Summer Game Fest 2026 kicked off with a bang as it premiered a cinematic reveal trailer for Resident Evil Veronica, a long-awaited remake of one of Resident Evil's more narratively significant chapters, Resident Evil: Code Veronica.

This got Resident Evil fans clamoring to know how this remake will change the original Code Veronica aside from giving it a gorgeously, deliciously dark RE-Engine makeover.

Thankfully, Capcom has given fans a clue on what to expect as it confirmed in an interview with Campaign Mode (hosted by my friend and former colleague, Samuel Tolbert) that Resident Evil Veronica will be played entirely in a third-person perspective.

Capcom producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi has also stated that its gameplay will be modelled after the Resident Evil 2 Remake and Resident Evil 4 Remake. Plus, Capcom's veteran developers who worked on those titles will be working on Resident Evil: Veronica.

On a side note, Yoshiaki Hirabayashi mentioned the Veronica remake will be dropping the "Code" part of the original Code Veronica's title, as recent Resident Evil games have adopted either a single word or number in their titles, so they wanted to maintain consistency.

Windows Central's take

For those who have never heard of the original game, Resident Evil: Code Veronica (released in 2000 for the SEGA Dreamcast) was Resident Evil's last game in the franchise to use fixed-camera angles that helped redefine the survival horror genre for years.

It followed one of Resident Evil 2's protagonists, Claire Redfield, as she explored the zombie and monster-infested Rockfort Island in search of her brother Chris Redfield, who went missing after the events of the Raccoon City Incident.

This game was a pretty important chapter in Resident Evil's long-running narrative. It brought back classic Resident Evil villain Albert Wesker from the dead and gave him superpowers. Plus, it stoked the fires of his bitter rivalry with Chris Redfield that would culminate in an action-packed and climactic showdown in Resident Evil 5.

So I'm really curious to see how they'll take some of the goofier aspects of the original Code Veronica's story, like Matrix-style fight scenes, Albert Wesker getting superpowers, or the cringe-worthy side character, Steve (don't even get me started on that guy), and give them a more serious, darker tone in the same style as previous Resident Evil remakes.

As for gameplay, I'm happy Resident Evil: Veronica will be played in third-person, as I preferred that style of gameplay over the first-person perspectives seen in Resident Evils 7, 8, and 9. Although nothing will ever top the fixed-camera perspective of the Resident Evil 1 Remake for me because it is the epitome of classic Resident Evil atmosphere.

Above all, I can't wait to see how the remake will take Code Veronica's grotesque monsters and make them more frightening to fight without having the annoying tank controls of the original game holding us back from enjoying the scares.

Resident Evil Veronica is slated to release on the Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam at a later date.

🗨️ Over to you

What do you think of Resident Evil Veronica being entirely third-person? Do you prefer Resident Evil games with a third-person perspective, first-person camera perspective, or even fixed-camera angles like the original PlayStation 1-era games?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let us know through the poll below, the comments section, or our Reddit page.

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Resident Evil Requiem, the latest title in Capcom's legendary Resident Evil series, has received its first major DLC update via a shadowdropped announcement.

The update in question is a new game mode called "Leon Must Die Forever". It's a roguelike challenge mode where players, as fan-favorite Leon Kennedy, must fight through waves of zombies and monsters to eventually confront the game's main villain, Victor, in a showdown.

The first thing you need to know is that Leon Must Die Forever won't be immediately available to play once downloaded. You will need to complete Resident Evil Requiem's main campaign on any difficulty first to unlock the new game mode.

Leon Must Die Forever works in a similar fashion to Resident Evil's staple Mercenaries Mode from past titles. As Leon, you're required to kill waves of zombies and monsters to reach the final boss within a time limit (which you can extend by shooting special rare monsters that increase it).

There are five difficulty settings available for Leon Must Die Forever. Each setting is more grueling than the last, including one extremely difficult setting that is sure to test even the most skilled Resident Evil players.

What sets Leon Must Die Forever apart from Mercenaries is the inclusion of Roguelike elements. Killing enemies will fill an Enhancement Gauge, which you can spend on giving Leon Kennedy passive abilities that buff his damage output or tank heavy hits.

In addition to Leon Must Die Forever, this free DLC update also features several bug fixes, gameplay balance changes, and in-game adaptive triggers, vibration functions, and motion sensor functions being added for the PS5's DualSense Wireless Controller.

2026 is looking to be another major win for Resident Evil

This isn't the only DLC Resident Evil Requiem is getting; Capcom is currently working on a full DLC expansion that will add a new storyline to the game and will be released at a later date (which is currently unspecified as of this writing).

Resident Evil Requiem has quickly proven itself to be another huge success for Capcom as it sold 5 million copies in just five days, and it's been showered with praise from critics and fans alike.

Even our die-hard Resident Evil fanatic, Executive Editor Jez Corden, gave RE9 a near-perfect review score of 4.5/5, stating that, "Resident Evil Requiem represents another win in what could be one of Capcom's best product slates in recent memory."

So, if you've completed Resident Evil Requiem's main campaign and want an excuse to shoot, kick, hack, and slash monsters again as Leon Kennedy, then Leon Must Die Forever is the perfect time to jump back into the world of survival horror.

🗨️Over to you

What are your thoughts on Resident Evil Requiem's new "Leon Must Die Forever" mode? Does it motivate you to revisit this blockbuster hit, or are you planning to wait until Resident Evil Requiem's story DLC expansion drops before replaying (or maybe playing it for the first time if you haven't already)?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let us know in the comments, on Reddit, or in the poll below.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Nvidia DLSS 5 was revealed recently to boos and outcry, as the technology appears to apply an AI “slop” filter over games.

One of those games showcased was Capcom’s Resident Evil Requiem, where one of the main characters, Grace, was shown using the new technology.

After reports of developers from Ubisoft and Capcom being blindsided by the DLSS 5 showcase, we now have more concrete details on Capcom’s stance on AI, how it’s used in development, and more importantly, where it isn’t used.

Capcom draws a clear line on generative AI in games

Thanks to a new report from Google Cloud on its collaboration with Capcom, we now have a clearer look at how the company is actually using AI behind the scenes.

In case a Google Cloud collaboration didn’t tip you off, Capcom will be making use of Google’s Gemini AI to help with the development of its games.

Now it is important to mention that rather than replacing developers, Capcom is focusing on one of the most time-intensive parts of development; coming up with ideas.

“One of the most time-consuming elements of game development is to come up with ideas to create a game worldview.”

That workload scales differently according to Capcom, who state:

“In the end, we had to think of hundreds of thousands of ideas, including those that were not used,” Abe explains.

“The time it took for generative AI to analyze the configuration data in the prompt and output it was a few minutes, while Gemini was overwhelmingly fast at just a few seconds, which is a clear advantage in speed-oriented game development.”

Whether you like AI or not, Capcom clearly sees it as a support tool rather than a replacement, with Mr. Abe pointing to its role in helping developers generate ideas more efficiently.

Capcom does not directly comment on DLSS 5 here. However, it clearly sees AI as having real benefits within the development pipeline.

Rather than using it for content in the final product, Capcom is currently focused on using AI earlier in development to help build out ideas, not to apply an AI filter over finished games.

🗨️Do you accept how Capcom will use AI in its development pipeline?

I’m of the mindset that AI is something we can’t really escape, and I just hope that when it is used, it’s done responsibly and doesn’t come at the cost of developers losing their jobs.

At least in this case, Capcom is being upfront about how it plans to use the technology, and based on what’s been shared, players shouldn’t expect to see AI-generated art showing up in the final game.

With that said, over to you. Let me know your thoughts on how Capcom plans to use AI by leaving a comment, and be sure to take part in the poll below:

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

If you're even somewhat keeping up with what's new in the gaming world, than I'm sure you've seen NVIDIA's new DLSS 5 tech — and how its getting absolutely roasted online. Indeed, the latest iteration of the firm's Super Resolution software hasn't been received well at all, with the way it uses generative AI to transform scenes with simulated photorealistic lighting being called uncanny "AI slop" all over social media.

I think DLSS 5's effects actually look good in environment shots, though in some of the comparisons we've been able to see, I do believe it goes too far and starts to infringe on the intended look of a scene. In shots with characters, though, it straight up makes them look like they got hit with a "yassification" filter you'd find in a smartphone app. The before and afters shocked the community, and even shocked the developers that agreed to let NVIDIA present DLSS 5 using their games.

In general, DLSS 5 has proven extremely controversial with developers as well as fans. Notably, one veteran dev, senior animator Mike York — known for his work on GTA 5, Red Dead Redemption 2, God of War Ragnarök, and others — has now reacted to it in a stream of him watching Digital Foundry's analysis of it that's been posted to his York Street Gaming YouTube channel. He's not a fan.

"Whoa, hold on. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no," he began, his deep concern apparent the moment he saw Grace in Resident Evil Requiem with DLSS 5 on. "No. This isn't just some lighting, dude. What the f... I'm telling you, this is like a complete AI re-render. That's what this is doing. This is actually re-rendering this."

NVIDIA asserts that DLSS 5 strictly changes the lighting of a scene, and isn't touching things like model geometry or texture detail whatsoever. As CEO Jensen Huang puts it, it "introduces a real-time neural rendering model that infuses pixels with photoreal lighting and materials." However, many — York included — believe there's more going on with the software.

"Who even is that? It's a different girl, like, she looks different," he continued, dumbfounded. "You know why I can tell? Look, her eyes are no longer looking, like, correctly. That one eye is looking over here, and one eye is looking there."

"It has, somehow, put wrinkles into her lips that weren't there before. See that? It's added all kinds of details that weren't there before," he added. York then went on to point out several apparent differences with things like the shape of Grace's ear and her nose. "You're no longer looking at the game anymore, does that make sense? This is scary."

While I hesitate to say anything definitive without DLSS 5 actually being in anyone's hands other than NVIDIA's, I have to admit that I'm very suspicious of the claim that the software is only affecting lighting. Lighting can have a huge impact on the way an image looks, true, but I still can't help but feel doubt after seeing how much fuller and sharper Grace's lips are with DLSS 5 on, or the way where she's looking seems to subtly change.

NVIDIA's Jensen Huang can say "They're completely wrong" all he wants, but the fact of the matter is that regardless of the nitty-gritty specifics of what's going on with DLSS 5 under the hood, it just looks off when applied to in-game characters, and has triggered feelings of uncanny valley in countless players.

The silver lining in all of this is that DLSS 5 isn't scheduled to come to NVIDIA's RTX 50-series GPUs until fall later this year, so the company can still improve it ahead of its release. NVIDIA also says developers will be able to fine tune how DLSS 5 looks with their games if they choose to support it, which hopefully means we'll never have to deal with characters that look like Grace does here.

🗨️ How do you feel about DLSS 5?

Gamers and developers alike have been reacting to DLSS 5 all week long, and it's pretty interesting to hear what a senior animator that's worked on some of the biggest games in the industry has to say.

His negative comments echo most sentiments, but I'm curious: how do you feel about DLSS 5? Share your thoughts below, and vote in our poll:

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Resident Evil Requiem launched late last month to strong success, becoming the highest-rated new Resident Evil entry since Resident Evil 4 released back in 2005. The game focuses on fan favorite Leon Kennedy alongside newcomer Grace Ashcroft, delivering the blend of action and horror the series is known for.

Players have clearly embraced it, with Capcom confirming that the game has sold 5 million copies across all platforms in just five days.

To put that into perspective, the Resident Evil 4 remake took four months to reach the same milestone, further reinforcing that Capcom is still on a generational run. While Resident Evil Requiem is performing extremely well across every platform it launched on, it is also doing very well on Xbox.

Yes, the platform where apparently nobody buys games. I am joking, of course, but it’s always a laugh to poke fun. Seeing it pass titles like ARC Raiders and the longstanding Red Dead Redemption 2 is great to see for the franchise, and it feels well deserved.

Resident Evil Requiem climbs Xbox sales charts

It's great to see Capcom continue to hit its stride after Resident Evil 6 disappointed many fans when it released years ago. Requiem doing so well during the franchise’s 30th anniversary makes the moment feel even more fitting.

What makes Resident Evil Requiem even more impressive is how quickly it reached 5 million sales. The game hit that milestone in just five days, making it the fastest selling Resident Evil title in the franchise’s history.

For comparison, Resident Evil 5, one of my personal favorites, took two months to reach 5 million copies sold, while the Resident Evil 4 remake took close to those four months. Other recent entries took even longer. Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil 6 both reached 5 million copies after five months.

Resident Evil 2 remake took around a year, while Resident Evil 7 reached the milestone after fifteen months. Resident Evil 3 remake took the longest in this group, reaching 5 million sales after two years. The Resident Evil franchise as a whole has now sold more than 183 million units worldwide as of December 31, 2025, cementing its place as one of Capcom’s most successful franchises.

🗨️ Are you surprised how quickly Requiem has hit 5 million copies sold?

Have you managed to pick up Resident Evil Requiem yet, and if so, how are you finding it? Let me know in the comments, and make sure to take part in our poll below:

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

It's been a long time coming for Resident Evil fans — not counting remasters and remakes, the last mainline entry in Capcom's legendary horror game series was 2021's Resident Evil Village — but Resident Evil Requiem, AKA Resident Evil 9, is finally almost here.

As I write this, the new Raccoon City-based adventure starring none other than the beloved Leon Kennedy and new protagonist Grace Ashcroft is less than two days away from its arrival on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Nintendo Switch 2, and PS5.

Ahead of launch, it's reviewed exceptionally well, with Windows Central's own Jez Corden calling it "an epic showcase of Resident Evil's best action and survival horror traditions" in his review.

The game's impressive critical reception and high Metacritic scores have fueled hype for the long-awaited title as its release date approaches, and naturally, that means tons of Resident Evil fans want to know exactly when they can play Requiem in their region. Luckily, Capcom has recently announced everything there is to know about its release date and launch times, all of which you can view below:

The above graphic (posted by Capcom itself) and table show precisely when Resident Evil Requiem is scheduled to come out around the world, and includes the game's release date as well as different launch times for different platforms in every major time zone (use this time zone converter if you don't see yours).

In most regions, Requiem is slated to release on console on February 27 at midnight local time, while the game comes out on PC at the same time globally on February 26 at 9 p.m. PST / February 27 at midnight EST. One exception to the former is the console rollout in PST, which is scheduled for 9 p.m. instead of midnight.

Others include the release timing for Nintendo Switch 2 specifically in both CST and BRT. Instead of coming out at midnight in these regions like it is on Xbox and PlayStation, Resident Evil Requiem is dropping on Switch 2 at February 26, 11 p.m. and February 27, 2 a.m. in CST and BRT, respectively.

How about preloading? If you've preordered the digital version of Resident Evil Requiem on any of its platforms, you can preload the game now so that you can jump in right away once the game unlocks in your time zone. I recommend doing this if you have the bandwidth for it, as it's never fun to stare at a download bar on launch day when you could be playing.

Even though release is less than two days away, you can still preorder to take advantage of preloading. Note that Resident Evil Requiem is available for $69.99 on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, PS5, and Nintendo Switch 2, with Loaded offering a sweet deal that brings the Steam version down to $59.99 at Loaded.

Excited for Resident Evil Requiem? Sound off!

Are you looking forward to getting your hands on Resident Evil Requiem? Are you a big fan of Capcom's iconic horror franchise in general? Let me know in the comments.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

2026 has had a bit of a slow start for new game launches so far, though one release that's really crept up on us is Capcom's Resident Evil Requiem, AKA Resident Evil 9.

The latest entry in the studio's prolific survival horror franchise is now less than two days away from its global February 27 release date across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, PS5, and Switch 2 — and ahead of that launch, reviews and Metacritic scores for the game have gone live following the arrival of its review embargo.

At the time of writing, Resident Evil Requiem has achieved a 92/100 on Xbox, a 91/100 on PC, a 90/100 on Switch 2, and an 88/100 on Switch 2 on Metacritic, resulting in an average overall Metascore of 90/100, which is quite impressive. That just pushes the game into "Universal Acclaim" territory, which many of its reviews reflect; here's a range:

• Game Rant (100/100): "Resident Evil Requiem's gripping story and intoxicating gameplay blend are wrapped up in a perfectly-polished experience with eye-popping graphics and a blood-pumping soundtrack. Resident Evil Requiem is a horror gaming masterpiece and one of the best games Capcom has ever made. It's the ultimate Resident Evil game and will be remembered as fondly as the franchise favorites in the years to come."
• Destructoid (95/100): "Resident Evil Requiem is an exceptionally well-made nostalgia romp that elevates everything special about the series, showcasing the pinnacle of both survival horror and action horror in a package that has a little bit of everything but executes it all well."
• PC Gamer (92/100): "Resident Evil Requiem sets itself out with a hard task: wrapping all the best elements of previous Resident Evil games into one. Miraculously it succeeds, with very few moments which left me wanting more."
• IGN (90/100): "Like the result of an experiment conducted in an underground Umbrella Corporation lab, Resident Evil Requiem successfully splices two separate strains of survival horror together into the one highly infectious new mutation. It signals the return of a series legend and the arrival of a likeable new lead, amps up the gore to a new stomach-turning standard, and unleashes a scarier breed of zombie alongside some truly beastly boss fights."
• GamesRadar+ (90/100): "Resident Evil Requiem is the most cinematic, bloody, surprisingly emotional moment for the franchise to-date. Its two protagonists complement one another for a balanced experience that feels more narrativized than ever before, with bombastic combat and strong set pieces amping up the nostalgia without feeling gimmicky. Requiem sees Capcom drawing from 30 years of terror to expand its lore, chart a path forward, and pay homage to a gilded survival horror legacy — one with plenty of life left in it."
• TechRadar Gaming (80/100): "Resident Evil Requiem shines in its incredible first half, which masterfully blends pulse-pounding horror with intense action. Unfortunately, that winning formula isn’t maintained throughout the latter sections, which devolve into fan-service moments strung together by an increasingly sloppy plot. Still enjoyable, but ironic that an instalment about moving on from the past would be so weighed down by it."

Resident Evil Requiem sticks the landing

Given how well-received most recent Resident Evil games have been, expectations for Resident Evil Requiem were very high — especially since it features Leon Kennedy, one of the franchise's most popular characters, as one of its two playable protagonists. These reviews, though, make it clear that at least in the eyes of critics, this latest installment has absolutely stuck the landing.

Indeed, Resident Evil Requiem's Metacritic score is one of the best a new game has recently gotten, with reviewers praising the balance of Leon's brutal and bloody action with the stealthier and more horror-forward gameplay of Grace Ashcroft, the game's other main character.

Critics have also spoken highly of the game's story that brings players back to the remains of Raccoon City to investigate a mysterious new zombie outbreak, along with its connections to past Resident Evil narratives from the past 30 years, its visual detail and graphical fidelity (its gore effects, in particular), and its musical score.

Some have found the pacing between Leon's and Grace's very tonally different sections to be a bit jarring, and have criticized the latter half of the game for feeling disjointed. Overall, though, the vast majority of reviewers seem to love Resident Evil Requiem, as even those with more critical conclusions have rated it highly.

Windows Central's own executive editor and gaming lead Jez Corden reviewed Capcom's latest action-packed horror romp, too, stating that "Resident Evil Requiem is another fantastic entry in the industry's most legendary horror franchise. Sometimes the split protagonist experience can feel a little disjointed, but the dizzying highs are so plentiful you might not even notice." He gave it a score of 4.5/5 stars, which lines up with the title's 90/100 average.

All in all, it sounds like Resident Evil Requiem is not a game to be missed, especially if you're a huge Resident Evil fan or someone that craves the thrill of a good horror experience. You can pick it up across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, PS5, and Nintendo Switch 2 for $69.99.

Are you getting Resident Evil Requiem?

Now that you've seen reviews and scores for Resident Evil Requiem, do you plan on picking up Capcom's latest entry in its legendary horror series? If not, how come? Let me know in the comments.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Resident Evil Requiem is almost here, and it might feel a tad bitter sweet.

A "requiem" is a mass held to honor those that have departed. It's also the name of Leon Kennedy's magnum revolver, and the namesake of the ninth mainline entry in one of gaming's most legendary franchises.

Requiem is intended to be a passing of the torch of sorts, as the saga featuring many of its original characters draws to a close to make way for a new era. Leon Kennedy, who debuted in Resident Evil 2 back in 1998, has certainly seen better days.

Dogged by decades of trauma fighting the world's most corrupt bio-corporations and physically corrupted undead horrors, Leon joins new protagonist Grace on a dual-experience partnership that reminisces of previous experiments like Resident Evil Zero and Resident Evil 6 — both of which weren't particularly well received.

Does Resident Evil Requiem vindicate this formula? Can a single entry appeal to Resident Evil's diverging survival horror and action horror fan base? We played through the game on Xbox Series X and Windows PC to find out.

Welcome to our spoiler-free Resident Evil Requiem review.

Resident Evil Requiem review: Story, art, and performance

Resident Evil Requiem extends a dual-protagonist tradition that has been a staple of the franchise since the beginning, albeit in different flavors. Requiem tries to double and perhaps even triple down on this design, offering an entirely different gameplay experience based on which protagonist is currently center stage.

Leon Kennedy is one of the franchise's most experienced veterans. Leon reprises his role as a D.S.O. agent, acting on behalf of the United States government. He's joined by newcomer FBI technical analyst Grace Ashcroft, daughter of Resident Evil Outbreak's Alyssa Ashcroft, who finds her fate intertwined with that of Kennedy early on.

While investigating a string of mysterious deaths, Ashcroft finds herself kidnapped by a hulking, twisted vision of a mad scientist, we'd later know as Victor Gideon. Leon, who is also investigating the deaths, gives immediate chase.

Requiem is an absolutely stunning game, and continues the franchise's positive visual streak atop Capcom's impressive RE Engine. The game sings on Xbox Series X, and runs flawlessly on lower-end hardware. On our primary review platform, Xbox Series X, you can expect a smooth 60 FPS operation with zero hitching or frame pacing problems. We also tested the game at 1080p on an RTX 4060 PC, DLSS balanced with no frame gen, grabbing upwards of 144 FPS.

The RE Engine has been under some scrutiny thanks to Monster Hunter Wilds' notorious performance problems, but when used for its intended purpose, the engine is still one of the best out there. The facial motion capture is approaching uncanny levels of realism. The attention to detail in lighting is also a cut above, with light blooming through Grace's hair with realistic flair.

The visual buffet only elevates and enhances the game's story beats. Grace and Leon both give incredible performances, and Victor Gideon is a suitably horrifying antagonist — with the physical accoutrements of a Tyrant bioweapon coupled with a quiet sadism and intelligence reminiscent of Hannibal Lecter.

