at Gamescom 2025 could be made available to players at some point after PAX and the Tokyo Games Show.
While we would hope that it’s substantially more than twenty minutes and includes a little more of the game, getting to experience the Stalker’s pursuit for ourselves is certainly something we want to do!
And that’s a wrap on everything new we’ve been able to learn or guess about Resident Evil Requiem. It’s going to be a long wait until February 2026, but let’s hope that the game continues to bring us new information to sink our teeth (pun intended) into.