Leon's gameplay is supposed to represent more action-oriented Resident Evil entries, while Grace's is supposed to showcase the kind of vulnerability we felt playing the original games. This extends to the story beats too to some degree, with Grace's experience is steeped in horror, as her character stumbles through events few of us would be equipped to deal with were it real. Her vulnerability is well-delivered, as is her bravery in the face of impossible and traumatic scenarios. Leon by contrast is an invincible comic book superhero, which celebrates the franchise's over-the-top overtures. It didn't always work for me in contrast, though.

Occasionally I felt like the bombastic "rule of cool" Michael Bay-style presentation of Leon's sequences undermined the evocative story beats from Grace's arc. Capcom absolutely pulls no punches with Resident Evil Requiem. I won't spoil it by any means, but I was impressed by the boundaries the Resident Evil team were willing to push. It didn't always land for me — even when it was undeniably awesome. The whiplash effect can feel jarring. But, I am probably also overthinking it, and even if I am, it hardly degrades the overall experience.

Resident Evil Requiem's story will run you through a broad gamut of emotions, and leave you excited for the franchise's future.

Resident Evil Requiem review: Gameplay

Resident Evil Requiem, as noted in the game's marketing and beyond, strides a line between both classic survival horror and more action horror leanings in largely equal measure.

Grace's segments are absolutely classic Resident Evil. A zombie-infested mansion, a maze of maps, puzzles, key items, while desperately scrounging for ammunition. This is where the game felt the strongest in my view, but I'm also more a fan of that era of Resident Evil.

Grace's segments not only exhibit the classic-style Resident Evil user interface, but also come with similar constraints. Limited inventory space, intentionally restrictive, shaky controls, with aggressive and tough monstrosities at every corner. The game even doubles down on some of Resident Evil's more difficult classic elements. Crimson heads are back, in a sense, requiring players to consider dealing with corpses. The game also plays heavily with light and stealth on top.

You can sneak around and dispatch enemies to give yourself an edge against larger groups, while conserving ammunition in the process. Resident Evil Requiem also lets you play with a "Classic" save system, disabling auto saves and forcing you to stock up on Ink Ribbons, old-school style.

Whether you're playing as Grace or Leon, combat in Resident Evil Requiem is incredibly satisfying. The zombies and other enemies never feel bullet spongey, reacting dynamically to wounds and other types of attacks. Head crits still grant that satisfying pop made all the more spectacular with dynamic gore that paints walls and floors in spattered crimson stains.

It's not all throwbacks, though. Both characters have some new mechanics and toys they can play with, and both can be played in first and third-person optionally — a first for the franchise. Hauntingly, Capcom has given the zombies in Resident Evil Requiem a far deeper personality than in previous games. It felt almost as if every zombie I encountered was a unique model, complete with different behaviors, attack patterns, and even dialogue. This made dispatching them all the horrific and immersive.

Grace can craft emphasize stealth gameplay with haemoglobin hypodermic needles that can instantly detonate stunned or unaware zombies. Leon Kennedy by contrast is a martial arts expert, fully equipped with a massive arsenal of guns, ammo, and additional contextual melee combat cues. He runs faster, turns more smoothly, and comes with a hatchet that can be used to execute enemies permanently (even with a Monster Hunter-style sharpen mechanic.)

Leon's sections ironically could feel a tad more frustrating at times, particularly in the later levels, as the game throws enemies inspired by Resident Evil 4, 5, and 6 at you in shooting gallery-style events. On that point, Leon's segments can feel cathartic too, particularly after you've been struggling around in the dark with Grace for a few hours. Leon's UI even takes on a Resident Evil 4-inspired format, complete with a health bar rather than Grace's old-school heartbeat monitor. It's a nice touch, and it's in a lot of these small details that you know Capcom understands and celebrates both aspects of the franchise's legacy.

I was worried that Leon's segments would feel overly linear to that end, but thankfully Capcom clearly still recognizes that the ability to back track and explore is something that should be a staple of both its action and survival horror leanings. Complete with epic set-piece boss battles, bombastic and unexpected twists, and a broad variety of new and nostalgic locations — Resident Evil Requiem is likely to be celebrated as one of the franchise's greatest entries.

Resident Evil Requiem review: Should you buy it?

If you're a Resident Evil fan, this segment of the review is largely pointless — we know you're going to buy it, and you absolutely should. Resident Evil Requiem is steeped in new lore, great characters, exciting gameplay, and sports a meaty campaign well worth the price of admission.

The minute to minute gameplay is great, the character acting is top-tier, and the visuals are among the best we've seen from the genre. Resident Evil Requiem celebrates multiple aspects of the franchise, and largely manages to vindicate the dual-gameplay experiments of previous instalments.

It can feel a bit quirky at times. The emotional story telling and more impactful story beats can feel reduced when followed up almost immediately by cheesy high-action comic bookery — but your mileage may vary on that. A less cynical view might be that video games are the perfect medium for exploring multiple genres in a single package, and it's certainly not something that negatively impacts the entire experience. If anything, you might find it elevates it.

Resident Evil Requiem is the first blockbuster of 2026. Long, long, may this franchise live.

While I'm not into men myself, I can certainly appreciate a handsome fellow in the times when I find one in my eyesight. Seeing Leon Kennedy in the trailers for and pre-release gameplay footage of the upcoming Resident Evil Requiem (AKA, Resident Evil 9) were some of those times.

Indeed, the Raccoon City police officer-turned-DSO agent has been widely regarded as something of a dreamboat throughout all of his appearances in the action-horror Resident Evil games, and many fans are swooning over his grizzled visage in Requiem, too. In particular, many Japanese fans have taken to calling him "ikeoji," or "hot uncle," ahead of the game's February 27 release across Xbox, PC, and PS5.

With his slick, fur-collared coat, somewhat tousled dirty blonde hair, and intense eyes, there's a lot to love about Leon's appearance in Resident Evil Requiem — whether you're falling head-over-heels for him, or just think he looks rad. As it turns out, though, Capcom spent an extensive amount of time developing his style and aesthetic, with many women at the developer in particular refining it painstakingly.

"We’ve spent quite a lot of time polishing Leon’s visuals. Leon has many fans among Capcom employees, and women in particular were pretty strict when reviewing his design," explained director Koshi Nakanishi, speaking with Automaton. "They would point out and comment on even the finest details like the wrinkles on his neck. When I mentioned that story in the past, a female fan told me, 'The women developers at Capcom did a really good job.''"

"Throughout the development process, Leon was thoroughly refined, and I think we managed to come through with a design that would make anyone’s heart throb," he continued. I'm inclined to agree; it's difficult to find discussion about Resident Evil Requiem online that doesn't have someone commenting about how hot Leon is, or at the very least, how cool he is.

Notably, though, Leon's handsome appearance isn't the only thing about the character that Capcom took a lot of time to get right. Nakanishi went on to note that the developers also went back and forth on his personality, demeanor, and behavior as well as they zeroed in on how he would act and react to the horrific threats he faces in Requiem after 30 years of surviving various different horrors and monstrosities.

"Every staff member had their own interpretation of Leon’s 30-year-long history, so they would tell me things like, 'Leon would definitely not act like that in this kind of situation,'" he said.

"So, there were more opinions about what he’s like on the inside compared to his looks, and after many discussions, we were able to settle on something that clicked for us. When players see this Leon in the game, hopefully they will be able to find their own interpretation of him as well," Nakanishi added.

Speaking of players and their relationship with Leon, he'll be one of two playable characters in Resident Evil Requiem, the other being FBI agent Grace Ashcroft. Not much is known about the story, though we do know that it takes place in Raccoon City, with both characters investigating a mysterious new zombie infection that has apparent connections to Grace's deceased mother, Alyssa.

As a recent gameplay showcase highlighted, Leon's gameplay will be centered around heavy, intense action, while Grace's will feature slower pacing, tighter spaces, and more of a survival horror focus. My colleague Zac Bowden got a taste of both halves of the game in a recent preview, and called it a "true return to form for classic Resident Evil fans."

Resident Evil Requiem is out on February 27, 2026 on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5, with preorders available now.

What are your thoughts on Leon's design in Resident Evil Requiem? Do you find him attractive, or think he looks cool? Would you have preferred a different look for him? Hit me with your take in the comments.

Resident Evil Requiem is coming soon, and I had a chance to go hands-on and play an extended 2 hour demo of a work-in-progress build of the game to see what Capcom is cooking up. As we all know, Requiem is a return to form with Leon Kennedy taking center stage once again as an older, rougher version of the character.

The demo kicks off with Leon Kennedy who finds himself thrown into the deep end when a chainsaw wielding zombie comes crashing through. We join Kennedy just as a zombie outbreak is taking place in a location called the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center, a medical building full of tight corridors, dark rooms, and undead patients and doctors.

In our first moments of gameplay, we take control of Leon to fight through a wave of zombie doctors. Once you take out the one with the chainsaw, you can pick it up and use it to take out the rest, which I found to be incredibly fun and satisfying, though it doesn’t last very long so you’ll quickly find yourself back using your gun and hatchet.

Unlike the knife in previous games, the hatchet is a melee weapon that Leon doesn’t ever part with. You can use it to parry enemies, and while excessive use will bunt the blade, the player can sharpen it on the fly. This means that even when you’re out of ammo, you still have a means of attacking or defending yourself from the zombies unlike in older games.

There’s also a combo mechanic that I found myself falling into rather quickly, where the quickest way of taking out a zombie is by shooting their legs and hitting X when prompted to finish the zombie off with a melee move. The melee moves vary depending on your position, but all are incredibly gruesome but satisfying.

After a few minutes of exploring, we bump into FBI technical analyst Grace Ashcroft, who has just narrowly avoided death from an encounter with an unnamed assailant, saved by Leon who arrives in the nick of time. The two characters exchange a few words before Dr Gideon appears, this games main antagonist, and takes Leon hostage, leaving you to play as Grace.

In similar fashion to previous games, the care center is split into an east wing and west wing, with areas of the map locked to you until you find the correct security access bands up to level 3. Once we take control of Grace, the game opens up and you are free to explore each wing as you please.

The goal of this part of the game is to escape the medical center, but of course the main doors are locked. So it’s your task to find the necessary keys and unlock mechanisms to get those doors open, solving puzzles and finding items along the way to help you.

Right off the bat, this game feels like classic Resident Evil but with a good balance of action and horror. If you enjoyed the Resident Evil 2-4 remakes, you’re going to love Requiem. It’s that same classic formula with some new gameplay mechanics and twists, such as the zombies, some of which no longer just wait around to eat you.

In Requiem, some of the zombies will conduct jobs/hobbies that they did when they were alive. For example, an undead chef remains in the kitchen area, and when you’re not in his sights, you can find him franticly cutting up meat. Another example that stood out to me is in one of the corridors there’s a zombie that’s obsessed with switching the lights off after you turn them on.

It’s an interesting new gameplay mechanic that makes zombie encounters more nuanced than in previous games. Instead of opening fire on every one you see, you can now choose to sneak past several enemies based on whether they’re distracted by their own task. Not all zombies exhibit this behavior, meaning you’ll still encounter zombies whose only goal is to eat your brains.

Some zombies now have special powers that you’ll need to keep in mind when facing them. One zombie type is a woman who sings, who is capable of using the power of sound to unbalance you from a distance.

During the segment with Grace, I found that ammo was incredibly scarce, more so than in previous games. Most of the time, I didn’t have any ammo, forcing me to sneak around many of the enemies you encounter.

There’s a number of different gameplay mechanics between Grace and Leon too. Leon has plenty of ammo and weapons, and is capable of opening wardrobes with his hatchet, along with being able to parry with it. Grace doesn’t have a hatchet or any melee weapons, meaning her only way of attack is with weapons, but ammo is scarce.

Because of this, I found myself playing very differently when in control of Grace vs Leon. This is likely by design, but I felt a little more capable and unstoppable when playing as Leon, choosing to face zombies head, whereas with Grace I found myself choosing to sneak by zombies a lot as I just didn’t have the equipment to take them on.

Another difference between the two characters is that by default, you play as Leon in the third-person, but Grace in the first person to heighten that level of horror you get from a tighter FoV. You can change this in the settings for either character, but I love that attention to detail for the default settings.

After exploring the care center, the demo has you take control of Leon again. Now, he’s in what appears to be an attic, and it’s not long before you encounter a boss battle with a large zombie type that you need to kill to progress. In typical Resident Evil fashion, the zombie has weak points that you should focus your fire on to kill it faster.

I also want to take a minute to appreciate just how good this game looks. Everything from wall and floor textures to people’s faces and the gore is so realistic. The sound design is equal parts fascinating and disgusting, and the whole thing just looks and feels really polished. Leon, who is now significantly older than he was in prior games, looks great, now taking on a slightly rougher appearance with a grittier voice.

Overall, I think Resident Evil Requiem is a true return to form for classic Resident Evil fans. After playing this demo, I went and played the Resident Evil 2 remake again, and the similarities between both are obvious. That’s not bad thing at all, especially for those who really like those older games, as Requiem builds upon that classic formula and improves on it in pretty much every way.

The game launches on February 27, 2026 for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC. Sadly, there's no Xbox Play Anywhere support for Resident Evil Requiem, or seemingly, any launch planned for Xbox PC or Xbox Ally. .

One of this year's biggest upcoming games is Resident Evil Requiem, also known as Resident Evil 9 — Capcom's next mainline entry in its beloved action-horror series Resident Evil. First revealed last year during Summer Game Fest with its February 27, 2026 release date, preorders for it then went live in late October, and now the developers have given fans a detailed gameplay overview ahead of its upcoming launch across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, PS5, and Nintendo Switch 2.

That presentation was the main event of the Resident Evil Showcase Capcom aired on Thursday afternoon that you can watch here or with the embedded video below. The showcase largely highlighted the key differences between the gameplay of the fan-favorite DSO operative Leon Kennedy and Requiem's new protagonist, the FBI agent Grace Ashcroft, while also showing both playable characters in action.

Indeed, while Requiem's narrative will draw the two protagonists together, its chapters will see you switching back and forth between them, with each character offering a very different gameplay experience. Capcom says this was done to give fans the feeling they're playing two different games in one.

Leon will have far more action-heavy gameplay that's inspired by the tense combat of Resident Evil 4. He'll be able to parry enemy attacks with his handy new hatchet, and can also shoot zombies in their limbs to disable moves, stagger them, and open them up to some comically brutal melee finishers. He's also able to pick up weapons from fallen foes, too, giving you some special and unique options in certain encounters.

Grace's gameplay, meanwhile, leans more into the horror side of things, and is reminiscent of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard with lots of tight spaces. She's far less combat-capable than Leon, though she does have an extremely powerful revolver called Requiem — yes, named after the title — that can get her out of hairy situations. Still, ammo for her weapons is extremely limited, so stealth and smart retreats will be needed to survive.

One interesting risk vs. reward element of Grace's gameplay is that she's capable of crafting special injectors that can be used for quick zombie takedowns, but you'll need to kill enemies to get the infected blood necessary for these items; therefore, to keep some handy that may make things easier for you later, you'll have to risk combat.

Notably, with both protagonists, you can switch between third and first-person — a first for a Resident Evil game at launch. There will also be a Casual difficulty for those that want an easier experience and the ability to save freely, while Standard (Classic) heightens the challenge and only allows you to save as Grace with Ink Ribbons, forcing you to consider when to save with the limited number you have available.

The showcase also highlighted that the zombies of Resident Evil Requiem are unique in that they retain some of the habits and tendencies they had before becoming infected (for example, you might find a chef zombie wandering about a kitchen, cooking food). Paying attention to these behaviors and figuring out how you can exploit them is core to the experience, especially if you're playing as Grace.

While I like the series, I'm not a huge Resident Evil fan, but I think everything Capcom presented at the showcase looks great, and I'm looking forward to checking Requiem out when it comes out in February. Notably, though, a lot of fans were hoping for more from the event, and many were frustrated with the lack of a playable demo for the game in particular.

Capcom confirmed there won't be a demo back in November, and while fans were hoping the developer would go back on that decision closer to Requiem's launch, it doesn't appear that's going to happen. Hopefully the title gets one after its release at some point.

Resident Evil Requiem is headed to Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, PS5, and Nintendo Switch 2 on February 27, 2026. We liked what we've seen and played so far in previews; preorders are live now, with the standard edition of the game selling for $69.99.

What did you think of what Capcom showed of Resident Evil Requiem at the Resident Evil Showcase? Are you excited to get your hands on the game, or does it not look like your cup of tea? Let me know how you're feeling in the comments.

A slightly odd and amusing saga has mostly come to a close, with a new leak confirming what many have been guessing for months, as longtime Resident Evil mainstay Leon Kennedy will be present in Capcom's upcoming Resident Evil Requiem.

The leak comes as players noticed a new image for Resident Evil Requiem on the PlayStation Store (via IGN) that quite clearly shows a more grizzled, bearded Leon in the background behind the new protagonist, Grace Ashcroft. What makes this chuckle-worthy is how Capcom has responded (or rather, how it hasn't) to inquiries surrounding Leon over the past few months since the game was announced.

For months, rumors and reports swirled that Leon was in the game as a secondary playable character after Grace, though with disagreements as to just how significant Leon's role would be. Personally, I'm expecting something similar to Chris Redfield in Resident Evil Village, where Chris was playable for a specific sequence but was clearly the secondary protagonist behind Ethan Winters.

Fans looking forward to seeing more of Resident Evil Requiem can look forward to the Game Awards 2025, where it's confirmed that Capcom will be showing another look at its next survival-horror experience.

Maybe this will even coincide with the official unveiling of Leon Kennedy in the game? I got to see some hands-off gameplay of Resident Evil Requiem back during Summer Game Fest 2025, while executive editor Jez Corden later got to play that same demo during Gamescom. We both came away impressed, and Resident Evil Requiem is easily one of my most-anticipated games for next year.

Fortunately, I won't be waiting long to play it (and neither will you), because Resident Evil Requiem is scheduled to arrive on Feb. 27, 2026. Are you excited for the latest entry? Let me know in the comments.

Resident Evil Requiem is slated to launch on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (Epic Games Store and Steam), PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Capcom has prepared a very special treat for Resident Evil fans this Halloween. During a recently released trailer recapping Resident Evil's history, Capcom has announced that pre-orders are live for Resident Evil: Requiem for home consoles and PC.

On top of that, Capcom has announced details regarding the game's special editions, pre-order bonuses, and much more.

Here's everything you need to know from Resident Evil: Requiem's pre-order announcement.

First and foremost, you can now pre-order the game at your favorite online and local retailers for the following platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.

Additionally, there will be two special editions of the game and a pre-order bonus to purchase alongside the Standard Edition.

Pre-ordering the game will grant you access to a special DLC costume called 'Apocalypse', which is no doubt a reference to the Resident Evil: Apocalypse movie.

Next up, Capcom has a list of announcements regarding the game's Nintendo Switch 2 port.

Capcom has collaborated with Nintendo to release a Resident Evil amiibo of Grace Ashcraft in 2026 and a Resident Evil: Requiem themed Nintendo Switch 2 Pro controller for February 27, 2026.

Additionally, the Nintendo Switch 2 will receive the Resident Evil Generation Pack in 2026, which bundles together Resident Evil 7: biohazard Gold Edition, Resident Evil Village Gold Edition, and Resident Evil: Requiem.

Capcom then rounds its announcements up by stating that Resident Evil: Requiem will have a collaboration with Fortnite to celebrate Resident Evil's debut on the Epic Games Store.

By ordering the game on the Epic Games Store, you will receive a Grace Ashcroft costume to use in Fortnite after the game releases.

Are you ready to return to Racoon City for its requiem?

If my colleague, Jez Corden's preview of Resident Evil: Requiem is anything to go by, this game is shaping up to be Resident's darkest entry yet, both figuratively and literally.

It has a somber yet horrifying setting as we're returning to Raccoon City decades after it was blown to ruins at the end of Resident Evil 3, and the nightmarish monsters you will encounter will require the use of lights to drive them away, as bullets will not save you this time.

I enjoyed my fair share of Resident Evil games over the years (my favorite being the Resident Evil HD Remaster), so I can't wait to see new horrors await us when Resident Evil: Requiem launches on February 27, 2026.

FAQ

We're only four months away from the release of Resident Evil: Requiem, the latest and possibly darkest installment of Capcom's iconic survival horror franchise to date.

To help players catch up, Loaded is offering a massive Halloween sale for several titles in the Resident Evil series, like the Resident Evil Remake Trilogy ($33.99), Resident Evil 7: Gold Edition ($9.89), and the Resident Evil HD Remaster ($4.49).

Additionally, Newegg's got a special 72% discount for Resident Evil Village: Gold Edition for $13.99.

Why Resident Evil is the quintessential series for Halloween and beyond

The Resident Evil series is often considered to be the pinnacle of survival horror games, and for good reason.

Many of them are extremely polished, atmospheric, enjoyable titles that veer back and forth between keeping you up at night with their nightmare-inducing monsters to providing cathartic power rushes as a reward for mastering their resource management and combat mechanics.

Out of all the games in this post, the most plot-relevant ones are Resident Evil HD Remaster and the Resident Evil Remake Trilogy, as their stories help set the stage for Raccoon City's ruined state in Resident Evil: Requiem.

Resident Evil HD Remaster may be a remaster of 2002 remake, but this game still holds up even after 23 years for boasting some of the most beautiful, gothic pre-rendered backgrounds, perfectly-paced gameplay, and terrifying moments that will catch you off guard even on repeat playthroughs.

However, if you want something more modern, the Resident Evil Remake trilogy is the way to go.

Each game in this collection will have you quaking in your boots with its adrenaline-pumping scares, scarce resources you will need to be careful not to waste, and memorable characters you will want to help survive the horrors coming to consume them.

While not directly connected to Resident Evil: Requiem (from what we've seen thus far), Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil: Village are still worth playing regardless.

It's an incredible duology of titles that helped kickstart Capcom's redemption arc back into popularity during the late 2010s and early 2020s for their in-depth gameplay, spooky locales rich with secrets, and possibly the best villains in the franchise outside of Albert Wesker.

With these 70-80% discounts for Resident Evil Remake Trilogy ($33.99 at Loaded), Resident Evil 7: Gold Edition ($9.89 at Loaded), Resident Evil HD Remaster ($4.49 at Loaded), and Resident Evil Village: Gold Edition ($13.99 at Newegg), you will save dozens of dollars and have months of unforgetteble content to chew on before Resident Evil: Requiem arrives on February 27, 2026.

FAQ

Ahead of Gamescom 2025, I was lucky enough to be among the first members of the public to go hands-on with Resident Evil Requiem, the ninth mainline entry in the industry-leading horror series.

Resident Evil has had its ups and downs over the years, but remains one of the most prolific video game franchises in history — a rare feat for the horror genre, which many find too uncomfortable to experience.

Capcom experimented with dialling back the horror in favor of action here and there, but quite firmly took the game back to its roots with Resident Evil 7 and 8 "Village," delivering landmark visuals and refreshed first-person gameplay in the process. Capcom has also been masterfully remaking classic entries in the franchise, with Resident Evil 2 and 4 more than living up to their predecessors, honoring the legacy while modernizing.

Silent Hill has also seen a resurgence in recent years, and even newcomers like Cronos: The New Dawn look incredibly promising, too. But after going hands-on with Resident Evil Requiem last week, I'm confident that this legendary horror franchise will remain the genre's apex predator.

A blinding glimpse into fresh horrors

For our demo, I was put in control of a new protagonist, Grace Ashcroft, an FBI Technical Analyst who has very limited experience when it comes to working in the field.

Capcom hasn't been shy about explaining why Grace was chosen as this game's new protagonist, noting that experienced staples like Leon Kennedy or Claire Redfield are far too experienced dealing with mutant horrors and undead abominations to convey that full sense of fear. As Grace, you'll feel that familiar sense of vulnerability as she navigates a near-future world of genetic experiments gone wrong and synthetic viruses triggering localized apocalypses.

At the beginning, Grace finds herself strapped upside-down to a medical table, being drip-drained of blood. What will immediately strike you is the visuals, panic-induced sweat beads on Grace's blood-spattered skin with familiar RE Engine realism, running at smooth 60 FPS, complete with immaculate lighting. And that last note in particular — lighting — played a big role in this early demo.

After composing herself, Grace realizes she's in some kind of hospital, which seems very recently abandoned. There's nobody around, and the electricity is on the blink — half the hallways are shrouded in pitch-black darkness, illuminated only by lightning from the storm raging outside.

Early on, I found a lighter, reminiscent of the classic key item from as far back as Resident Evil 1. The lighter is more than a throwback — it offers the tiniest reprieve from the gloom, and allows you to explore the game's detailed environments for crucial items.

There are other ways to light the way. In what I initially thought was just heavy detailing, most rooms in the demo had interactive light sources. Lamps, light switches, and fuse boxes can help you shed light on the situation. And the visuals are truly immaculate here. When playing in Resident Evil Requiem's third-person mode (the first in the series that lets you swap between both), the way the lighter flame illuminates through the textures of Grace's hair is realistic in a way I've not seen reproduced in a video game before.

Capcom cleverly uses the lighting to tease anxiety out of the player, shrouding otherwise innocuous objects in just enough darkness to make you question every shape, every corner, where threats could potentially lurk. Capcom has used lighting this way in previous games, too, of course, but the technical bump seems to have given the horror maestros some additionally panic-inducing toys to play with here.

Why all this emphasis on lighting, though? Well, it seems that Resident Evil Requiem's enemies are eager to use the darkness against you — to terrifying effect.

A new nemesis for a new nightmare

It's not long after exploring that Grace finds her first corpse. A medical researcher, seemingly — endowed with a familiar white lab coat, and wracked with that similarly familiar decrepit, infected, rotting skin. These ones don't have a chance to come back to life, though.

Through the darkness, horrifying digits begin creeping over the poor scientist's cadaver with all the warmth of a hungry tarantula. Grace is then confronted by the jagged teeth of a ten-foot hulking mockery of a humanoid, who proceeds to have a light snack of the chilled brains of the deceased doctor. It's a fittingly horrifying introduction to who (or what) is quite clearly set to be Grace's nemesis.

At this point, you have no weapons. All you can do is run and hide. In third-person, Grace will stumble and struggle to keep her footing, as panic sets in. Luckily for Grace, it seems that Requiem's introductory boss-grade freak has relatively poor eyesight, relying on sound, at least to some degree. Your only defence here is to flee into the light, which sears the flesh clean off this surprisingly agile ,mutated cannibal.

Grace can use bottles and other random objects to lure threats away with noise, but I did find some sneaky handgun bullets beneath a cupboard at one point — but alas, no gun. I also found an "empty" ink ribbon; are we returning to finite save files again? That would certainly be interesting in 2025. Or will they serve some other purpose? Time will tell, surely.

I didn't have much time to ponder the ink ribbon, though, as the lights failed, and the entity crawled out of a hole in the ceiling and gave chase once again.

Scrambling to escape into a fully lit hall with Grace mere inches away from freedom, the demo ended with a tantalizing note from Capcom: "This is merely the overture to our darkest symphony."

Capcom's darkest symphony

Resident Evil Requiem launches on February 27, 2026, assuming there are no delays, and even this brief glimpse into Capcom's new nightmare has my synapses on edge, wracked with questions. Where exactly is Grace? Who strung her up like a blood bag and left her to rot? What is the thing chasing you? What are the scientists infected with? Is the T-Virus back? Why is the monster photosensitive? How does Requiem tie into Resident Evil Outbreak, given that Grace is the daughter of the aforementioned game's protagonist?

Capcom says that Requiem is its "darkest symphony." I felt like the obscuring technical gloom and twisted setting gave that note a double meaning. Grace's vulnerability comes through strong, with top-grade digital acting and photorealism, and despite the mutant horrors that lurk in Resident Evil, the big evils tend to embody amoral, humanity-eschewing corporate interests.

Grace is investigating her mother's murder, though, hinting at a more personal horror story that might hit closer to home than some of Resident Evil's sci-fi predecessors.

All of the big questions will be answered early next year, when Resident Evil Requiem finally drops on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC.

Capcom has just released, on its japanese website, a new fiscal year report showing game sales revenue from April 2024 to March 2025.

According to the report (as shared via @HazzadorGamin on X), revenue through Capcom games sold on Steam has risen by a monumental 61.1%, selling over 28 million games on Valve's digital platform.

This roughly means that Capcom has generated $366 million on Steam alone, and this is only accounting for 31.1% of Capcom's total revenue.

That being said, the fiscal year doesn't have much good news for Capcom's console games sales. Capcom's game sales on PlayStation systems once made up 10.5% of the company's total revenue in 2024, but those figures have been omitted from this report, confirming that it has dropped below 10%.

Unfortunately, we can't say anything about the state of Capcom's game sales numbers on Xbox and Nintendo Switch systems, as they are not featured in the report.

Capcom's been a financial hot streak, yet the quality of its PC games don't reflect that.

I personally believe that a huge factor in Capcom making a ton of money on Steam is due to the success of Monster Hunter Wilds, which was released just a few weeks before the end of the 2024-2025 fiscal year on February 28, 2025.

This highly anticipated entry in Capcom's Monster Hunter series broke sales records by shipping over 10 million copies in just a month on Steam, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.

Also, it's worth noting that Capcom released other titles to help boost its revenue during 2024 before Monster Hunter Wilds came along, which drew players in.

These include the original, artistically rich strategy/action game hybrid, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, and Dragon's Dogma 2, the long-awaited revival of Capcom's cult open-world RPG series, Dragon's Dogma.

That being said, despite Monster Hunter Wilds helping Capcom make bank, the game has received a ton of "Overwhelmingly Negative" reviews on Steam over the past couple of months.

PC players have been criticizing Monster Hunter Wilds' for its subpar PC performance even while running the Best graphics cards, the lack of a true challenge fighting the monsters, its minuscule amount of endgame content, and more.

Capcom's been busy helping fix the scarcity of Monster Hunter's endgame content, with free titles adding new enemies to its monster roster. The first title update added Miztzune and High-Rank Zoh Shia, while the recently released second title update added Lagiacrus and Seregios.

Capcom even released a mini-update that you play as Akuma from the Street Fighter series, complete with his own unique move-set that functioned differently from the main weapon types.

Yet even with these cool updates, players are still not satisfied as they are complaining that these updates barely do anything to upgrade the PC version's performance. People are experiencing crashes, framerates tanking below 30fps, aliasing galore, and other optimization issues.

Judging from the aforementioned fiscal year report, it's quite possible that Capcom rushed Monster Hunter Wilds out the door before it was properly optimized to get out before the fiscal year for 2024-2025.

It paid off big for Capcom, but the quality of Monster Hunter Wilds suffered heavily as a result.

You'd think after the optimization issues Dragon's Dogma 2 had when that game launched (as my colleague Jez Corden discovered in his review of Dragon's Dogma 2), Capcom would've realized that the RE Engine isn't designed to run big open-world games like Monster Hunter Wilds.

However, I'm guessing it was too late to back peddle in time to change Monster Hunter Wilds' so it was able to run with the RE Engine better. Perhaps due to being too far into development or not willing to compromise, missing out on meeting the fiscal year deadline.

Thankfully, Resident Evil Requiem hopefully won't suffer these problems.

Capcom confirmed in a developer interview (only available on Resident Evil's website), that it will not be an open-world multiplayer game (as it was originally going to be according to the leaked rumor), because Capcom says the fans didn't want the Resident Evil series to go in that direction.

However, Capcom will need to do more than simply keep RE Engine-made games away from open-world structures if it hopes to maintain the quality of its upcoming PC games and even upcoming Xbox games.

In my opinion, Capcom needs to take time to properly optimize each game, take fan feedback into serious consideration with regard to game design and performance, and not rush out products to meet deadlines and make a quick buck.

Otherwise, the fans will turn on them as they did with Monster Hunter Wilds and not stick around to purchase anymore of their products, bringing Capcom's recent financial success on Steam to a grinding halt.

Will Capcom heed the fan outcries and learn from its lessons to maintain its high sales revenues for the next fiscal year without sacrificing the quality of its upcoming games?

Will it be able to finally fix the performance issues of Monster Hunters Wilds so fans will stick around to play more of its free title updates and probable DLC expansion?

We will have to wait and see what Capcom's next move is to find out.

If you're a survival-horror fan like me, Resident Evil Requiem from Capcom was one of the biggest announcements during all of Summer Game Fest 2025. For this ninth mainline entry, Capcom is promising to once again return to its foundation of horror, while also providing high-adrenaline action.

I got a taste of the first half of that promise when I attended a theater presentation from Capcom, taking a look at 20 minutes of hands-off gameplay that shows FBI agent Grace Ashcroft thrown into an utter nightmare.

The hands-off demo began with little additional context outside of the reveal trailer. Grace wakes up inside a heavily dilapidated building with no idea of where she is, hanging upside down and hooked up to something slowly draining her blood.

Straight away, it's clear this game is aiming for astounding visual quality. Capcom's impressive RE Engine has powered fantastic-looking visuals ever since it was introduced, especially in the Resident Evil games, but things are taken to a new level here. Sweat drips down Grace's neck, and dim lights pierce the room with amazing believability, while Capcom notes the demo was played on a PlayStation 5 Pro.

After getting free, the first-person gameplay begins. Everything is dark and moody, with only a handful of flickering lights, while dark halls are briefly illuminated by cracks of lightning as a storm rages outside.

Grace explores carefully, slowly opening doors and trying to find anything that can help her escape. Notably, there are no weapons to be seen at this stage, with Grace limited to just a lighter. In a new twist for the Resident Evil series, Grace can also gather bottles, throwing them as a distraction for enemies.

She seriously needs them, because it becomes clear after a while that the building isn't entirely abandoned, and something is coming after Grace. It's a nightmarish creature, with gigantic, clawing hands. It's covered in blood and bandages while towering over everything else, practically filling a room as it shambles around.

With no weapons, Grace can only evade or distract this thing temporarily, made all the more difficult by how it climbs up into the ceiling, burrowing through the building and making it hard to tell exactly where it is at a particular point.

While Capcom cuts from point to point to avoid spoiling the exact solutions, it's also clear that Grace's gameplay is going to revolve heavily around puzzles. Different doors need different keys; she'll need to find some way of reaching a tall shelf, and so on.

It's a very classic structure for a Resident Evil game, just with the stress level amplified as she is at least initially bereft of weaponry.

As the demo drew to a close, Capcom pulled a "one last thing" moment in perhaps the most creative way I've ever seen. As the shambling monstrosity closed in on Grace, the gameplay suddenly paused. The team opened the options menu and flipped a toggle from "First-person" to "Third-person."

The cheers in the room were deafening.

Resident Evil Requiem isn't the first game in the series to let players swap between first and third-person gameplay — 2021's Gothic-infused entry Resident Evil Village added the option through the Winters Expansion DLC — but Requiem is the first game to be built around this idea from the start. I'm excited to see which option players end up preferring, even if I'll probably stick with first-person myself.

The presentation wowed me, and I'm already sold on the survival-horror vision that Capcom is constructing as it returns to Raccoon City. There's a mutated elephant in the room, however, and that is that the storied Japanese publisher is promising fierce action for this game as well.

That action was nowhere to be seen in the demo, and while I'm sure she'll prove capable, I'd argue it'd be tonally inconsistent if Grace suddenly goes full guns blazing.

Maybe there's another, more familiar co-lead currently being hidden?

We won't be waiting years to find out, as Resident Evil Requiem is slated to launch on Feb. 27, 2026, across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (Steam), and PlayStation 5.

Capcom has been on an absolute tear over the last several years with the Resident Evil series, and the company is aiming to continue that streak with Resident Evil 9.

During Summer Game Fest 2025, Capcom revealed that this next game in the series is called Resident Evil Requiem and it's releasing on February 27, 2026.

The trailer opens by showing a man walking through a busy office until he gets to the cubicle of FBI Agent Grace Ashcroft.

He explains to Ashcroft that "another body has been found" and says he specifically needs Ashcroft's eyes on the crime scene.

Grace seems to see traumatic flashbacks of the Remwood Hotel where her mother was murdered eight years ago.

The next thing we see is Grace struggling to get out of some kind of contraption that has her hanging upside down.

A creepy voice comes on to say, "I know now that you're the one that I've been searching for. The special one. The chosen one, Miss Ashcroft."

Following that, the music surges as unsettling scenes showing the dilapidated and largely abandoned Raccoon City flash on the screen, complete with grotesque abominations in the shadows.

It looks really good, and we can't wait to return to Raccoon City once more.

Capcom has been on a roll recently, and I hope that continues with Requiem

Over the last decade, Capcom has launched an impressive array of Resident Evil games with consistent critical acclaim and commercial success across new entries and several remakes alike.

In 2017, Capcom launched Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, which brought back a tight focus on survival-horror after criticisms were widely levied against the action-heavy Resident Evil 6.

Biohazard was followed by a remake of Resident Evil 2 in 2019, and a Resident Evil 3 remake in 2020. After Resident Evil Village in 2021, the company also launched a remake of Resident Evil 4 in 2023.

I'm really hoping that this next entry in the series can keep the momentum going.

Resident Evil Requiem is slated to launch on February 27, 2026 across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5.

Developer Capcom hasn't officially revealed the next Resident Evil game — assumed to be Resident Evil 9 — yet, but rumors about the game's structure, setting, and plot have circulated online for many months. Now, there's a new leak that suggests the title was at one point very, very different compared to other entries in the legendary horror series.

The information comes from Dusk Golem, a known Capcom insider, who shared it in a thread on social media this week. In their posts, they allege that Resident Evil 9 began life as a "big open world multiplayer game," with Capcom initially conceptualizing it as the opposite of Resident Evil 7's linear single-player experience due to its underwhelming sales performance at release.

"So RE9 originally started development in 2017 ... after RE7 underperformed at launch to Capcom's expectations. RE7 went on to have a huge tail in sales, but this was a bit reactionary," they explained. "And the original version of RE9 was trying to be the opposite of RE7, IE big open world multiplayer game."

Dusk Golem then went on to note that after Resident Evil 7's rebound, Resident Evil 9 got a major rework that changed Capcom's vision for the project close to the launch of Resident Evil Village in 2021. One of the only holdovers from the original concept is that Leon Kennedy — a fan-favorite character from Resident Evil 2, 4, and 6 — remains the protagonist.

"RE9 originally starred Leon & Jill in a fictional island based off Singapore. ... That was where the old scrapped version of RE9 took place. HOWEVER, AGAIN, this is the old RE9, the project got a pretty heavy reboot in 2021 around the time Village came out, though a few things stayed the same like Leon is still the main character," they continued. "The rest I'll let Capcom reveal, I've decided to be more a tease than a leaker, as I've said. But I find scrapped game stuff interesting."

So when will Capcom reveal Resident Evil 9 officially? There's no way to say for sure, though in a separate post, Dusk Golem commented that they believe the game will get an announcement in 2025 and then come out at some point in 2026. If that's going to happen, Summer Games Fest on June 6 seems like a good time for it; it's worth noting that fans think they spotted an "IX" teaser for Resident Evil 9 in a Resident Evil 4 Remake video posted in late April, so the timing makes sense.

Dusk Golem didn't mention how Resident Evil 9 was rebooted, but given the eventual success of Resident Evil 7 and how popular Resident Evil Village was out of the gate, I'm assuming it's been reworked into another single-player experience — and if that's the case, I'm glad.

While I'm typically pretty open to studios trying new formats and ideas with long-running franchises, I have a strong desire to see Resident Evil specifically stick closer to its roots. Great single-player horror games are few and far between, and Resident Evil is one of the only series that's had consistently strong showings recently. Plus, you know...we all know how the last Resident Evil multiplayer project turned out.

Besides, Resident Evil Village already introduced some nonlinearity with its optional locations, secret paths, and some more open-ended zones, and I'd like to see Capcom keep exploring that semi-linear approach in single player before making something radically new with a full-fledged open world and multiplayer gameplay. Let me know if you agree or feel differently in the comments, though.

It's worth noting that while Resident Evil Village — the latest chronological entry in the franchise — is usually $40, you can get it on PC for just $14.99 at CDKeys thanks to this discount. The console versions I've linked to in the box below are on sale, too.

Capcom has just announced via its official website and The Game Awards' X account that it has achieved its highest sales figures and operating income records in the company's history within its 2024-2025 fiscal year report (ending on March 31, 2025).

According to the report, Capcom's net sales were ¥169.6 billion ($1.14 billion), up 11.3% year-on-year, while its net income was ¥48.45 billion ($327.5 million), up 11.7% year-on-year. This is the eighth consecutive year that Capcom has broken sales records, and the 11th consecutive year it has increased its operating profit growth.

On top of that, Capcom has announced that it has sold over 51.87 million video game units worldwide. This success is largely thanks to Capcom's flagship franchises like Resident Evil, Street Fighter, and, of course, Monster Hunter.

Monster Hunter is currently Capcom's biggest franchise, with Monster Hunter World selling over 28.2 million copies, Monster Hunter Rise at 16.7 million copies, and the latest entry, Monster Hunter Wilds, selling over 10 million copies in just a month after its release.

After declaring this financial success, Capcom stated, and I quote from it's official website, "Moving forward, for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, Capcom anticipates net sales of 190,000 million yen and operating income of 73,000 million yen, which would result in nine consecutive years of record high profit at all levels and eleven consecutive years of over 10% operating income growth."

In short, things are going well money-wise for Capcom, and the company is confident in its future endeavors.

If Capcom's upcoming Xbox titles/upcoming PC titles like the new Okami and Onimusha: Way of the Sword live up to fans' expectations after being a dormant Capcom IP for so long, then fortune will continue to smile for this legendary studio.

Monster Hunter Wilds, the next-gen successor to one of Capcom's best Xbox games and best PC games, Monster Hunter World, is now available for purchase after launching on February 28, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.

Tomorrow marks the start of another October — "spooky month," if you will — and naturally, that got me thinking about some of the most memorable horror games I've played over the years. Without a doubt, many of the best are entries from Capcom's Resident Evil series, a franchise that's reportedly had over 154 million copies sold globally since its introduction.

Indeed, countless horror fans have fond memories of desperately fighting to survive against zombies and other monstrous creatures in Resident Evil — and as Halloween approaches, there's never been a better time to get into the series. That's because right now, you can get two or more of many of the best Resident Evil games for just $8 apiece at Fanatical as part of its customizable "Resident Evil Bundle: Reawakened" collection.

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Grab some of the best horror games for less

Since the release of the first title nearly 30 years ago in 1996, Resident Evil has grown to become one of the biggest horror franchises in gaming, with it even expanding into film, television, novels, comics, and other media as a direct result of its popularity. Though it fell off somewhat in the mid-2010s, developer and publisher Capcom propelled the series back into the limelight with 2017's Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, which it's since followed up with 2021's Resident Evil Village sequel and several exhaustive remakes of Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4.

Several of these — including 7, Village, and the remakes of 2 and 3 — are available to add to this excellent build-your-own-bundle deal from Fanatical, as are other entries like the Resident Evil Revelations titles, Resident Evil and Resident Evil 0, a pairing of the original Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5, and 2012's Resident Evil 6. The majority of these are priced at $39.99, but by taking advantage of Fanatical's offer you can pick up two or more for just $8 per game.

Whether you're curious about seeing what the Resident Evil hype is all about or are simply a longtime fan looking to play the games you haven't checked out yet, this deal is simply unbeatable and one that you shouldn't pass up. $8 for each game is the lowest price I've ever seen any of the modern releases go for, and the fact you can pick and choose what's in your bundle means you can save big while simultaneously getting exactly what you want.

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The only real downside to the bundle is that 2023's Resident Evil 4 remake isn't included as one of the game options you can pick, though the original 2005 release is. Still, I think you'd be better off going for some of the newer entries like the Resident Evil 2 remake or Resident Evil Village, as these are more expensive and are far less likely to go on sale comparatively.

It's also important to note that Fanatical sells the Steam versions of all these games in its bundle, so only PC players can actually take advantage of it. With that said, many of the titles are on sale on Microsoft's Xbox storefront for steep discounts right now, and you can even play the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 through its all-you-can-eat Xbox Game Pass service. With Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, you can access them on both Xbox and PC, potentially making that tier worth investing in if you use both platforms.

After the release of Resident Evil 5 in 2009, Capcom's Resident Evil franchise suffered from an identity crisis for many years as the series couldn't decide whether it wanted to stick to being survival horror games or be full-blown action games. That all changed in 2017 when Capcom released Resident Evil 7 Biohazard in 2017 for consoles and PCs.

This game would go on to become one of the most critically acclaimed titles in the series for bringing Resident Evil back to its survival horror roots while terrifying a new generation of players with nightmarish visuals, heart-pounding scares, and refined gameplay.

The Gold Edition of Resident Evil 7 Biohazard (specifically the PC version on Steam) normally goes for an MSRP of $59.89, however, CDKeys is hosting an 80% discount deal for it. This means you can get your hands on the base game Resident Evil 7 Biohazard and its post-launch DLC content bundled together for $9.99 at CDKeys.

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Why should you buy Resident Evil 7 Biohazard?

Resident Evil 7 Biohazard is a first-person survival horror game that takes place many years after Resident Evil 6 and follows the traumatic adventures of a new protagonist, Ethan Winters. This man has journeyed many miles to investigate an abandoned mansion located deep within the depths of Louisiana in search of his missing wife, Mia. 

She was believed to be long dead, but all that changed one day when Ethan received a mysterious video recording of Mia telling him to come find her at the mansion. However, when Ethan gets there, he is horrified to discover that the mansion is crawling with disgusting monsters and a psychotic family known as the Bakers, who are out for Ethan's blood.

I consider myself somewhat of a casual fan of the Resident Evil series, playing some of the titles now and again during Halloween. With that being said, I consider Resident Evil 7 Biohazard to be not just one of the best Xbox games ever made but my second favorite Resident Evil game ever after the Resident Evil 1 Remake.

It's got superbly detailed and gruesome visuals, a dark, foreboding atmosphere that will keep you on edge throughout your playthrough, and ferocious, nightmarish, and deliciously evil enemies that can appear at any time to rip your heart out.

In addition, exploring every corner of the mansion and solving its puzzles feels rewarding and worthwhile as you can obtain many weapons, tools, and supplies to help you survive this game's harrowing combat encounters if you're willing to risk your life doing so. 

Combat in Resident Evil 7 Biohazard is no joke, as ammo and healing items are scarce, and enemies can tear you to ribbons in just a few hits. Being careful with supplies, seeking refuge in save rooms, running from enemies, and only fighting when you have no choice is classic survival horror, and I was so happy to see it return in Resident Evil 7 Biohazard and with refined, buttery smooth controls to boot. 

The Gold Edition of Resident Evil 7 Biohazard (PC Version) is on sale at CDkeys for $9.99. Purchasing the Gold Edition will net you the base game and its DLC campaigns called Banned Footage Vol. 1, Banned Footage Vol. 2, and End of Zoe epilogue, which explores more of the game's frightening story and pits you against new disgusting, murderous abominations.

If you're a longtime Resident Evil fan or a fan of survival horror games, then I highly recommend picking Resident Evil 7 Biohazard. It is a horrifyingly good time that still holds up to this day alongside its modern successors like Resident Evil Village and the Resident Evil 4 Remake.

What you need to know

• GOG, the online digital distribution retailer for PC games, has announced that they're working with Capcom to re-release the PlayStation One versions of the original Resident Evil trilogy on PC, DRM-free.
• The first game of the trilogy, Resident Evil, is now available on GOG.com to purchase, while Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis will be re-released at a later date.
• Resident Evil is a series of horror games created by Capcom back in the 1990s that has gone on to revolutionize the survival horror genre and become one of Capcom's best-selling video game franchises.

Last week, Capcom made the shocking announcement of bringing back its classic Marvel Vs. Capcom games to modern consoles (except Xbox), and now it is re-releasing another one of its iconic franchises on PC in partnership with GOG. That's right, on June 26, 2024, the digital distribution platform, GOG declared that it is working with Capcom to bring back the original Resident Evil trilogy on GOG.com.

The first game, Resident Evil, is available right now, while Resident Evil 2, and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis will come to GOG.com at a later date.

The original Resident Evil trilogy was ported to Windows PC back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but these old versions are incompatible with modern PCs and Capcom has never ported them to Steam. So if people wanted to play the original Resident Evil games on PC, they had to emulate them via ROMs.

So GOG, in their ongoing mission to preserve and protect classic games from becoming lost media, has decided to fill in and re-release new PC editions of these iconic games. These GOG re-releases of Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis will be DRM-free and include quality-of-life improvements and upgraded compatibility for modern PC hardware. 

In addition, GOG's re-release of Resident Evil 1 is the uncut edition, which features more scenes of extreme violence and gore than the original PlayStation One released worldwide back in 1996.

Enter a world of classic survival horror

Personally speaking, I'm happy to see GOG bring the original Resident Evil games on PC, so modern fans can experience the series' roots. These games helped shape the survival horror genre into what it is today through thanks to their haunting atmospheres, disturbing monster designs, and tight gameplay where resource management of your ammo and items is key to your survival.

While the remakes of these games are classics in their own right like the Resident Evil 1 Remake and Resident Evil 2 Remake, the original PlayStation games still hold up despite their age in my opinion. I'd even argue that the original Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is better than the Resident Evil 3 remake as it has far more content to play through.

So, if you're a series veteran who wants to relive nostalgic memories or a new fan who was introduced through Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Resident Evil Village, or Resident Evil 4 Remake, head over to GOG.com and get your hands on the original Resident Evil to see the origins of one of Capcom's best-selling franchises.

Ah, the Resident Evil franchise. One of the most famous horror series of all time, now spanning decades of mainline entries, strange spin-offs, repeated failed attempts at multiplayer, and now a growing line of excellent remakes reimagining classic RE titles. Resident Evil 4 (RE4) was the latest classic to be remade, releasing earlier this year to critical acclaim and commercial success. It's a brilliant retelling of a truly legendary game, but it did feel a little incomplete at launch...

That's because it lacked the Separate Ways DLC, which was included in the 2005 original's base game and accessible after completing the main story. Capcom has now rectified this omission, with the missing pieces of Ada Wong's story now enjoying the same remake treatment as Resident Evil 4 — complete with expanded story elements and gameplay. It's an excellent addition to the main game, and is exactly what any RE4 fan will be looking for.

Disclaimer: This review was made possible by a review code provided by Capcom. The companies did not see the contents of the review before publishing.

RE4: Separate Ways — Visuals and performance

If you played Resident Evil 4 (2023), then you already know what to expect here. The Separate Ways DLC is functionally identical to the base game in both visuals and performance — that is to say, it looks incredible and plays buttery smooth. Morbid, detailed lighting, decrepit environments oozing with gore, refuse, and the hordes of infected roaming the countryside. Performance is rock solid at a consistent 60 FPS, but you can trade some of those frames for improved visual fidelity and even ray-traced lighting and reflections.

Similar to the base games, character models don't always look as incredible as the surrounding world, but that's an extremely minor nitpick on what is otherwise a stunningly rendered, terrifying world that perfectly sets the mood for RE4's action-horror gameplay. Whether you're exploring dank forests, dry cliffsides, or claustrophobic interiors, the game is a visual showcase. Ada does get some minor interface elements for her grappling hook and IRIS (more on that later), but other than that Separate Ways looks and plays like Resident Evil 4 (2023), and that's a good thing.

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RE4: Separate Ways — Story and characters

The Separate Ways DLC is, at its core, all about Ada Wong, the mysterious and highly skilled mercenary/spy that we first met in RESIDENT EVIL 2. Ada embarks on a highly secretive mission under the employ of the cold and calculated Albert Wesker. This brings her to the island of the Los Illuminados ahead of Leon Kennedy and his quest to rescue the President's daughter. Ada's mission, though, is far less noble.

Ada's presence on the island and her involvement with the charismatic Dr. Luis Serra will be known to anyone who completed the base game. After all, Ada makes multiple appearances during the game, playing a pivotal role in Leon's mission and even saving his life on multiple occasions. However, the details of Ada's time on the island are lost in the base game, as are the specifics of her mission. This is where Separate Ways comes in — filling in the gaps and providing a ton of new information from the perspective of Ada.

The remade Separate Ways is actually expanded over the original though, with more screentime from both Luis Serra and Albert Wesker. There's more context, more information, and more setup for what comes next in the Resident Evil franchise. Overall, it's all very well done, with Ada's distanced teasing and professional nature contrasting neatly with Leon's newfound sassy confidence and Luis' charisma mingled with a buried desire to do something good.

After you roll the credits on the Separate Ways DLC, much of the unanswered questions from the base game now have answers, creating the same effect we got from RESIDENT EVIL 2 when playing as both Claire and Leon. I won't spoil anything new revealed during Ada's story, but suffice it to say that Ada Wong is a more complicated individual than her brief appearances in Leon's life would suggest. Luis' character being a little more fleshed out also makes his story more impactful, while added appearances from Albert Wesker raise the stakes of Ada's mission.

Of course, you're also replaying a sizeable amount of the story you've already seen. Ada and Leon's stories occur in parallel with multiple intersections, so you're bound to see the same scenes and learn the same info. What makes it worth it is the changed perspective or added context from Ada, and how it all connects together through her actions.

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RE4: Separate Ways — Gameplay and content

Gameplay-wise, Separate Ways is once again very similar to the base game. However, Ada does have a few more tools in her arsenal that vary the gameplay over Leon's story, preventing things from feeling too "same-y." For one, Ada's iconic grappling gun is a prevalent part of RE4: Separate Ways, with Ada able to use her grappling gun to traverse the map (often skipping difficult segments that give Leon trouble), close the distance to melee enemies, and even rip the shields away from certain enemies (if you unlock the ability).

Ada also has the IRIS, a complicated acronym that I honestly can't remember. All you need to know is that, at certain points in the game, an advanced implant in Ada's eyes can help her track footprints or find other clues to help her progress. The IRIS plays an even smaller role in the story than the grappling gun, but it is a cool mechanic when it does come into play. Finally, Ada has access to a slightly different arsenal than Leon, with accelerated access to those guns thanks to the shorter runtime of the DLC.

Beyond that, Ada plays very similar to Leon. Sure, she has plenty of different, slick animations, but the core gameplay experience here is almost identical to RE4. When it comes to content, there are also a lot of similarities. Ada does see a bunch of new environments, puzzles, and some unique enemies and bosses, but she also visits a lot of the same locations that Leon does. She often takes different routes and almost always comes at different times than Leon, but there's plenty that will look familiar to players of the base game.

Still, it took me a little over six hours to finish the Separate Ways DLC (taking my time to look for secrets and such). You can rush through the game in around four hours, probably, but you'll be missing content. Like the rest of Resident Evil, there's a lot of replay value, too, with unlockable content and achievements only available by playing the DLC multiple times.

If you play Separate Ways immediately after playing the main Resident Evil 4 campaign, the similarities may be more noticeable to you. If you're returning to the game because of Separate Ways, it's not likely to bother you. Either way, there's plenty of content here for just $10, and plenty of reasons to play for basically anyone who enjoyed Resident Evil 4 (2023).

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RE4: Separate Ways — Accessibility

I make a point of highlighting accessibility and approachable game design with every game I review, but there's not a lot to say about the Separate Ways DLC. That's because you're looking at the same options, features, and game design as Resident Evil 4 (2023). There are still presets for various potential disabilities and impairments, a number of ways to customize your control experience, audio settings, and more.

It's far from the most accessible game I've ever played, but it's certainly a marked improvement over the original. If you were able to play RE4, you should be able to play Separate Ways without any issues. This also applies to approachability. You have various difficulty levels, and the game does a decent job highlighting interactive objects and naturally pointing the camera at your next objective. Controls are relatively intuitive, too. You can still only save at certain safe points, but the autosave function grants you checkpoints on a fairly regular basis.

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RE4: Separate Ways — Should you play it?

You should play this if ...

You should not play this if ...

When I previewed Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways, it was pretty clear what I was getting myself into. This is more Resident Evil 4 (2023), but now we get to see matters from Ada's perspective. Yes, there's more content, more gameplay mechanics, and more challenges to complete, but it is fundamentally Resident Evil 4. For 99% of players, that's absolutely perfect. There's a fantastic amount of content here for just $10, and it's a ton of fun for anyone who enjoyed the base game. It's great to see more of Ada, even if her outfit is highly impractical for her job.

Of course, Separate Ways does go over a lot of the same story and scenes we saw in the RE4 remake. Ada's added gameplay mechanics sometimes don't feel like they play a big enough role, either. Finally, it's hard to forget that the Separate Ways DLC was included in the original Resident Evil 4, while here it's a paid add-on. None of this stopped me from having a blast, though. Resident Evil 4 (2023) is easily one of the best Xbox games of the year, and Ada's Separate Ways DLC is the perfect way to add to it.

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The original Resident Evil 4, released in 2005, is a horror classic often included on lists of the greatest games of all time. Earlier this year, it enjoyed a full remake from Capcom that received practically universal acclaim from critics and players alike, but it was missing a crucial piece of the story from the original game. Announced during Sony's latest State of Play event, the parallel story of Ada Wong, Resident Evil's most enigmatic woman, is coming to Resident Evil 4 (2023) as the Separate Ways story DLC.

Ada plays a crucial role in Leon Kennedy's quest to rescue the president's daughter in Resident Evil 4, but much of her story is shrouded in mystery. After completing the original game, you could go back and experience her half of the adventure. Now, the Separate Ways DLC will let you do the same in the Resident Evil 4 remake, with all the visual, performance, accessibility, and quality-of-life improvements the remake includes. I got the opportunity to preview 11 minutes of the upcoming DLC, just enough to scrape together my initial thoughts ahead of its release on Sept. 21, 2023.

Disclaimer: This preview was made possible thanks to a short preview video provided by Capcom. The company did not see the contents of the preview before publishing.

The action you know, but faster

Resident Evil 4 began transitioning the survival-horror series to more action-oriented gameplay, giving players more guns, more upgrades, and more ways to dodge and even parry enemy attacks. It's also much more liberal about handing out ammo. The Separate Ways DLC looks to take that even a step further, as Ada has access to her iconic grappling gun; this allows her to quickly and effortlessly scale heights and reach areas of the map entirely inaccessible to Leon in the base game.

It opens new avenues of combat, too, as Ada can almost instantly close the gap between her and a stunned enemy to deliver a brutal melee strike, which can also be useful for evading a powerful foe or avoiding being cornered. All the great parts of RE4's gameplay are here, including hunting for secrets, collecting pesetas and treasure, looting containers, crafting ammo and meds, and battling a vast assortment of grotesque and terrifying enemies. Now, though, it just looks faster.

It's a simple addition to the formula that should make the Separate Ways DLC noticeably stand out from the base game, making it more interesting than just its additional story content. That's enticing on its own, though, as we get to see what Ada is doing when she's not on the screen with Leon, and how influential she really is to the story. The charismatic Luis Serra and Ada's ambitious boss Albert Wesker also make appearances in the DLC, divulging secrets and revelations you simply don't get in Leon's extended story.

A lot of this will be new to veterans of the original Resident Evil 4, as Ada's tale was included in the game from launch as additional content for finishing the campaign. There are plenty of people who will be experiencing it for the very first time with Separate Ways remake, but even long-time Resident Evil players may be in for a treat — Capcom has every opportunity to improve over the original.

NOTE: The screenshots in this preview were captured off a preview video provided by Capcom, so they're not the highest quality images. Still, it's a good way to get an idea of what to expect from Resident Evil 4 (2023): Separate Ways.

The potential to be better than ever

Resident Evil 4 (2023) is far from a graphical facelift for modern gaming platforms. It's a true, proper remake, and Capcom took full advantage of that opportunity to attempt to improve the original masterpiece. There are countless quality-of-life and accessibility improvements, of course, but the Resident Evil 4 remake expands on the combat and gameplay with new weapons and abilities, expands on the content with new enemies and set pieces, and expands on the story with a more serious tone and more informative, clear cutscenes.

Resident Evil 4 has more content than ever before, even without Ada's additional content found in the original. It stands to reason that the Separate Ways DLC will continue this trend, and I'm confident players will be incredibly happy with what they get. We may get extended sequences and story content, more environments and fights, an improved balance between horror and action (one of the biggest, most subtle improvements in the RE4 remake), and even more presence from both Luis Serra and Albert Wesker.

From the 11 minutes I saw, Separate Ways looks just as incredible as the rest of Resident Evil 4 (2023). It's clear that Ada's story enjoyed the exact same remake treatment as the base game, which is exactly what players wanted (and expected). The gameplay looks like a perfect evolution over the base game; Ada's adventure finally makes RE4's story feel complete; crucially, Capcom is also delivering the final content piece to the Resident Evil 4 remake. Sorry, I don't think Assignment: Ada is making a comeback here, but at least the Mercenaries Mode is being updated for free with both Ada and Wesker as playable characters.

Resident Evil 4 (2023): Separate Ways releases on Sept. 21, 2023 for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5. It'll cost $9.99, a reasonable price for what should at least be 3-5 hours of additional content on top of the main game, even if its runtime matches the original version. The free Mercenaries Mode update will be released at the same time.

The cinematic cutscenes and gameplay I saw of Separate Ways make me overly excited to play. It's exactly what I needed to redownload the RE4 remake and maybe take a short break from completing Starfield (I'm so not even close to finishing it). Resident Evil is one of my all-time favorite horror game series, and Resident Evil 4 (2023) is hands-down one of the best Xbox games of the year — finally getting Ada's story and having the chance to play as her is the perfect way to make it even better.

What you need to know

• The Resident Evil 4 remake first launched back on March 23, 2023. 
• Capcom shared on Friday that the Resident Evil 4 remake has crossed 4 million copies sold. 
• This is up from the 3 million copies sold two days after the game's launch.

Capcom's latest big game is already putting up new records. 

Capcom shared on Friday that the Resident Evil 4 remake is over 4 million copies sold since its launch a couple of weeks ago. Previously, the publisher confirmed that Leon's new adventure has reached 3 million copies sold just two days after launch, the fastest sales of any Resident Evil game since 2017. 

This sales update also coincides with the launch of The Mercenaries, an additional game mode letting players rack up scores playing as a variety of characters, though there's a couple of them who are missing right now. 

Looking ahead, Capcom is primed to have a strong 2023, with Street Fighter 6 launching in June and Exoprimal right behind it in July.

Windows Central's take

Capcom has mustered an incredible roster of Resident Evil games over the last few years. Since 2017, the company has released Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Resident Evil 2 remake, Resident Evil 3 remake, Resident Evil Village, and now the Resident Evil 4 remake. I don't think I'm alone in wanting to go back to each and every one of them in the years ahead.

For a prediction, I'm expecting to see Resident Evil 4 remake reached 8 million copies sold before the end of the year. 

What you need to know

• According to Capcom, the Resident Evil 4 remake has already crossed 3 million copies sold. 
• This is the fastest opening sales of any Resident Evil games over the past several years.
• The Resident Evil 4 remake is available now on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Windows PC, PS5, and PS4.

It's early days, but Capcom's latest massive title is already off to a strong start. 

Capcom shared on Wednesday that the Resident Evil 4 remake is already over 3 million copies sold in its first two days. This is the fastest sales of any Resident Evil game over the past several years, with Resident Evil Village reaching 3 million sold in three days, while the Resident Evil 2 remake took four days. 

These latest numbers push the franchise to new heights, with Capcom confirming that the Resident Evil series is now over 135 million units sold. Capcom's bestselling indvidual game remains the 2018 Monster Hunter World, with over 18 million copies sold.

In our Resident Evil 4 remake review, managing editor Jez Corden wrote that "While the game is a bit thin in the "survival horror" department, Resident Evil 4 is an absolutely spectacular action horror game with varied and satisfying combat, memorable characters, and a meaty amount of content."

Windows Central's take

It's been said, but it bears repeating: Capcom is on fire. Constant hits make this company one of the best around right now, and I expect we'll see continued strong sales from Resident Evil 4, as well as an impressive performance when Street Fighter 6 arrives in June.

Since 2017, Capcom has reinvigorated the Resident Evil series and many of its other franchises. Now, I wonder what's next? Personally, I expect we'll see Resident Evil 9 in early 2025, possibly followed by another remake in 2026.

Ready to find and smash even more small collectibles across a new horror experience? 

The past several Resident Evil games have featured small bobbleheads or figurines that players can find and destroy, and the Resident Evil 4 remake is no exception. In this game, these small clacking figures take the form of Clockwork Castellans, a fun reference to a strange moment in the original Resident Evil 4.

Resident Evil 4 remake: Clockwork Castellans

Each Clockwork Castellan is in the shape of the infamously wacky "robo-Ramon" from the original Resident Evil 4. They make a clacking clockwork noise, so you'll almost always hear these collectibles before you see them. In order to collect them, you'll have to destroy them. A handful can be broken with a knife attack, but the majority are positioned in such a way that they'll need to be shot, so use a single handgun round.

There's only one figurine per chapter, and with 16 chapters across the game's story mode, that naturally means there are 16 Clockwork Castellans to destroy. Once you've gotten the figurine in a chapter, you can rest easy knowing you won't have to keep an out until the next chapter.

Resident Evil 4 remake Clockwork Castellans: Chapter 1

In the Lakeside Settlement, shortly before the end of the Chapter, go into the house with a broken roof. Look up and you'll see the figure. 

Resident Evil 4 remake Clockwork Castellans: Chapter 2

After opening the large gate with the Hexagonal Emblem, you can go up and to the left and find a few buildings. The figurine is on the floor in the first building.

Resident Evil 4 remake Clockwork Castellans: Chapter 3

After reaching the Merchant's shop next to the elevator that takes you down into the first shooting gallery, go forward and down a ladder to find yourself on a small dock. Go to the right, and you can see this Clockwork Castellan on top of some boxes.

Resident Evil 4 remake Clockwork Castellans: Chapter 4

In the area just north of the lake, there's a locked gate that requires the Insignia Key. Use it, then go up and look through a fence to get this figurine.

Resident Evil 4 remake Clockwork Castellans: Chapter 5

Now that Ashley is with you, return to the home of the Village Chief. Go upstairs, then into the attic. Check the left side of the densely-packed attic and you'll see this figurine.

Resident Evil 4 remake Clockwork Castellans: Chapter 6

As you go down the path, carefully check under a blazing bonfire and you'll spot this chapter's figurine.

Resident Evil 4 remake Clockwork Castellans: Chapter 7

Right after the first fight with the Garrador in the dungeon, you'll make your way into a small room filled with crates. Look on top of the shelves to see this Clockwork Castellan.

Resident Evil 4 remake Clockwork Castellans: Chapter 8

As you're making your way along the castle wall, with the armored El Gigante throwing boulders at you, you can find a figurine at the bottom floor of the second tower, facing to the left of your map.

Resident Evil 4 remake Clockwork Castellans: Chapter 9

As you go through the maze filled with infected dogs, find your way to the northwest corner, and you'll see this figure clacking away next to a box and some wood planks.

Resident Evil 4 remake Clockwork Castellans: Chapter 10

When you reach the Merchant's shop in the sewers, look directly across and you'll see this Clockwork Castellan through the grate.

Resident Evil 4 remake Clockwork Castellans: Chapter 11

As you head through the mines in a cart ride, there'll be brief stopping point before you continue on. You can find a Clockwork Castellan here on top of a crumbling wall.

Resident Evil 4 remake Clockwork Castellans: Chapter 12

Towards the beginning of the chapter, when you first enter the Clocktower, check the northwest side of the room and you'll see this figurine on a box.

Resident Evil 4 remake Clockwork Castellans: Chapter 13

When the path splits in two, go to the right and check next to the forklift and large shipping container. The figure is on the ground in the middle.

Resident Evil 4 remake Clockwork Castellans: Chapter 14

Once you pass the Amber Storeroom and enter the tunnels, you can see this Clockwork Castellan on top of some lockers.

Resident Evil 4 remake Clockwork Castellans: Chapter 15

Exit the ruins, and you'll end up in a room with bodies hanging from the ceiling. You'll see this figurine on top of a wood beam near the ceiling.

Resident Evil 4 remake Clockwork Castellans: Chapter 16

As you flee the island with the timer counting down, quickly check to the right of the large rectangular room and you'll see this Clockwork Castellan on top of some crates.

Dangerous adventure

There's plenty to do and find across the Resident Evil 4 remake. Even after you've finished your first playthrough, subsequent runs can unlock new rewards and difficulty options. 

If you're looking for more tips to succeed, be sure to consult our guides on all the weapons in the Resident Evil 4 remake, as well as the best way to earn money through treasures. 

Lock and load, Leon. Against the horrors that the Los Plagas have unleashed, it's just you. 

Players going into the Resident Evil 4 remake will be taking on a wide variety of different monsters and foes. As such, it's only fitting that you respond in kind with every weapon and trick possible. I've rounded up a list of every weapon in the game, as well as what you'll need in order to use it. Considering the long list of enemies and bosses in the Resident Evil 4 remake, you'll need everything you can get.

There's a total of 29 weapons in Leon's adventure, though that's including the different types of grenades and knives, as well as some unlockable weapons that you won't be able to use on your first playthrough. For these unlockable weapons, once you've met the requirements to unlock them, they'll be available for purchase from The Merchant in subsequent playthroughs. 

Buying guns will take a lot of money, and upgrading them is even more expensive, so consult out guide on maximizing treasure value in the Resident Evil 4 remake. 

For obvious reasons, there will be mild spoilers in this article. It's also important to note that the price of these weapons actually fluctuates depending on the chapter you acquire them in and the difficulty you're playing on.

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: SG-O9 R (Handgun)

The basic gun that Leon starts every playthrough with, so you don't have to do anything to get this. Without upgrades, it's nothing special, but with a handful of upgrades purchased for the damage and capacity, it will serve as a solid workhorse weapon for a large portion of the game, especially on Standard difficulty or below. 

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: Punisher

The Punisher handgun has solid penetration damage, making it a reasonable alternative to use instead of the starting handgun. It doesn't cost any money, but instead you'll need to exchange 5 Spinels at the Merchant. Sometimes you can find Spinels as loot, but the majority will be earned by completing requests for the Merchant through Resident Evil 4 remake.

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: Red9

Another handgun that can be a fairly reliable precision weapon against the hordes of weaker enemies, you can find the Red9 as early as Chapter 4. When using the motorboat to make your way around the lake and waterways, check the very center of the lake and explore the wrecked boat. The Red9 is found on a chest inside.

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: Matilda

Another gun that can't be bought, you'll have to trade 10 Spinels to the Merchant to get it. It's a burst-fire handgun, so it can provide heavy damage at the cost of more quickly eating through your ammo supplies.

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: Blacktail

The final handgun you can get, this is essentially a "replacement" if you are still using the basic starting pistol. You'll be able to buy it from the Merchant in the final few chapters of the game, but there's no reason to upgrade if you're using the Punisher or Red9. 

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: W-870 (Shotgun)

The first shotgun you can get, and the first gun outside of the starting pistol that you have access to, the W-870 can be found as early as Chapter 1. In the village, check out the northmost building on the map and go up the stairs. You'll see this shotgun in a rack on the wall. 

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: Riot Gun

A more powerful shotgun that becomes available for purchase after the first third of the game. It essentially replaces the W-870, and will most likely be your main shotgun through the rest of the game once you've got it.

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: Striker

A shotgun with an extremely wide spread, the Striker isn't great to damaging individual targets, but it does ensure your target will be hit. Don't use it to aim for weak points, use it to hit entire groups of enemies in a single blast. The Striker becomes available for purchase in the final third of the game.

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: TMP

A basic submachine gun, the TMP can easily deal heavy damage to individual targets, as well as quickly damage an entire group of enemies. It's not super accurate outside of melee range though.

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: LE-5

The most advanced submachinegun that can be obtained in a first-time run through the game, the LE-5 is found in Chapter 13 as you're trying to get through to Ashley. It's located in the Freezer as you upgrade your keycards. You'll need to solve a block puzzle to open the door. 

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: Chicago Sweeper

Better known by its colloquial name, the Tommy Gun, this is a strong submachinegun unlocked by beating the main story on Professional difficulty and getting at least an A rank.

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: SR M1903 (Rifle)

This basic bolt-action rifle is good for dealing with long-range targets early on in the game, and can be bought from the Merchant as early as Chapter 2. This is just after Leon gets his gear back. 

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: Stingray

A more advanced semi-automatic rifle, the Stingray can be bought from the Merchant starting in Chapter 7 when you first arrive at the castle with Ashley. This will likely be your primary rifle through the remainder of the game, unless you want an automatic gun.

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: CQBR Assault Rifle

A fully automatic rifle, the CQBR deals rapid damage and has the largest rifle capacity, making it perfect for quickly softening up a boss or mowing down a group of weaker enemies. The downside is that it also chews through ammunition quickly. 

You can find it at any point during the castle after Ashley has been abducted again in Chapter 10. Head to the upstairs section of the south library and open the Square Lock Box. 

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: Broken Butterfly

The first "magnum" type weapon available, it'll be your heavy damage-dealing gun for a large portion of the game. You can buy it from the Merchant once you reach the castle. 

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: Killer7

The second magnum available in a first-time run through the game, the Killer7 effectively replaces the Broken Butterfly with higher damage and ammo capacity. You can buy it from the Merchant, but you'll get a discount if you wait until Chapter 15. 

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: Handcannon

A powerful Magnum that's unlocked by beating a new game in the main story on Professional difficulty without using any bonus weapons. 

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: Bolt Thrower

A one-of-a-kind weapon that fires retrievable bolts, you can buy it from the Merchant early on in the game. You can use it to silently kill enemies, and you can also attach explosives to the bolts in order to set up traps. Clever usage will get a lot out of this weapon. 

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: Rocket Launcher

Available for purchase from the Merchant (at heavy cost) this is a great way for taking out any non-boss foe in a single shot. The downside is that it takes up a large amount of space and will be used the least of any guns, so it may not be the best idea to grab it on your first playthrough. 

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: Rocket Launcher (Special)

At the very end of the game, you'll get a special rocket launcher specifically for fighting the final boss. A variant with infinite ammunition can be purchased in New Game+.

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: Kitchen Knife

A very basic knife that quickly wears out. When it breaks, it can't be repaired, so it's best used for things that can preserve the durability of your main knife. Use it to parry a chainsaw attack only after it's close to breaking. You can find these early on in the game. 

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: Boot Knife

Another kind of knife that breaks and cannot be repaired, it is very slightly more durable and damaging than the Kitchen Knife. Like the Kitchen Knife, you can maximize its usefulness by only stopping a chainsaw attack after wearing down the durability through stealth kills or other attacks. These can be found all throughout the game. 

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: Combat Knife

Leon starts the game with this knife, and can use it like other knives to do slashing attacks, parry enemies, and stop chainsaw attacks. Unlike the other knives you find scattered throughout the game, the Combat Knife can be improved and repaired after it breaks. 

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: Fighting Knife

Automatically acquired at the end of Chapter 14 after beating that boss fight, the Fighting Knife is like the Combat Knife, in that it can be repaired after breaking. It does higher damage than the Combat Knife, but has lower durability.

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: Primal Knife

A knife that's unlocked by destroying all 16 of the Clockwork Castellans in the Resident Evil 4 remake. 

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: Hand Grenade

A basic grenade that deals a blast of damage in a radius. You can find these scattered all throughout the game.

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: Heavy Grenade

A more powerful grenade that takes up more inventory space, the Heavy Grenade deals even more damage, making it perfect for obliterating a group of enemies or dealing massive trauma to a single target. 

Resident Evil 4 remake weapons: Flash Grenade

A flashbang grenade that can be found scattered throughout the entirety of the game. It stuns most enemies, but it can also be used to instantly kill exposed Plagas, meaning that clever usage can instantly end some otherwise difficult fights. 

Licensed to kill

Many a monster will come your way in the Resident Evil 4 remake, but that's why Leon's arsenal is extensive. Look around, and be sure to solve Merchant requests in order to gain Spinels that can be traded for some guns and upgrades. 

Our review of the Resident Evil 4 remake indicates that that it's one of the best Xbox games available, with managing editor Jez Corden writing that "Without a doubt, Resident Evil 4 is a must-play game. And while I personally prefer the more horror-oriented games, Resident Evil 4's fun factor and raw quality make it easy to put those preferences aside. It's also a little refreshing to be able to recommend this to anyone and everyone. If you find other Resident Evil titles to be too overwhelming but still have a fascination with the franchise, Resident Evil 4 might be absolutely ideal for you. "

For many people, Capcom's iconic story of Leon Kennedy looking for the president's daughter is permanent knowledge. 

For newcomers however, you may be wondering just what kinds of foes await in the Resident Evil 4 remake. Not to worry, we've got you covered. I've rounded up all the horrors that await, big and small, in roughly the same order that you'll be fighting them across this (perhaps familiar) adventure. 

In order to take them all on, you'll need plenty of weapons, and fortunately, we've also rounded up the complete list of weapons in the Resident Evil 4 remake.

Please note that due to the nature of this game, this article will naturally contain huge spoilers about the types of in-game enemies and bosses as well as their appearances. 

Resident Evil 4 enemies: Villagers (Ganados)

The standard cannon fodder that you'll be fighting for most of the first third of the game. These infected villagers use blades (which they will throw at you, be sure to parry) as well as Molotov cocktails and dynamite, both of which can be shot out of their hands' if you're quick on the draw.

Resident Evil 4 enemies: Chainsaw Villager (El Salvador)

There's a handful of super-tough villagers that have put bags over their heads and started wielding chainsaws. These guys, known as El Salvadors, are a huge threat early on, but vulnerable to Leon's new parry, which will temporarily block and disable their chainsaws. Note the knife will be wrecked in the process. 

Resident Evil 4 enemies: Brutes

A new enemy built for this remake that wasn't found in the original, Brutes provide a bit more of a challenge all throughout the game. They can soak up a fair bit of damage, and come with a couple of different weapons like a hammer or wristbow, necessitating your focus whenever they appear.

Resident Evil 4 enemies: Colmillos (dogs)

Infected, vicious, shaggy dogs make up part of the roster of foes you'll take on in the first third of the game. Usually coming in small groups, they aren't too difficult to put down but can easily sideswipe Leon if you aren't paying attention. A rare "Strong Threat" variant has exposed Plagas-bladed tentacles and can deal a lot more damage while taking significantly more gunfire or explosives to put down.

Resident Evil 4 enemies: Plaga Guadaña

The most common form of Plaga infestation that you'll see, this can randomly happen to any of the basic Ganados, Zealots, or Soldiers throughout the game. They flail wildly, dealing damage with a surprisingly long reach that makes movement difficult. They'll only ever show up inside buildings or at night however, and they can be instantly killed with a flashbang grenade.

Resident Evil 4 enemies: Del Lago

This massive lake monster is fought in a special battle using harpoons while you're in a boat. This boss won't go down easy, and can easily crush Leon if you're not being careful. Can't recommend shooting the water before you get in the boat...

Resident Evil 4 enemies: Chainsaw Sisters

A pair of unique enemies that Leon will face, this early miniboss duo takes a surprising amount of damage to put down, despite their seemingly frail physical appearance. The chainsaws can still be parried and temporarily stopped though.

Resident Evil 4 enemies: El Gigante

Players will face this massive, rare type of giant in boss fights at a couple of points throughout the game. They'll pick Leon up and attempt to crush him, dealing huge damage and stunning him if any attacks connect. They'll soak up a lot of damage, so this is always a great time to bust out the biggest guns you've got.

At a certain point, the Plaga infecting these huge beasts will pop out of their backs, exposing a weak point. An armored variant shows up as part of a dual boss in the second half of the game, which requires even more careful aim. 

Resident Evil 4 enemies: Bitorez Méndez

This is the village chief and the big boss fight that caps off the first third of the game.  Bitorez Méndez mutates wildly and you'll have to stay fast and parry hit attacks while being cognizant of the building burning down around you. 

Resident Evil 4 enemies: Plaga Mandíbula

Another, more dangerous type of Plagas infection that you'll start to see around the beginning of the game's second third, these Plagas have powerful, crushing jaws. Like the other types, they'll only be seen indoors or at night, and are vulnerable to flashbangs. 

Resident Evil 4 enemies: Zealots

The basic form of enemy that shows up at Ramon's castle, Zealots are largely similar to the Ganados and mostly replace them. They have some different weapons and are a bit tougher, wearing helmets and Medieval-style armor. Some of them use shields, which can broken with a shotgun or upgraded rifle. 

Resident Evil 4 enemies: Zealots with staves

These powerful Zealots soak up a lot of damage. Despite being tough, they don't actually deal heavy damage themselves, but instead stun Leon with a pulsing wave through the air. That same pulsing wave is capable of "triggering" a Plaga transformation in other nearby Zealots, causing them to erupt into Plaga Mandíbula or Plaga Guadaña. 

Resident Evil 4 enemies: Garrador

This mutation of Plagas results in hulking, blind bruisers. Their other senses have been enhanced, and they've had blades strapped to their arms. If they hear Leon, they'll charge him and wave their blades wildly, shredding Leon or any allies in melee range.

Resident Evil 4 enemies: Armadura

One of the stranger enemies in the game, the Armaduras are suits of knights armor manipulated by Plagas. This makes them virtually invulnerable to small-arms fire unless you're able to carefully hit the tiny portion of exposed Plagas. Once the parasite is fully exposed, they are also vulnerable to flashbang grenades. A "strong threat" variation wears gold armor, and takes a lot more damage to put down.

Resident Evil 4 enemies: Plaga Araña

Around the halfway point in the game, you'll start seeing lone Plagas running around. These creature can grab and quickly assume direct control of an individual Zealot or Soldier, making them much more dangerous as they try to grapple Leon.

Resident Evil 4 enemies: Plaga

If there's no human allies nearby to quickly control, sometimes the Plagas will just attack Leon directly. While quick, they don't take much damage to destroy.

Resident Evil 4 enemies: Novistador

These overgrown bugs aren't too tough but come in large numbers, making it easy for them to gang up on Leon. They also have camouflage abilities and will lie in wait or even move around while invisible, meaning you have to carefully watch for signs of movement like in water.

Resident Evil 4 enemies: Verdugo

The right-hand monster of Ramõn Salazar, the Verdugo stalks through the vents, swiping at Leon with its bladed tail before emerging and trying to shred him with its claws. This beast is heavily armored, but it is weak to the liquid nitrogen baths that can be activated in the surrounding tunnels.

Resident Evil 4 enemies: Ramõn Salazar

Castellan of the Salazar Castle, Ramõn Salazar taunts you for much of the game, but will eventually be transformed into a pustulent mass of tentacles. He moves around with ease despite his large size, and his acid attacks can quickly bring Leon's health to nothing.

Resident Evil 4 enemies: Jack Krauser

Jack Krauser will show up and be a threat in the late portions of the game. You'll have to fight him multiple times, including once using only your knives. Later on, when he mutates with monstrous arm blades, you'll have access to your full arsenal, but you'll still need to parry his attacks with your knife if you want to stay alive.

Resident Evil 4 enemies: Soldiers

This is the final form of "basic" enemies that Leon has to tackle in the last quarter of the game or so. Soldiers take more damage to put down than the Ganados or Zealots. Being professionally trained, they use sturdy shields that Leon can't easily shoot through, as well as a wider assortment of weapons. They'll even man massive turrets, requiring them to be quickly killed before they take Leon's health to nothing.

Resident Evil 4 enemies: Regenerador

These rasping, bumbling creatures are terrifying and make their appearance late in the game on the island. Regeneradors live up to their name and will continue to regenerate unless every parasite in their body is destroyed. They can also be difficult to shoot due to their tendency to flop around.

Resident Evil 4 enemies: Iron Maiden

A mercifully rare mutation of the Regeneradors, Iron Maidens take even more punishment to put down, shooting spikes everywhere, meaning they can easily kill Leon if you don't carefully take cover. There's a "Strong Threat" variant that is stuffed to the brim with parasites, making it even harder to kill.

Resident Evil 4 enemies: Osmund Saddler

The big bad of the whole show, Osmund Saddler is the final boss of the entire game. Initially somewhat human (at least with his hood pulled up) he mutates wildly into a monstrous form with acidic attacks and powerful claws. 

More to discover

Resident Evil 4 remake was designed for multiple playthroughs, so don't think you're done once you've finished the game for the first time. Try again for a better time and grade, or go for a higher difficulty now that you clearly understand the basics. This is one of the best Xbox games available for anyone that's enjoyed the past few Resident Evil games, or is just starting out. On your subsequent playthroughs, be sure to look for the 16 Clockwork Castellans throughout Resident Evil 4 remake.

In our review of Resident Evil 4, managing editor Jez Corden wrote that "While the game is a bit thin in the "survival horror" department, Resident Evil 4 is an absolutely spectacular action horror game with varied and satisfying combat, memorable characters, and a meaty amount of content."

The Resident Evil 4 Remake is here, and its a lot of fun. If you've already scoured our list of weapons in the game, you'll next want to know how you can afford the purchasable firearms, and upgrade them to their full potential. You're going to need a lot of coins, and we're here to help you get them.

Treasure can be located all around the game and sold to the dubious arms dealer for pesetas (ptas) which you can then use to fund your arsenal. Though it's not a simple case of finding and selling treasure, if you really want to make the most ptas you need to utilize the game's gem inlaying mechanic to get the most bang for your buck.

Resident Evil 4 treasure: treasure maps and locations

There are three distinct areas in Resident Evil 4 Remake, the Village, the Castle and the Island. Each area has its own treasure map that you will need to purchase from the merchant at the beginning of that area. Here's a list of the locations so you know when to check.

Resident Evil 4 treasure: Trickier treasure and keys

The treasure maps themselves will mark on your map exactly where the treasures are located, however, they aren't always as obvious as a gleaming red treasure chest. Sometimes you will need to look a bit closer. The first treasure I found for instance was inside what looked like a ruined oven. 

If you are struggling to find treasure at eye level, look up. Most of the valuables that initially evaded me, were simply hanging from up above in a lantern, which you must shoot down to claim the bounty. 

You'll find some valuables squarely locked away from your grasp. Some behind drawers that require keys (and the keys are normally found nearby), and others require a more intricate device to plunder the riches. Rest assured if you find some locked items, the required key will not be far, and you can backtrack later. 

Where is the Wayshrine key in Resident Evil 4 Remake?

The Wayshrine Key will unlock special boxes in the Village, which is found in the Mural cave, just off the lake. 

This key can be used to unlock some previously forbidden treasures around the map. You can also sell it to the Merchant once you advance to the Castle.

Where is the cubic device? 

Upon exploring the castle, you'll come across locked cabinets for which the key alludes you. They will have a cubic socket. For these you need a special device, which can be found in the Grand Hall down one of the corridors. See our map marker here.

Just like the Wayshrine Key, this device is exclusively for use in its map area of the Castle, therefore when moving on to the Island, you can sell it to the Merchant. 

Resident Evil 4 treasure: Gemstone bonuses

Some of the more opulent treasures, can be socketed with gems to increase their value. Gems are found like other treasures, and can also drop from enemies.

To really maximize your profit, you'll want to perfect your gem combos. The gemstone bonus heirachy works very similarly to poker cards, in that 2 of the same colour, is worth more than two differing colors. However as the sockets increase on an item, slotting in up to 5 different gems will reap you the most rewards. 

There is a visual guide to the Gemstone Bonuses in the gem inlaying menu. 

Resident Evil 4 treasure: Astute Appraiser achievement

There are achievements associated with sniffing out every piece of treasure in the game, each of the three areas has its own achievement for acquiring each treasure on a single playthrough. The Bandit, Raider and Burglar achievements can be obtained by checking your treasure maps and making sure you listen to the Merchant when he warns you there is no going back once you hit certain points in the story.

The Astute Appraiser achievement is itself a simple one to get and requires you to sell a single treasure to the Merchant for at least 100000 ptas. In my playthrough, I lifted a crown with a handy 5 sockets to utilize the gem bonuses. 

The crown itself was found on a corpse in a corridor in The Depths, the map and location are displayed below. Right before slipping through a crack in the wall to make my way to the surface. 

Selling the crown, with five different colored gems slotted into it, took the value from a respectable 19,000 ptas to exactly 100,000 ptas. Selling this item netted me the Astute Appraiser achievement. Do not fear if you miss the crown though, as there is at least one more found in the ruins of the Salazar Palace later in the game. Just remember to gem that bad boy up before selling it.

If you enjoyed this guide, we have many more to aid you in your fight against Las Plagas.

-List of all enemies and bosses
-All weapons and where to find them
-All Yellow Herb Locations (coming soon)
-Guide to all Clockwork Castellans
-All Requests and where to find them

The vendor requests in the Resident Evil 4 Remake are pretty straightforward, shoot some blue medallions, put an end to a rat infestation, and sell some snakes to name a few. I completed most without issue until I came to the request titled Disgrace of the Salazar Family. I puzzled over this one for a good 30 minutes, and the only disgrace was the amount of ammo I wasted trying to complete it. I figured others may have struggled with this quest, so here's a guide so you don't have to suffer as I did.

Request: The Disgrace of the Salazar Family - Deface Ramón's portrait

The quest is detailed as follows:

That detestable Ramón Salazar...  

Even the very sight of his image makes my skin crawl. Do me a service and find some way to deface the portrait of him in the room shown in the photograph, will you?

I'm not particular about how you do it. Hitting it with something might do the trick. 

The accompanying image with the request is your clue to the location of the portrait, a throne between two large pillars. You should recognize this picture straight away as an area you've already had the pleasure of in a previous cut scene, but to speed things up, it's the Throne Room, shown on the map here:

You'll need to return to the Throne Room, as shown in the image below. There you will find various portraits and a locked treasure. 

The treasure in question is a Golden Egg and worth a pretty penny and you should be able to unlock this with your cubed artifact acquired earlier in the game. 

Out of the portraits, you'll need to locate Ramón Salazar, the tiny and terrifying man who's been standing on balconies and insulting you throughout your time in the Castle. He's not a great host, and we will be leaving an unfavorable review on Trip Advisor.

In an attempt to deface the painting, I slashed it, with an array of knives. I shot at it, a lot. An embarrassing amount of ammo was wasted as I thought my game must be bugged. This damn painting was unbreakable? Did Nokia assemble this work of art? My brain was scrambled. This request was no yolk.

Only after many resources did I realize, that you can equip and throw an egg. I couldn't clucking believe it. 

Yes, not only is throwing an egg the solution to this puzzle, there is even one in the same room as the painting. Eggactly where you need it. However, if you don't want to sacrifice the rare golden variety, any egg will do. I had eaten all of mine by this point, Leon really needed his protein. If you have a white or brown egg to hand, this will suffice, and you can keep the treasured golden egg to shell out on something better later.

Completing all the requests in the game will also net you the achievement Jack of All Trades – Complete all requests from the Merchant. We've a handy guide to all the locations of the requests that you can check out here. As well as:

-List of all enemies and bosses
-How to make the most of your treasure
-All Yellow Herb Locations (coming soon)
-Guide to all Clockwork Castellans
-All Requests and where to find them

Enjoy your reward of 4 Spinels, and the joy of leaving Ramón with egg on his face.

If you've come here, you're likely working your way through the Resident Evil 4 Remake and have happened upon one of the new additions to the game, Requests. These straggly bits of blue paper are pinned all over the areas in the game, detailing various jobs the Merchant wants you to take care of. Your labors won't be wasted as the mysterious Ganado with his trunk of weapons will reward your efforts with Spinels, which you can trade for various goodies. 

Resident Evil 4 Requests: What are spinels

Spinels are another currency in Resident Evil 4 Remake in addition to PTAS, but more difficult to acquire in the game environment. The best way to stock up on spinels is to complete jobs for the Merchant, titled 'Requests' which can be found on blue notices around the map. The Spinels are pink gems that can be exchanged for treasure maps, yellow herbs, and other rarities at the merchant. You can also sell them for 2000 ptas, but don't expect a refund if you change your mind later. 

Resident Evil 4 Requests: All Requests

In our playthrough, not every chapter had a request to find, but we've detailed all of the requests in the game here and where to find them. You will need to complete all of these requests to pop the achievement Jack of all Trades. 

For some requests, namely the Blue Medallion shooting, and the "destroy threat" variations, your map will be marked with the relevant locations to complete your task. Some of the jobs aren't quite as straightforward  though and you may need our tips to complete them. 

Resident Evil 4 Requests: Chapter 1

Destroy the Blue Medallions

You'll probably see the inconspicuous-looking medallions in the environment before you find this quest, but it's pinned on the wall outside the closed gate at the Farm, and needs you to find and destroy 5 medallions in the area. They are all marked on your map once you pick up the quest. Remember to look up in the environment as most will be hanging from above.

Resident Evil 4 Requests: Chapter 2

Pest Control

During your first meeting with the Merchant, you'll spot this quest pinned right next to him. You'll need to go back into the Factory and kill 3 rats, you will hear the squeaks of vermin before you see them. 1 will be in the main hallway and 2 in the room with the 2 ovens (don't forget to check these for treasure!)

Resident Evil 4 Requests: Chapter 3

Viper Hunter

This quest is found with your next meeting with the Merchant, pinned to the wall next to his store behind the town hall. You'll need to kill and sell 3 vipers. These can be found throughout the game around the environment. We found one in a loot crate in the Town Hall, and others just slithering along the floor. 

Grave Robber

This request is found behind the Church before you can find your way in the main doors. The request will ask you destroy two twin tombstones. They can be found in the graveyard right next to eachother with matching symbols. Shoot them.

Destroy the Blue Medallions 2

Found just before the entrance to the Quarry, as with other Blue Medallion quests this will mark on your map the relevant locations. 

Resident Evil 4 Requests: Chapter 4

Egg Hunt

This quest is found on the wall outside the cave that houses the mural. It asks you to find and sell a Golden Egg but doesn't specify a location. Thankfully the Golden Egg isn't too far via Leon's trusty speedboat. Head to the East of lake area to find a farm full of chickens, and eggs a-plenty. You'll find a Golden Egg here to sell to the merchant.

Catch Me a Big Fish

While exploring the areas around the lake, you'll come across a curious gate displaying the Insignia. Behind this gate, the Request is inside the tunnel.

The quest asks you to catch a fish at a specific location and provides a dubious-quality photograph to help you find it. To save you some time, the Boathouse can be found in the South East of the lake. You'll spot the fish frolicking in the water to the left of the Boathouse, take it out with your harpoon. 

Resident Evil 4 Requests: Chapter 5

A Savage Mutt

This quest will be found next to the Merchant residing by the Town Hall. It requires you to take out a threat, and will mark the Village Chief Manor on your map. Go back to this area with Ashley and prepare to face off with a pretty tough mutt.

It's worth noting that in my playthrough, this quest bugged and I could hear the dog barking in the Manor but not see him. Only after giving up and walking back towards the Village Square did he spawn for me. 

Resident Evil 4 Requests: Chapter 7

Destroy the Blue Medallions 3

After shooting your way through the main door to the castle with the cannon, you'll find this quest asking you to shoot another 6 blue medallions, some of which you may have already seen in the required area (Castle Gate). Again as they are marked on your map, they are found pretty easily. 

Resident Evil 4 Requests: Chapter 9

Destroy the Blue Medallions 4

You got it, more of those tiny blue blighters. This quest is found on the table in the room with the Merchant just off the right of the Grand Hall entrance. The locations will be marked on your map, you'll need to go back to the maze for one of them. 

More Pest Control

Another rat-related mission, but not quite as straightforward as the previous ones. You'll find this request on the wall on the left of the Grand Hall near the Headless Statue, and it requires you to kill another 3 rats.

Two are easy enough to find, one running around squeaking in the Dining Hall, and one in the corridor after leaving the Armory. However, the third is more elusive. You'll need to wait until Chapter 10 when you can go over some areas again as Leon (following the Ashley sequences). Go to the Library as Leon and find your last rat. 

Resident Evil 4 Requests: Chapter 10

Merciless Knight

The Merciless Night request can be picked up after Leon leaves the cage. Go left through the door you unlocked earlier with the three-headed statue and find the quest on a sideboard. The quest will instruct you to head to the Mausoleum to take out an enemy. This is the same area you were previously in with Ashley, but now you get to go back, with guns. Take down three pretty tough knights to complete the quest. Flash grenades will serve you well in this fight. 

Resident Evil 4 Requests: Chapter 11

Insect Hive

Following the minecart scene, in the first cave you'll find this request. It asks you to destroy the four exits of the Hive. Take a few steps out and look up to the ceiling, the big glowing yellow blobs are what you are looking for. You can reach at least three of them with a sniper rifle, the fourth you can take out when you walk further up but needs to be shot before leaving the Hive.

Resident Evil 4 Requests: Chapter 12

Jewel Thief

You'll find this request and the following one in the same place, directly to the left of the elevator you ride up to the surface. It asks to recover and sell a scratched emerald from a nest.

Do not ride the tram up to the clocktower, you're going to go back through the palace ruins to the courtyard, here you will find a crow's nest you can shoot down to retrieve the emerald. Stand opposite the typewriter and Merchant room, and look up at the roof to see the nest. 

The Disgrace of the Salazar Family

After riding the elevator to the surface out of the Hive, you'll find this quest pinned to a wall. The request asks you to deface Ramón's portrait by throwing something and attached is a photo of the relevant location. In the photo above you can see on the map the photo points to the Throne Room. Once you get there, equip an egg and throw it at the portrait. If you don't have an egg to hand, there's a golden one in this room. Go figure. 

Resident Evil 4 Requests: Chapter 14

Destroy the Blue Medallions 5

Immediately after rescuing Ashley and entering the next area before the merchant, you'll find this quest. Go shoot some blue medallions in the cargo depot, at this point I was so done with blue medallions I used a rocket launcher. Just kidding, that ammo is too expensive.

Even more Pest Control

Rats! Another rats request. Before entering the top level of the cargo depot, you'll find this quest with the merchant. Go shoot some rats, you monster.

The Wandering Dead

After the wrecking ball scene, and sliding through a crack in the wall, you'll find this request. It will point you back to the Incubation Lab to go take out a threat. Yes, you're going to have to fight some Regeneradors and an Iron Maiden.

Make sure you do this by backtracking past the last merchant and not moving onto the next area, oh and check out our guide to all the enemies in Resident Evil 4 Remake — you'll need it. 

Resident Evil 4 Requests: Chapter 15

Destroy the Blue Medallions 6

Just when you thought you'd rid the world forever of those pesky blue medallions, alas here's a quest to shoot some more. The quest can be picked up after the Cliffside ruins when you've been through the Helicopter cutscene. 

Upon handing in this final Request, you should get the achievement Jack of All Trades for your troubles. If you're also on the hunt for pesky Clockwork Castellans for the achievement, we have a great guide for you.

Also check out the following:
-List of weapons and where to find them
-List of enemies and bosses
-List of all Clockwork Castellans
-All Yellow herb locations (coming soon)

And most importantly, enjoy defeating Las Plagas!

It goes without saying that the universe of Resident Evil would be a horrifying place to exist. The world is constantly under threat of corrupt corporations, cultists, and terrorists unleashing viruses that turn innocent people into zombies and bio-engineered monstrosities that can rip you to shreds.

With the Resident Evil 4 Remake on the way, there is no doubt that there will be new living nightmares lying in wait to prey upon unsuspecting players. So, to help prepare ourselves for the future monstrosities we will have to face, let us look back on the main storyline of the Resident Evil series from Resident Evil 0 to the beginning of Resident Evil Village.

Be warned: this retrospective will contain massive spoilers for every game summarized on this list. Also, we will include the remakes of Resident Evil 1, 2, and 3 instead of the original PlayStation One versions as they are likely regarded as the canon versions now. While there may be some plot deviations between the remakes and original titles, the general narrative of each title remains the same.

Final warning: There are major spoilers ahead!

Resident Evil 0

Our tale begins in July 1998. We open to a scene of the Ecliptic Express, a train owned by the pharmaceutical company, the Umbrella Corporation, traveling through the Arklay Mountains.

However, its peaceful joyride is cut short as it is suddenly attacked by a swarm of gigantic leech monsters bursting through the windows and devouring the passengers. While this massacre is unfolding, a mysterious man singing a choir song is observing the carnage from afar.

Two hours later, we cut to a helicopter carrying an elite police force unit called the Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S. for short) to Arklay Mountains for their latest mission. Recently, a series of grisly, cannibalistic murders have been circulating within Raccoon City. The only clue Raccoon City’s police department has as to who’s been committing these crimes lies within the Arklay Mountains where the murders first began. So, they assigned their S.T.A.R.S. division to investigate the region and bring in the ones responsible for these heinous acts.

S.T.A.R.S. initially send in their Bravo Team on a helicopter to the Arklay Mountains to begin the search. On their way to the last murder sighting, the helicopter starts to unexpectedly malfunction and crash lands into Arklay Mountains’ forests. Bravo Team then begins searching the immediate area while their pilot, Kevin Dooley, stays behind to guard the remains of their chopper.

Bravo Team then comes across a wrecked military vehicle with its drivers dead and its only surviving occupant, a former marine who has been court-martialled and sentenced to death, Billy Coen, is nowhere to be seen. Thinking that Billy took advantage of the crash to murder his captors and escape, Bravo Team’s captain, Enrico Marini, orders the rest of his squad to split up and apprehend Billy.

During their search, Rebecca Chambers, Bravo Team’s field medic, discovers the ruined Ecliptic Express and moves in to investigate it. She then finds the train’s deceased occupants whose bodies are already beginning to rot…or so it seems. As Rebecca is taken aback by the scene, the passengers suddenly begin rising up one by one to attack her. Rebecca quickly guns them down but is still horrified by what she’s seen as she thought they were already dead.

Rebecca continues searching the train until she gets ambushed by Billy Coen, who holds her up at gunpoint but relents once he realizes that she isn’t a zombie. She attempts to arrest him, but Billy tells her to get lost and leaves.

Rebecca feels frustrated for being outplayed so easily by Billy, but she doesn’t have time to reflect as a body comes crashing through one of the windows. It turns out to be one of her Bravo teammates, Edward Dewey, and he is mortally wounded. Edward utters with his dying breath that Bravo Team has been attacked by zombies and monsters.

Rebecca then gets contacted on her radio by Enrico Marini, who informs her that he has uncovered documents containing background information on Billy from the wrecked wagon. According to files, Billy Coen received the death sentence for killing 23 people and was admitted to a mental hospital for violent behavior.

Rebecca continues her search of the train with the warning about Billy in mind, eventually coming across potentially another survivor. When she tries to communicate with the man, his body falls about and turns into the leeches which attacked the train. They attempt to overwhelm Rebecca, but Billy comes in to save her at the last minute, earning her trust.

Billy and Rebecca then spot the mysterious choir singer from the beginning of the game, surrounded by leeches, implying this character has control over them. The train suddenly begins to move again, so Rebecca and Billy decide to call a truce and work together to figure out what’s going on.

Unbeknownst to our protagonists, the Ecliptic Express is being operated by Umbrella’s security forces who are taking it to one of their facilities for inspection. All the while they’re being monitored by Umbrella scientists, Dr. William Birkin and Albert Wesker, the captain of the S.T.A.R.S. unit, which reveals to us that Bravo Team was being set up from the start, but for what end? As Wesker instructs the Umbrella soldiers over the radio, the leeches sneak up and attack the soldiers, destroying the train’s controls which leads to the locomotive speeding out of control.

Rebecca and Billy make it to the control room and try to slow the train. While they were successful in stopping the train from speeding into a wall, they were too late to prevent it from derailing, and it grinds to a halt. They exit the destroyed train and find themselves inside a mysterious underground train station beneath the Arklay Mountains, infested with more zombies and other mutated creatures.

After exiting the train station, Rebecca and Billy enter a building that appears to be a school built by Umbrella for training potential future employees. They then discover that this school is actually a front, it is in fact a research site for developing and testing biological weapons run by one of the co-founders of the Umbrella Corporation, Dr. James Marcus.

Albert Wesker and William Birkin discover Billy and Rebecca’s intrusion through hidden security cameras, but the video feed gets cut off by the mysterious choir singer. The singer proudly declares he was responsible for the attack on the Ecliptic Express and has spread something called the ‘T-Virus’ throughout their laboratories, all to exact revenge on Umbrella for murdering Dr. Marcus.

William Birkin and Albert Wesker theorize that this self-righteous interloper is in fact, Dr. Marcus, who has somehow been brought back from the dead and is using the leeches to wreak havoc on Umbrella. Fearing the damage caused by Dr. Marcus will cause Umbrella’s illicit activities to be leaked to the public and lead to its financial ruin, they begin planning their agendas should Umbrella fall. 

Albert Wesker will continue his mission to gather 'combat data' by bringing the rest of the S.T.A.R.S. unit to the Spencer Mansion. While William Birkin plans to escape Umbrella and complete his ‘G-Virus’ research, but not before activating the school’s self-destruct sequence, hoping the explosion will take out the intruders and any incriminating evidence against them.

While that’s going on, Billy and Rebecca continue their trek through the Umbrella school. During their journey, Rebecca manages to get Billy to confess why he was sentenced to die since he acts nothing like the psychopath his official records make him out to be. The truth is that Billy was blamed for a military operation going south in Africa. While searching for a guerrilla force base, Billy’s unit suffered heavy casualties due to bad intel and Billy disobeyed orders to shoot innocent villagers. So, Billy was used as a scapegoat by the US government to cover up the incident.

After battling their way through more failed science experiments, puzzles, and death traps, they discover files that reveal the disturbing experiments that Dr. Marcus was conducting. He has used the school’s children as guinea pigs to test out viruses that the Umbrella Corporation was developing called the Progenitor Virus and the Tyrant Virus (a.k.a. T-Virus). He also created the mutant leeches and used them as carriers of the T-Virus to infect his child test subjects and many others. However, rifts began to form between Dr. Marcus and one of the founding members of Umbrella, Oswell E. Spencer, who is also its CEO. Dr. Marcus suspects that Spencer was planning to steal his research for himself.

Rebecca and Billy later get separated during an encounter with monkey-like monsters. Rebecca then discovers another Umbrella research lab beneath the school where man-made monsters called Bio-Organic Weapons (B.O.W. for short) were being developed. During her search for Billy, she runs into Enrico who managed to get in through another back entrance. He tells her this research facility leads to an old mansion owned by Umbrella where the rest of Bravo Team should be waiting for them. However, Rebecca elects to stay behind so she can rescue Billy as she has grown fond of him. Enrico reluctantly agrees to let her stay while he goes to meet with Bravo Team.

Rebecca eventually reunites with Billy, finding him inside a pool where Dr. Marcus discards his test subjects after they cease being useful. Soon afterward, they are confronted by the mysterious choir singer who reveals himself to be the 'Queen Leech', one of Dr. Marcus’ finest creations. It explains that ten years ago, Dr. Marcus was assassinated by Umbrella’s security, and his research on the Progenitor Virus and T-Virus was stolen by Albert Wesker and William Birkin on Spencer’s orders.

When Dr. Marcus’s body and his leeches were dumped in a river, the Queen Leech infected Dr. Marcus’ dead body and used it as a food source to survive. For the next ten years, the T-Virus within Queen Leech mutated and gave it the ability to transform into a younger version of Dr. Marcus, inheriting the doctor’s memories after eating his brain. Now believing itself to be Dr. Marcus reborn through divine intervention, the Queen Leech began a quest for vengeance to destroy Umbrella and the world.

The Queen Leech then transforms into its true mutant form and attacks Rebecca and Billy as it sees them as a threat to its plans. The battle was brutal and intense, but Rebecca and Billy manage to seemingly kill the Leech Queen after exhausting nearly all of their ammo. Shortly after, they discover an elevator shaft that will take them back to the school. The Queen Leech then revives itself using the T-Virus to heal its wounds and chases after Billy and Rebecca. To make matters worse, an alarm goes off saying that a self-destruct sequence had begun and that it will blow up the research facility and the school.

After being cornered in a helicopter cargo warehouse by the Queen Leech, Rebecca and Billy engage the disgusting monster in a desperate last stand. With little ammo left all hope seems lost, until one of the Queen Leech’s attacks breaks a hole in the ceiling letting in the sunlight which causes it to burn. Realizing that the Queen Leech is sensitive to light, Rebecca immediately runs to the warehouse controls which operate the retractable roof, and opens it up to bathe the Queen Leech in searing sunlight.

Billy then finishes off the Queen Leech blasting it with a magnum, sending it crashing back down the elevator shaft where it is utterly destroyed by the exploding facility. Rebecca and Billy manage to escape the inferno in the nick of time to emerge back into the Arklay Mountains. Rebecca then spots the old mansion Enrico mentioned earlier in the distance and decides to do one last favor for Billy before they part company. She takes his dog tags and declares him legally dead so he can start a new life as a free man without being executed for crimes he didn’t commit.

Billy agrees to this arrangement and thanks Rebecca with a salute before leaving her to rendezvous with Bravo Team. Rebecca then says a tearful goodbye and makes her way to the mansion, knowing full well that this hellish mission has only just begun.

Resident Evil

While Bravo Team crash was busy trying to survive in the Arklay Mountains, the rest of the S.T.A.R.S. unit back in Raccoon City desperately tried to contact them. After failing to contact their radios, their captain Albert Wesker, orders the S.T.A.R.S Alpha Team to assemble and get ready to deploy to Arklay Mountains and rescue Bravo Team. Little does Alpha Team know that Albert Wesker is one of the masterminds behind this disaster and is secretly leading them to their doom.

Once Alpha Team arrives, they find the Bravo Team's crashed helicopter with Kevin Dooley inside, mauled to death. Alpha Team was then immediately attacked by a pack of wild dogs, and one of their members, Joseph Frost, was torn to pieces. Alpha Team tried to save Joseph but was shocked to discover their bullets had little effect on the grotesque dogs. Seeing the horrifying scene causes Alpha Team's pilot, Brad Vickers, to take off with their helicopter, leaving Alpha Team stranded in the Arklay Mountains.

Our heroes have no choice but to flee to whatever shelter they can find. They spot an abandoned mansion and immediately rush inside, locking the door behind them. The only members of Alpha Team left on this mission are Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Barry Burton, and Albert Wesker. After getting their bearings from being chased by the mutant dogs, Alpha Team decides to split into groups to explore the mansion.

They find what they assume to be the culprit behind the cannibalistic murders feasting on the corpse of Kenneth Sullivan, one of Bravo Team's members. A grotesque, rotting man that felt no pain from gunfire but a bullet to the brain quickly dispatches the monster. However, he wasn't the only one — it turns out this mansion was crawling with undead zombies. As Alpha Team's exploration of the mansion continues, they discover that zombies weren't the only evil residents. There were mutant crows, spiders, snakes, sharks, plants, and even humanoid lizardmen. Not to mention this mansion was also laden with death traps and puzzles to deter intruders.

After evading all of those hurdles, they manage to find Rebecca Chambers, who sadly was the only surviving member of Bravo Team. Alpha Team eventually finds a laboratory hidden underneath the mansion and discovers the truth. All these monsters were the result of the T-Virus and Umbrella's goal was to produce Bio-Organic Weapons (B.O.W. for short) and sell them off to militaries worldwide. However, the Queen Leech posing as Dr. Marcus leaked T-Virus, turned all the research staff into zombies, and released all the locked-up B.O.Ws to cause widespread chaos. They also discover Albert Wesker's true identity as one of Umbrella's top researchers.

Our S.T.A.R.S. confront Albert Wesker, and he coldly confesses that he was working for Umbrella the whole time. He informs them that S.T.A.R.S was brought here to test out the B.O.W.'s combat abilities. Once they were dead, Wesker would gather the combat data and bring it back to Umbrella, but Albert Wesker has other plans. He plans to double-cross Umbrella and sell the data to one of their rival companies because he feels the T-Virus outbreak will lead to Umbrella's financial ruin.

Before he leaves, Albert Wesker activates the mansion's self-destruct protocol to destroy any evidence of the incident. He also unleashes the T002-Tyrant, the culmination of Umbrella's T-Virus research, and orders it to kill our heroes. However, the Tyrant proves somewhat unstable and goes berserk, killing Albert Wesker in the process. After an intense battle, our heroes manage to escape the mansion before it explodes thanks to pilot Brad Vickers coming back to pick them up at the last minute.

The only known survivors of this incident are Jill, Chris, Barry, Brad, and Rebecca. They breathe a sigh of relief, but deep down they know this nightmare is far from over.

Resident Evil 2

Two months after the events of Resident Evil 1, Resident Evil 2 kicks off in late 1999. We see a young man named Leon Kennedy is driving towards Raccoon City to attend his first day on the local police force. When he gets there, however, he finds the city overrun with undead zombies. Leon meets one of the survivors amidst the chaos, a young woman named Claire Redfield. Claire tells Leon she came to Raccoon city looking for her brother Chris Redfield because she lost contact with him a couple of months ago. After a disastrous car crash, the pair get separated and agree to meet up at the Raccoon City Police Department.

When they get there, they find the Police Department crawling with zombies and mutated abominations. They managed to find a surviving officer, Marvin Branagh, but he's been bitten by the zombies. He informs our heroes that everyone else has been killed, and they should save themselves. Claire also finds a diary left behind by Chris, which implies that he has left Raccoon City and traveled to Europe. With no reason left to stay, Leon and Claire decide to escape Raccoon City while rescuing any survivors along the way.

It is here where Leon and Claire's paths diverge. After using an emergency escape exit provided by Marvin, Leon meets an FBI agent named Ada Wong. Leon asks Ada if she knows what's going on, but she tells him to get out while he still can. He later encounters Ben Bertolucci, a journalist locked up in prison. He tells Leon that the Umbrella Corporation was responsible for the zombie outbreak, and they bribed the chief of police, Brian Irons, to keep his mouth shut. Leon is skeptical, but before he can ask any more questions, a giant man busts through the walls and kills Ben.

This is the T00-Tyrant (a.k.a. Mr. X), a B.O.W. sent by Umbrella to kill witnesses to the viral outbreak. Mr. X almost kills Leon, but Ada Wong saves at the last minute by ramming Mr. X with a police van. She confirms Ben's story and says she's been tracking down an Umbrella scientist responsible for this disaster, Annette Birkin. Leon demands that he joins her investigation so they can bring down the people who ruined Raccoon City and its people. She reluctantly allows him to join her, and together they begin tracking down Annette and the virus that caused the outbreak: the G-Virus.

Meanwhile, Claire Redfield encounters a little girl named Sherry Birkin looking for her mother. Not long afterward, Sherry gets kidnapped by police chief Irons and takes her to the Raccoon City orphanage. When Claire gets there, she finds Irons killed, with a parasite bursting out of his chest. Thankfully, Sherry is alive, and they make their escape through a secret passage in Irons' office. However, Mr. X arrives and gives chase. Mr. X corners Claire and Sherry in an elevator, but he gets ripped apart by the mutant that infected Irons with the parasite. Sherry says the monster is (or was) her father, before the elevator collapses from the chaos, causing them all to fall into Umbrella's sewer facility.

Claire wakes up to meet Annette Birkin, Sherry's mother, who takes Sherry Birkin to a secure location. Claire goes after Sherry to make she's okay despite Annete's protests. Claire is shocked to discover that Sherry has been infected, and she's beginning to turn. Annette, via an intercom, says there's a way to cure her at the NEST facility. Claire asks for her help, but Annette refuses, as she is busy trying to stop the monster she calls 'William'. So Claire decides to take Sherry to NEST by herself. Coincidentally, that's where Leon and Ada headed to as well.

Both parties arrive at NEST with their objectives — Leon and Ada are tracking down the G-Virus while Claire is looking for a cure for Sherry. Along the way, they discover the cause of the outbreak in Raccoon City. Dr. William Birkin had finished completing the G-Virus and was planning to sell his research to the US military. Umbrella higher-ups find out about William's betrayal and send in their paramilitary unit, the Umbrella Secret Service (U.S.S. for short) to secure the G-Virus. William refused to hand over the virus and was gunned down by U.S.S. agents when he resisted. In a last-ditch effort to stop Umbrella from stealing his life's work, William injects himself with the G-Virus and mutates into the B.O.W. now stalking the facilities. Driven mad by the mutations, William kills the U.S.S. agents and destroys the virus samples they took. Rats ingest the shattered samples and they quickly spread the G-Virus throughout Raccoon City.

When Claire and Leon get what they came for, they run into William Birkin. Annette arrives an in attempt to kill him for good but gets critically injured by William. After beating him, the following scene is different depending on who you play as. In Leon's story, Annette tells Leon that Ada Wong is not an FBI but a spy that's trying to steal the virus and sell it on the black market. Leon can't believe this and confronts Ada Wong about it. Ada immediately admits it and pulls a gun on Leon but can't bring herself to kill him. Annette then shoots Ada, causing her to fall to her doom along with G-Virus sample. Meanwhile, in Claire's story, Claire and Annette manage to cure Sherry of the G-Virus. Annette dies from her injuries sustained in her earlier encounter with William.

When Leon took the G-Virus samples, NEST's self-destruct protocols activate. With no time to spare, Leon, Claire, and Sherry rush off to find an escape route. While taking different elevator shafts, they each encounter an obstacle. Leon fights Mr. X one last time, and Claire fights William Birkin in a new, heavily mutated form. Ada manages to survive her fall thanks to her gadgets and tosses a rocket launcher to Leon (who has no idea she's still alive), saying that they're now even. Leon and Claire defeat the monsters and manage to get on a train, just in time to escape the exploding facility. Their reunion is cut short when the train gets boarded by William Birkin, who has mutated to the point where he's just a giant blob of tentacles, meat, teeth, and eyeballs. Leon and Claire barely manage to cut off the train carriage William was clinging to in time before the explosion caught up to them. After many battles, William Birkin finally dies in the exploding facility.

Leon, Claire, and Sherry come out of the side of the tunnel, surviving the longest night of their lives. Afterward, Leon and Claire decide that they're going to take down Umbrella for what they have done, once and for all.

Resident Evil 3

Resident Evil 3 begins shortly after Resident Evil 1. Chris, Jill, and Barry are making a request to the Raccoon City police chief, Brian Irons to conduct a full-scale investigation of Umbrella, who vehemently denies them. They soon find out that Umbrella's influence reached all corners of Raccoon City and that they can't trust any officials. They were on their own. Chris heads off to Europe to investigate Umbrella's Europe branch, with Barry following behind after relocating his family to Canada. Jill decides to stay behind to see if she can get any dirt on Umbrella in Raccoon City.

Two months later, Jill's investigation has been ground to a halt. Brian Irons disbands S.T.A.R.S., suspends Jill from the police force, and places her under house arrest. Due to the lack of progress of her investigation and Irons' constant surveillance, Jill decides that now is the time to leave Raccoon City and join Chris and Barry in Europe. As she prepares to leave, she is attacked by a new Tyrant creature, codenamed Nemesis.

Umbrella has sent Nemesis to kill all members of S.T.A.R.S for their meddling in Umbrella's affairs. After a tense chase, Jill manages to give Nemesis the slip for now. She meets up with Brad Vickers, and the pair quickly discover that Raccoon City has descended into pure chaos. Zombies are everywhere, and people are dying left and right. They quickly take shelter in a bar, but Brad gets bitten by one of the zombies. Realizing he's doomed, he stays behind to hold off the zombie horde, buying Jill enough time to escape.

While evading the zombies, a rescue helicopter spots Jill, and the pilot tells her to rendevous at the parking garage. When she gets there, Nemesis destroys the chopper, cutting off her escape. With nowhere to run, Jill decides to take out the Tyrant by running him over with a car, to no avail. As Nemesis looms over Jill, a soldier distracts Nemesis and blasts away the Tyrant with a rocket launcher. Nemesis survives but is incapacitated. The soldier, Carlos Oliveira, takes Jill to the subway, where other survivors are gathered.

Carlos explains he is with the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service (U.B.C.S. for short), and he has been sent to rescue any survivors. When they get to the subway, they meet Carlos C.O., Mikhail Viktor. Mikhail explains that they're trying to fix the train so they can evacuate the survivors, but their platoon has been nearly wiped out, so he asks Jill for help. Jill is apprehensive at first, considering that these guys are working for Umbrella, but she ultimately agrees because she wants to help the survivors, not Umbrella.

During her trek through the city, Jill finds an injured U.B.C.S. soldier, but he's quickly shot dead by another U.B.C.S. soldier, Nikolai Zinoview. Jill gets into a heated argument with Nikolai, but he dismisses her for being a bleeding heart. She gets the subway system back online and heads back to the train station. When she gets back, Nemesis shows up again. She decides to lure Nemesis away to buy the U.C.B.S. soldiers enough time for the train to be fully fixed.

Jill's battles with Nemesis are long and intense. Nemesis tries to burn her alive with a flamethrower and blow her to bits with a rocket launcher. With some quick thinking and teamwork from Carlos, they manage to defeat Nemesis by blowing up a nearby a gas tanker. Once they get back to the train station, Carlos says he has to stay behind because he has orders to find Dr. Nathanial Bard. Bard is a scientist whose vaccine research could save Raccoon City. Jill departs on the train with Mikhail, Nikolai, and the rest of the survivors.

During their ride, Nemesis attacks the trains and kills the survivors. An enraged Jill tries to fight him, but Mikhail holds her, saying they need to retreat. As they do so, Nikolai locks them inside, revealing himself to be a traitor. Nemesis mortally wounds Mikhail, but before he can kill him, Mikhail detonates a C4 charge, hoping to take Nemesis out with him. The explosions derail the train and knock Jill out cold.

Meanwhile, Carlos and fellow U.C.B.S. officer Tyrell search Raccoon City for Dr. Bard. They arrive at the Police Department and contact the doctor by using the officer computers. Dr. Bard says he's trapped at the Spencer Memorial hospital and that Umbrella's been killing off all the Umbrella researchers to cover up the incident. Carlos then gets a call from Jill telling him that Nemesis killed everyone on the train and that Nikolai left them to die. Jill then gets interrupted by Nemesis, who has horrifically mutated due to his injuries. Carlos immediately drops what he's doing and rushes to help Jill.

Jill manages to fight off the animalistic Nemesis, but he manages to impale Jill with a tentacle, infecting her with the T-Virus. Carlos finds Jill unconscious, slowly but surely starting to turn into a zombie. He carries her to the hospital, hoping that Dr. Bard's vaccine can cure her of the T-Virus. When Carlos gets to the hospital, he finds Dr. Bard has been shot in the head, most likely by Nikolai. Carlos finds Dr. Bard's personal computer and discovers a personal log entry from the doctor. Dr. Bard details the location of the vaccine and confesses that Umbrella was indeed responsible for the viral outbreak. Carlos doesn't take this revelation very well. Nonetheless, he gets a sample of the vaccine and gives it to Jill just in the nick of time.

Tyrell meets up with Carlos and brings him some terrible news. The US government has declared that they are launching a missile strike to destroy Raccoon City on October 1, 1998, because the outbreak has become uncontainable. Carlos tells Tyrell to contact the government to hold off the missile strike because they have found the vaccine. Carlos then heads off the Umbrella's underground facility, NEST2, where the rest of the vaccine is located.

Jill wakes up to discover the news about Raccoon City's impending destruction. Tyrell tells her that Carlos has gone off to get the vaccine, but he lost contact with him some time ago. Jill then heads off to NEST2 to help Carlos. Tyrell joins her after contacting the government, he says they're willing to call off the missile strike if they can retrieve the vaccine in a few hours. When they get to NEST2, they are attacked by Nemesis again, who kills Tyrell.

After evading Nemesis, Jill manages to create a sample of the vaccine needed to save Racoon City. Unfortunately, she drops it after a scuffle with Nemesis. Nikolai grabs the vaccine and offers Jill a deal — if she fights Nemesis while Nikolai records the battle, he will give her back the vaccine. Jill has no choice but to do what Nikolai says for now. The battle isn't going well for Jill, but Carlos arrives to save her by drowning Nemesis in a pool of acid.

Jill then pursues Nikolai to retrieve the vaccine but is stopped yet again by Nemesis. Who, at this point, has mutated into a giant amorphous blob of flesh and tentacles. Jill tells Carlos to go after Nikolai while she deals with Nemesis one last time. Thankfully for Jill, the area they're in happens to contain a gigantic experimental railgun weapon. After dismembering Nemesis with the railgun, Jill fires it directly in Nemesis's grotesque face, finally destroying the Tyrant for good.

Jill catches up with Carlo, but he's been knocked out by Nikolai. Nikolai overpowers Jill and destroys the vaccine, dooming Raccoon City. Nikolai reveals he's a mercenary hired to reduce Umbrella to rubble and collect combat data of the B.O.W.s in action. As Nikolai prepares to kill Jill, Carlos wakes up to put Nikolai in a chokehold and tells Jill to shoot him. They manage to incapacitate Nikolai by shooting him in the shoulder. Jill tries to interrogate Nikolai about his motives and who his employer is, but Nikolai responds with cryptic answers and asking for money. Having enough of Nikolai's nonsense, Jill decides to leave him behind to die along with Raccoon City. Nikolai warns Jill that she'll never find out if she leaves him, but Jill says she doesn't mind doing some detective work.

As Carlos and Jill escape in a helicopter, they watch the missile strike reduce Raccoon City to ashes. Jill mourns the loss of her home and contemplates that this horrific tragedy wasn't caused by viruses but by human greed. She vows to dedicate her life to bring down Umbrella and avenge all the good people who died in Raccoon City.

Resident Evil Code: Veronica X

Three months have passed since the destruction of Raccoon City, and Claire Redfield is still searching for her brother, Chris Redfield. Her journey takes her to an Umbrella facility in Paris, but she is immediately discovered by security. They knock out Claire and take her to Rockford Island to interrogate her. Her imprisonment doesn't last long as when she wakes up, she finds the island devastated and crawling with zombies.

Taking this opportunity to escape, Claire leaves her cell and tries to find a way off the island. Along the way, she runs into an inmate named Steve Burnside, and they agree to find an escape route together. Claire tells Steve she's searching for her brother, and Steve remembers overhearing the guards keeping tabs on Chris. Claire finds a nearby computer terminal and emails Leon Kennedy, to try and inform Chris of her whereabouts and that Umbrella is onto him.

As Claire's search continues, she encounters the commanding officer of Rockfort Island, Alfred Ashford, the grandson of one of Umbrella's founders, Edward Ashford. Alfred demands to know why Claire attacked Rockfort Island, but Claire has no idea what he's talking about. Alfred says an air raid strike attacked the island, and the ensuing chaos caused the island's stockpile of T-Virus samples to leak, killing all of the island's staff.

After overcoming numerous traps set by Alfred, Claire and Steve make their way to the Ashford Estate. When they arrive, they are obstructed not just by Alfred, but also by his sister, Alexia Ashford. However, they are shocked to discover that Alexia was actually just Alfred, portraying his sister through some warped obsession. In a moment of psychotic rage, Alfred activates the island's self-destruct sequence to take the pair out. Claire and Steve manage to find an airplane and escape the island before it explodes. However, Alfred activates the plane's auto-pilot by remote and directs it to crash into an Umbrella base in Antarctica.

Claire and Steve manage to survive the crash and begin exploring the base. Alfred makes one last attempt to kill the pair, but Steve shoots Alfred, causing him to fall into a deep chasm. The noise from the battle causes a failed B.O.W., Nosferatu, to awaken and attack Claire and Steve. They defeat the ancient mutant by shooting it in the heart. Claire and Steve find a nearby snowmobile and attempt to escape the base. A dying Alfred crawls to a hidden laboratory and releases the real, mutated, Alexia Ashford from cryogenic stasis. Alexa uses her mutant appendages to capture Claire and Steve to use them for her sick experiments.

Chris Redfield finally arrives at Rockfort Island only to discover it's in ruins. He explores the island hoping that Claire is alive amongst the wreckage, but he finds the last person he ever wanted to see again — Albert Wesker. Not only did Albert Wesker survive getting impaled by the Tyrant in Resident Evil 1, but he somehow also gained superhuman speed and strength. As well as enhanced regenerative healing.

He tells Chris that he's now working for a new company, The Organization, and has been tasked with retrieving Alexa Ashford. After dominating Chris with his newfound abilities, Albert Wesker decides to allow Chris to live. During the one-sided fight, Wesker lets slip that Alexia is in the Antarctica base alongside Claire. Wasting no time, Chris grabs one of the few remaining airplanes and flies off to save his sister.

While exploring the base, Chris discovers notes detailing the Ashford twins' origins. Their father, Alexander Ashford, was conducting experiments to clone their ancestor, Veronica, to bolster their family's reputation within Umbrella. The experiments resulted in two clones of Veronica — Alfred, and Alexia Ashford. When the children discovered they were nothing but a means to an end, they kidnapped their father and experimented on him as an act of revenge. Alexander was transformed into the B.O.W., Nosferatu. Their experiments on their father led to a variant of the T-Virus, which Alexia christened, the T-Veronica Virus. She injected herself with it and put herself into cryogenic stasis for 15 years so that the virus can mutate slowly without degrading her mind.

Chris eventually finds Claire, but they are soon separated again by Alexia. Chris tells Claire to rescue Steve while he deals with Alexia. Claire finds Steve but is shocked to discover that he's been mutated by the T-Veronica Virus and has lost his mind. One of Alexia's tentacles restrains Claire so that the mutated Steve can finish her. However, Steve manages to regain his mind upon hearing Claire's desperate cries for help. He saves Claire but is mortally wounded by Alexia. Steve confesses his love to Claire before passing away.

After fending off a mutated Alexia, Chris activates the base's self-destruct sequence to unlock all doors of the facility. While they are making their escape, they reencounter Alexia, who has mutated into a giant insectoid monster. Chris manages to destroy Alexia for good by using an experimental laser cannon that was nearby. Unfortunately, Albert Wesker abducted Claire while Chris was fighting Alexia. He makes Wesker release Claire by goading him into a fight. Chris tells Claire to prep Chris's harrier jet for take-off while he fights Wesker. Just before she leaves, Wesker taunts Claire by saying that he's taken Steve's body back to his employer for research.

Chris and Wesker's battle comes to a draw when the crumbling base separates the pair of them. Wesker and Chris vow to finish their fight the next time they meet. Chris catches up to Claire, and they both fly away as the Antarctica base explodes.

Resident Evil 4

After many setbacks and investigations, Umbrella was eventually found guilty by the US government for their illegal experiments and causing the viral outbreak in Raccoon City. The compensation charges bankrupted the company, and they were shut down in 2004. Umbrella may be gone, but there were other evil organizations out there, ready to terrorize the world with their biological nightmares.

Years after the destruction of Raccoon City, Leon was recruited by the US government to become a secret service agent owing to his skill and experience. After his training was complete, Leon was assigned his first mission. He must quietly travel to Spain and retrieve Ashley Graham, the United States president's daughter, who has been kidnapped by a cult known as Los Illuminados.

When Leon arrives at a village where Ashley was last sighted, he is attacked by the local villagers. All of whom display unyielding loyalty to Los Illuminados' leader, Osmund Saddler. During his investigation, he meets a man named Luis Cera, who the villagers have tied up. When Leon tries to set Luis free, he gets jumped by one of the cult's enforcers, Bitores Mendez, and is knocked unconscious. Saddler then arrives to inject Leon with a parasite while he sleeps.

Leon and Luis manage to escape their bonds once they wake up and go their separate ways. Before Luiz leaves, he tells Leon that the cult is keeping Ashley locked in their church. After Leon fights his way through the villagers and a couple of giant monsters, he reaches the church where Ashley is being held. Once he frees Ashley, Leon comes face to face with Saddler. Saddler tells Leon that they injected Ashley with a parasite, and once they send her back, the parasite will take control of Ashley and murder the president. Leon and Ashley evade the cult's clutches and begin to make their way to the extraction point.

Unfortunately, the chopper coming to pick them up has been shot down, so Leon and Ashley have to find shelter before another one arrives. After fighting more villagers and defeating Bitorez Mendez, Leon and Ashley find a castle they hope they can hide in until the chopper arrives. Leon and Ashley run then into Luis. He says he knows they have been infected with the parasite. Luis goes off alone to look for a cure while he tells Leon and Ashley to stay alive in the meantime. Leon and Ashley are eventually confronted by one of the Los Illuminados high-ranking members, Ramon Salazar. He has rigged the castle with dozens of traps, and one of them separates Leon and Ashley. Now Leon has to find her again while contending with Salazar's minions.

While exploring the castle, Leon comes across memos left by Luis that reveal that the parasite is named Las Plagas. Leon then gets an unpleasant reunion with Ada Wong. Leon says that he knows that Ada Wong is now working for Albert Wesker and demands to know why she's here. Ada responds with a flashbang and leaves him dazed and confused. Luis then meets up with Leon again with a drug that will stop the parasites infecting Leon and Ashley from growing, along with a sample of Las Plagas. However, Luis gets mortally wounded by Saddler. Saddler retrieves the Las Plagas sample and leaves Luis to die. Luis reveals to Leon that he was a researcher who worked for Saddler, but he defected once he realized how evil his employer was. With his dying breath, Luis gives Leon a drug that will stall the parasite growth and urges him to retrieve the Las Plagas sample before it's too late.

After overcoming dozens of obstacles, Leon catches up with Salazar, but Ashley is long gone. Salazar says Ashley has been taken to an island, miles away. Salazar then mutates into a giant monster and attacks Leon. After defeating Salazar, Leon makes his way to the docks to find a boat that can take him to the island. Ada Wong offers a ride, and Leon begrudgingly agrees since there are no other boats available. Ada then leaves Leon while she does her own work.

The island is a heavily fortified research facility, crawling with armed guards and monsters with regenerative abilities. There Leon encounters Jack Krauser, a soldier that Leon thought died in an accident. Krauser reveals he was the one who kidnapped Ashley and brought her Los Illuminados in the first place. His goal is to revive Umbrella and bring order to the world. Leon's not having of his crazy rhetoric and kills Krauser in a knife fight.

After many setbacks, Leon finally reunites with Ashley. They find a machine capable of eradicating the Las Plagas parasite within a host and use it to cure themselves. While they're finding a way off the island, Leon and Ashley encounter Saddler, and he has taken Ada Wong hostage. Leon tells Ashley to hide and prepares to take down Saddler for good. With some assistance from Ada, Leon blows Saddler to kingdom come with a rocket launcher.

Ada makes off with the Las Plagas sample and gives Leon a key to a jet ski he can use to get Ashley. She tells Leon to get a move on because she's rigged the island to explode in 3 minutes. Leon and Ashley escape the exploding island and proceed to make their way back home. Meanwhile, Ada Wong takes the Las Plagas sample not to Wesker but to the higher-ups of The Organization, leaving Wesker with only scraps.

Resident Evil 5

When Umbrella had dissolved, a new organization had risen to protect the world from bio-terrorism, the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (B.S.A.A. for short). Chris, Jill, Barry, and Rebecca join the organization to prevent any more tragedies like Raccoon City's destruction from ever happening again.

In 2006, the B.S.A.A. managed to track down Oswell E. Spencer, who went to hiding after Umbrella had fallen apart. The B.S.A.A. sends in Chris and Jill to arrest him and interrogate him on the whereabouts of Albert Wesker. When they get there, they find Albert Wesker has murdered Spencer.

Albert Wesker had been busy over the years. He took over The Organization, made new viruses, and began wiping out any trace of his existence. His latest loose end to tie up was paying a visit to Spencer. However, Spencer was already on death's door due to old age. Spencer decides to reveal to Wesker the true reason for Umbrella's creation before he passes away.

Umbrella wasn't making viruses and monsters for money. The viruses and B.O.W.s were part of many projects designed to create a race of superhumans that Spencer would rule over as a god. Albert Wesker himself was one of those projects, namely the Wesker Project. The company kidnapped several children and injected them with the Progenitor Virus, the first virus Umbrella created. The virus would give the host superhuman abilities but was also almost guaranteed to kill the subject. Albert Wesker survived those experiments and became an employee of the company, but Albert lost all memory of this event. The Progenitor Virus was also responsible for reviving Wesker after he was killed by the Tyrant and granting him his superpowers.

Once he saw no more use for Spencer, Albert Wesker kills him in cold blood. Wesker declares that he will be the god of this world, not Spencer. It was at this time where Chris and Jill barge in, and their fight begins. Even with Jill's back-up, Chris Redfield is still no match for Albert Wesker. As Wesker prepares to finish off Chris, Jill tackles Wesker into a nearby window, both plummeting into the Atlantic Ocean. Their bodies were never found, so they were declared dead, much to Chris' despair.

Three years later, Chris Redfield has been assigned to investigate potential B.O.W. smuggling in Africa. When he arrives at the location where the smuggling is supposed, Kijuju, he meets up with his new partner, Sheva Alomar. They meet one of their contacts, Reynard Fisher, who provides them weapons and intel for their mission. Chris and Sheva are to rendezvous with B.S.A.A.'s Alpha Team to ambush the B.O.W. smuggler, Ricardo Irving. Before they leave, Reynard warns about a doomsday project Irving may be involved in called Uroboros.

On their way to the rendevous point, Chris and Sheva get attacked by the locals who have been infected by a parasite similar to the Las Plagas. After dodging the hostile townsfolk, Chris and Sheva find Alpha Team have been decimated with only one member barely alive, Captain Dechant. He hands Chris a data file containing information on Irving's deal before succumbing to his wounds. Chris and Sheva are then beset upon by a brand new monstrosity, a mass of black worms merging to form a humanoid shape. They manage to burn it to ashes and find a computer to send the data file back B.S.A.A. HQ.

HQ orders Chris and Sheva to head for the mines because intel believes that's where Irving has fled to. Along the way, Chris and Sheva are ambushed by more infected locals, but they're saved by the arrival of the B.S.A.A. Delta Team, led by Captain Josh Stone. Before he leaves to clear the city of more infected, he gives Chris a data file containing info on Irving's dealings. When Chris reads the files, he is shocked to discover an image of Jill Valentine among them.

Chris and Sheva eventually find and corner Irving and attempt to apprehend them. Suddenly, a masked woman crashes through a window and tosses a tear gas grenade to stun Chris and Sheva. The masked woman then carries Irving away. Once they recover their senses, Chris and Sheva read Irving's notes to learn that his next destination is an oil refinery. After dealing with a giant bat B.O.W., a B.S.A.A. agent, Dave Johnson, arrives in a truck to escort Chris and Sheva to Delta Team.

During their trip, Josh contacts Chris and confirms the locals have been infected by the Las Plagas, transformed into monsters called Majini. They lose contact with Delta shortly after. When Chris and Sheva arrive at the rendevous point, they find Delta Team has been wiped out by a giant B.O.W., which crushes Dave Johnson. After Chris and Sheva gun down the monster, they receive orders from HQ to return to base. However, Chris is staying because he believes Jill Valentine is still alive and somewhere amidst this chaos. Sheva thinks this is a bad idea but then grits her teeth and vows to stay with Chris to the end.

Chris then tells Sheva of how Jill supposedly died when they encountered Albert Wesker three years ago. Sheva then tells Chris that her parents were killed in a viral outbreak in Africa caused by Umbrella. So, she joined the B.S.A.A. to make bio-terrorists like Umbrella pay for their crimes against humanity.

As they travel to the oil refinery, they encounter indigenous tribes that have mutated into Majini. In these villages, they spot some tents belonging to TRICELL, a pharmaceutical company that helped fund the B.S.A.A. The tents contain files that implicate TRICELL helped distribute the Las Plagas in Africa. When they get to the oil field, Chris and Sheva find Josh Stone managed to survive the B.O.W. attack. Together they fight off Majini and locate Irving, who is escaping on a boat. With nowhere left to run, Irving infects himself with a Las Plagas sample, given to him by the masked woman, to mutate into a giant sea monster to kill Chris and Sheva.

After sinking Irving's monstrous body, they interrogate Irving about Jill and Uroboros before he dies. Irving curses a woman named Excella and tells Chris he'll find what they're looking for in a nearby cave. Chris and Sheva head for the cave while Josh stays behind to call for backup. While they search the caves, Sheva mentions that Excella is the director of TRICELL's African division, adding further evidence that TRICELL is involved in this mess.

Chris and Sheva find a long-lost, ancient city within the caverns where many Majini lie in wait for them. After fighting them off, they discover a grotto filled with flowers that Umbrella used to create the Progenitor Virus. They have essentially found the origins of Umbrella. Continuing onwards, they find a research facility containing hundreds of people in pods. Chris accesses a computer and finds out Jill was in one of the pods. Excella then appears on-screen and reveals she hacked the B.S.A.A.'s communications to gave the fake orders for the agents to retreat.

Chris and Sheva eventually find Extella, who reveals that Uroboros is a brand new virus designed to help mankind evolve. It merges with the host's DNA, and if it's successful, it will turn the host into a superhuman. Failure to merge will just turn the host into a hideous abomination. After fighting more B.O.W.s, Chris and Sheva corner Excella, but they are attacked by the masked woman again. As they fight, Albert Wesker steps out of the shadows, revealing he was behind the whole scheme all along. He then takes the masked woman's hood off, revealing that it was Jill Valentine. Albert Wesker brainwashed Jill to do his bidding through a device crafted onto her chest.

Wesker leaves Jill to kill Chris and Sheva while he prepares the next phase of his plan. After the most emotionally difficult battle in Chris's life, they barely managed to get the mind control device off of Jill. Jill is too tired from the battle, so she tells Chris to go on ahead stop Wesker from releasing the Uroboros Virus while she recuperates. Chris is concerned about leaving her, but Jill says she'll be fine.

They track down Wesker and Excella to a ship and give chase. They find Excella carrying a couple of briefcases, but she drops one of them as she gets away. Sheva retrieves the contents, which happen to be syringes labeled PG67A/W. Later they reencounter Excella, but she's been infected by the Uroboros. Heartbroken, she reveals she only committed these crimes because she fell in love with Wesker and wanted to rule the world with him. Wesker saw no more use for her, so he infected her with the virus.

Excella transforms into a massive B.O.W., but Chris destroys her by blasting her with an orbital laser. Jill contacts Chris and tells him that the virus which gives Wesker his superhuman abilities is unstable. He needs regular doses of a serum labeled PG67A/W to keep it under control, but it will poison him if Wesker takes too much. Thankfully, Sheva happens to have the serum when Excella dropped it earlier.

They confront Wesker at a stealth bomber that Wesker's planning to use to spread the Uroboros Virus. As the stealth bomber takes off, Wesker goes on a rant about how the world has become overpopulated and plans to use Uroboros to cull humanity and rule the survivors as their god. Chris and Sheva shut Wesker up by injecting him with the serum. Their battle causes the stealth bomber to crash into a nearby volcano.

Now that his plans are completely ruined, Wesker takes in what's left of the Uroboros virus into him. If he can't rule the world, he can least get revenge on Chris. Their final battle is an epic for the ages, filled with fire and brimstone. After what feels like an eternity, Chris and Sheva manage to defeat Wesker, leaving him to burn alive in the volcano. Jill and Josh arrive in a helicopter to pick up Chris and Sheva before the volcano burns them. However, Wesker tries to use what little strength he has left to drag them all to hell with him. Chris and Sheva grab a couple of rocket launchers and blast Wesker to oblivion. Our heroes finally breathe a sigh of relief, content that the last remnants of Umbrella have finally been put to bed for good.

Resident Evil 6

Before we begin, it's important to note that Resident Evil 6's story is told through four campaigns that intersect with each other at various points. To help you understand the events more clearly, we will recap them chronologically rather than recap the campaigns individually.

On December 24, 2012, Chris Redfield led a B.S.A.A. team to quell a B.O.W. attack in Edonia, Eastern Europe. The local rebels are using a new breed of B.O.W. called J'avo to cause widespread chaos throughout the country. Chris gives a motivational speech to his men, and they head off to fight the B.O.W.s.

Meanwhile, we are introduced to Jake Muller, a mercenary working for the Edonian rebels. Jake and the rebels inject themselves with a syringe that is meant to enhance their performance in battle. Jake doesn't feel any effects, but the rebels he's working with mutate into B.O.W.s and attack Jake. Jake kills them without breaking a sweat, annoyed he should've asked for more money.

Jake then is greeted by a young woman and says Jake has antibodies that could save the world. The woman introduces herself as Sherry Birkin, now all grown up and working as a federal agent for US National Security. Sherry explains that the rebels have been tricked into taking a new virus called the C-Virus. This virus is so deadly it could endanger the entire globe if they don't get the antibodies in Jake's blood to stop it. Jake agrees to donate his blood, but only if he is paid 50 million dollars in compensation.

As they leave, they encounter a giant B.O.W. named Ustanak. A monster that resembles Nemesis and is equipped with a giant mechanical claw. As they flee the hulking beast, Sherry mentions that this creature was dispatched by a bio-terrorist group called Neo Umbrella, who also wants Jake's blood for their bio-weapons research. Once they lose Ustanak, they eventually come across Chris Redfield and his team dealing with the J'avo. Chris recognizes Sherry because Claire told him about her and vice versa. One of Chris' men, Piers Nivans, spots Jake Muller and points that he's working for the rebels they're currently fighting. Sherry defends Jake, saying he's under the protection of the US government. Chris notices something familiar about Jake, but before he thinks about it more, another giant J'avo attacks them.

After they defeat the B.O.W., Chris offers some choppers to escort Sherry and Jake to safety. Piers is upset that they're letting a heartless merc like Jake go, but Chris tells him to focus on the mission. Chris's team then runs into Ada Wong, who has been held hostage by the rebels. She explains that Neo-Umbrella was responsible for creating the C-Virus and tricked the Edonian rebels into using it. After escorting Ada out of the rebel stronghold, she lures the B.S.A.A. soldiers into a trap. She bids them farewell with a needle-grenade that infects all of Chris's men with the C-Virus. Chris is horrified at seeing his squad turned into monsters and is knocked out by one of them. Piers managed to avoid the needle grenade and drags Chris away before the B.O.W.s could kill him.

Meanwhile, the Ustanak catches up to Jake and Sherry and attempts to kill them both. Their fight causes the helicopter they were in to crash land into a snowy mountain range. Jake wakes up to find Sherry impaled by some of the wreckage. Jake pulls it out of her, and Sherry begins to heal her wounds instantly. It turns out the G-Virus within Sherry wasn't cured after all, merely mitigated. Thankfully, the G-Virus only grants Sherry regenerative healing abilities instead of horrible mutations like her father, William Birkin.

Ustanak and more J'avo then assault Jake and Sherry. Ustanak knocks Sherry unconscious and restrains Jake at the behest of Ada Wong, now working for Neo-Umbrella. Ada looks at Jake and reveals to him why his blood is so special — Jake Muller is the long-lost son of Albert Wesker. Ustanak knocks out a baffled Jake, and the J'avo take both him and Sherry away.

Six months later, on June 27, 2013, we see Ada Wong infiltrate a submarine. She is here because some time ago the US National Security advisor, Derek C. Simmons, contacted her, saying this submarine held information that was of great interest to her. Ada finds a mission briefing from Simmons addressed to her. It states she needs to capture Jake Muller and prevent the vaccine of the C-Virus from being made. Ada is confused, since these orders were dated six months ago, and she never received such orders before. She thinks either Simmons is playing mind games with her or somebody is impersonating her, taking orders on Ada's behalf.

Ada gets discovered by the submarine's security, who begin shooting at her. The ensuing battle ruptures the submarine's hull and begins to flood the ship. As Ada is escaping the sinking sub, she gets a call from Simmons saying that tomorrow the United States, China, and various major cities will come under bio-terrorist attacks. All of which will be conducted by Neo-Umbrella's "Ada Wong" doppelganger. Annoyed that some Umbrella wannabe is trying to use her as a scapegoat, she escapes the sub and prepares to track her impostor.

A few days later, on June 29, 2013, we find Chris drinking his woes away in a run-down bar in Eastern Europe. The trauma of seeing his men turn into monsters caused Chris to suffer immensely, who resolved to desert the B.S.C.A. Piers manages to locate Chris and helps Chris regain recollection of the event. Determined to avenge his fallen comrades, Chris returns to active duty.

Meanwhile, the president of the USA, Adam Benford, prepares to hold a speech at the Ivy University in Tall Oaks. He plans to reveal the government's involvement in the Raccoon City incident, particularly the part where they partly funded Umbrella's research. He hopes that by telling the truth, this will help the world unite against the war on bio-terrorists. Leon Kennedy is concerned about the backlash that may come from this, but he supports the president's decision.

Unfortunately, a bio-terrorist attack occurs at the university. Nearly everyone at the campus is turned into zombies, including the president. With a heavy heart, Leon Kennedy puts his friend Adam Benford out of his misery. Leon's partner, a secret service agent, named Helena Harper, starts blaming herself for this nightmare. Leon asks why it's her fault, but Helena says she'll explain once they reach Tall Oaks Cathedral.

They are horrified to see the city of Tall Oaks overrun with zombies and monsters as they escape the campus. Just like Raccoon City was many years ago. On their way to the Cathedral, Leon's operator, Ingrid Hunnigan, informs that Neo-Umbrella has claimed responsibility for the attack on Tall Oaks. She urges Leon to get to the cathedral and find out what's going on because Derek Simmons is getting anxious for info.

When they get to the cathedral, Helena takes Leon to a laboratory hidden underneath the building. They search the lab and find a VHS that displays disturbing footage of a woman resembling Ada Wong hatching out of a cocoon. Helena says that isn't what she wanted to show Leon, and what they were looking for lies deeper beneath the cathedral. Leon and Helena find a hidden passage that leads to underground catacombs filled with C-Virus monsters.

They eventually come across what Helena was looking for, her sister Deborah Harper. They try to escort Deborah to safety but they don't get far because she begins to mutate. Sadly though, Deborah has been infected with the C-Virus and attacks them both. The real Ada Wong comes in to help the pair, and together they put down Helena's sister. While Helena grieves for her sister, Leon demands Ada to them what's going on. Ada, as per usual, gives only cryptic answers and leaves to pursue her own goals.

Heartbroken over her sister's death, Helena reveals to Leon that Derek Simmons was behind the attack on Tall Oaks. Simmons kidnapped Deborah and threatened to kill her if Helena didn't help him assassinate the president. Simmons tasked Helena to distracting the president's security while Simmons released a B.O.W. that spread an airborne version of C-Virus amongst the campus, infecting everybody on site.

Leon attempts to contact Hunnigan, but he gets called by Simmons instead. Simmons denies he was responsible for the attack and puts the blame squarely on Helena and Leon. Framing them for the assassination of Adam Benford.

Elsewhere, Ada Wong examines the videotape Leon found. She gets contacted by Simmons, but Ada calls him out, saying he isn't Simmons — but the fake Ada Wong. She's figured out that this fake Ada is the one leading Neo-Umbrella because the real Simmons would never be so cocky to reveal his plans. Especially since any info getting out would endanger Simmons' position and expose his secret organization, The Family. Ada also says the fake Ada wants nothing more than to destroy the system that Simmons' organization had created by causing as much chaos as possible. Before she blows up the lab underneath the cathedral, Ada contacts the real Simmons to let him know that the fake Ada is trying to destroy the world.

After making it out of the catacombs, Leon and Helena see Tall Oaks City destroyed by a missile strike in the distance. Hunnigan contacts Leon and tells him that Simmons has departed for China in a hurry. Knowing that Simmons has framed them, Leon tells Hunningan to fake his and Helena's deaths so they can pursue Simmons without having the government on their tail.

We cut back to Chris Redfield, who has returned to the B.S.A.A to deal with a bio-terrorist attack in China. Neo-Umbrella has kidnapped UN officials and unleashed J'avos into the streets of Lanshiang. Chris struggles against the J'avos, while having horrific flashbacks of his comrades dying in Edonia. Nonetheless, Chris soldiers on.

Meanwhile, we return to Jake and Sherry. Both of whom have been locked in a research facility ever since Neo-Umbrella abducted them six months ago. Jake manages to take advantage of a lapse in security and breaks free of his cell. He manages to meet up with Sherry, and they prepare to escape the facility. Jake mentions that Neo-Umbrella has been taking his blood to enhance the C-Virus and lectured him about the history of Albert Wesker. He expresses fear that he may become a monster like his father because they share the same blood, but Sherry tells him it's our actions that determine who we are, not our parents.

Sherry Birkin contacts her supervisor and gets the coordinates for an extraction point. She grabs Neo-Umbrella's research data, and the pair leave the facility. Sherry and Jake get cornered by agents of Neo-Umbrella, but Chris Redfield and his B.S.A.A. squad take them out. They go their separate ways without speaking to each other because Sherry tells Jake that they're under orders to avoid contact with anyone.

Leon and Helena arrive in China, though their trip was almost cut short when a B.O.W. was smuggled into their airplane. Sherry spots Leon and Helena amidst the wreckage and rushes to greet her old friend. Leon says that he's here to apprehend Simmons for the bio-terrorist attacks. Sherry can't believe it and mentions to Leon that she was on her to meet Simmons, who also happens to be her supervisor. Leon demands to know where he is, but Jake tells him to back off. Before things get too heated, they are attacked by Ustanak. The group incapacitates Ustanak by dropping a tower on it, but they get separated due to the carnage. Sherry tells Leon their rendevous point with Simmons, and the two groups head off for it.

Meanwhile, Chris Redfield is getting increasingly mad as he learns that Ada Wong is in the area. Chris and Piers eventually corner her but get interrupted by Leon and Helena. Leon says they need her alive to prove Simmons's guilt, but Chris is too consumed by vengeance to listen to reason, saying that Ada is behind the bio-terrorist attacks. Both of them are unaware that the Ada Wong present with them is the fake one, not the real Ada. During their argument, the fake Ada uses a flashbang and escapes. After calming down, Chris decides to trust Leon's word and says he'll take Ada alive. They both leave to pursue their respective targets.

Leon, Helena, Sherry, and Jake meet at the rendevous point to confront Simmons. When Sherry asks Simmons if what Leon said was true, he replies by having his bodyguards shoot them. During the shootout, Sherry gives Leon the research data she took earlier, believing it could help stop the C-Virus. Simmons orders his men to keep Sherry and Jake alive because they are still useful. As he leaves, he gets injected with a syringe filled with the C-Virus by a J'avo sent by the fake Ada. Simmons collapses onto a nearby train and Leon, and Helena chase after him. Elsewhere, Jake and Sherry get captured by the J'avo.

Simmons reveals that he killed the president because he wanted to protect America's position of power. If Adam Benford revealed the government's involvement with Umbrella, it would've comprised America's global authority. He then begins to mutate into a horrific, dog-like B.O.W. and attacks Helena and Leon. Leon and Helena dispatch the mad dog, kicking it to the tracks to be crushed by the train.

Meanwhile, the real Ada Wong locates the fake Ada on a ship parked at the docks. She finds an audio log that reveals who the fake Ada really is — Carla Radames. The story goes is that Simmons obsessed and lusted after Ada Wong, but when she rejected him, he went nuts. He began research to develop a clone of Ada Wong, but all of his attempts failed until he met Carla.

Carla was a researcher that worked directly for Simmons and responsible for creating the C-Virus. She loved Simmons, but he didn't feel the same about her. However, he discovered that Carla's DNA would be the best chance to clone. So, Simmons manipulated her into becoming an unwilling test subject for his experiment, and it was a success. Carla was reborn into an Ada Wong clone, whose mind was sculpted by Simmons to love him forever. However, Carla's personality and memories began to resurface. Enraged that she was forced into becoming another woman, she spent years plotting her revenge to destroy Simmons and the world his organization, The Family, helped create. She also planned to frame Ada Wong because she was the object of Simmons' obsession in the first place.

Chris and Piers catch up to Carla on the ship. Chris overcomes his need for vengeance in favor of upholding justice by arresting Carla. However, a chopper belonging to The Family shows up out of nowhere and shoots Carla for killing Simmons. As Carla dies, she taunts the pair of them by saying she has prepped an aircraft carrier to spread the C-Virus across the world. Pier picks up a briefcase Carla behind and retrieves a strain of the C-Virus sample within it. He points out that two virus samples were missing from the briefcase. After getting informed the B.S.A.A. has its hands full, Chris and Piers rush on their own to find some airplanes to destroy the aircraft carrier.

Chris and Piers put together a valiant effort to destroy the aircraft carrier, but they're too late. A missile carrying the C-Virus launches into the city of Tatchi and converts every citizen into a zombie. Chris contacts Leon to see if he's okay. Thankfully, Leon and Helena were miles away from the explosion, but now they're struggling to escape the city. Leon tells Chris that he's been informed that Sherry and Jake have been abducted and taken to an underwater Neo-Umbrella base. He also mentions that Jake is Albert Wesker's son and has the antibodies needed to cure the C-Virus. Chris then informs Leon that Ada Wong is dead (still unaware that it was Carla). Chris and Piers fly off to save Sherry and Jake while Leon and Helena try to help the B.S.A.A. evacuate any survivors.

Back at the ship, Ada looks upon her imposter's dead body expressing pity that Simmons drove her to such madness. Carla then wakes up and starts transforming into a mass of goo, revealing that she injected herself with the C-Virus just before she died. The resulting mutation causes Carla to go insane, believing herself to the real Ada Wong and declaring she will rule the world. Ada Wong kills the mutated Carla in her most difficult fight yet and takes off in a helicopter towards Tatchi to tie up some loose ends.

Ada arrives to find Leon and Helena surrounded by hundreds of zombies and lends them a helping hand. They are then set upon by Simmons, who has regenerated from being reduced to mulch thanks to the C-Virus. Leon, Helena, and Ada engage Simmons in a prolonged battle where he undergoes multiple radical mutations that defy all explanations. After many close calls, they finally destroy Simmons by impaling him with a lightning rod, so he gets struck by lightning, and Leon finishes him off with a rocket launcher for good measure. Ada then leaves Leon and Helena with a chopper to escape the city and provides them with evidence of Simmons' crimes to clear their names. As Leon and Helena evacuate, Ada finds Carla's secret lab and destroys her research to make sure no more Ada Wong clones are made. There's only room for one Ada Wong.

Chris and Piers arrive at the base and free Sherry and Jake from their cells. Chris admits to Jake he knew Albert Wesker and killed him. Jake is extremely tempted to kill Chris for robbing him of the chance to get any closure with his father, but he relents. There are more important things currently at stake than revenge. Just then, an alarm triggers and activates Neo-Umbrella's last resort, HAOS. HAOS is a ginormous B.O.W. capable of spreading the C-Virus worldwide in mere minutes if it got out of the facility.

Chris tells Jakes and Sherry to escape while he and Piers deal with HAOS. The battle against the otherworldy monster doesn't go for Chris and Piers as HAOS is completely immune to regular gunfire. HAOS chucks a piece of debris at Piers and crushes his arm. All hope seems lost until Piers gets an idea. He injects himself with the C-Virus sample he took earlier in a desperate gamble to give himself a mutation that might damage HAOS. Piers then grows a brand arm that is capable of shooting lightning and uses it to weaken HAOS. Chris then rips HAOS's heart out, putting an end to its life. The base begins to crumble, and they rush to find any escape pods.

Meanwhile, Sherry and Jake run into Ustanak one last time as they're getting away. As the base falls apart, Sherry and Jake shoot Ustanak in the heart, finally stopping the monster's endless pursuit.

Chris and Piers manage to locate some escape pods. However, Piers is sensing that his mind is beginning to rot away thanks to the C-Virus. Piers shoves Chris into an escape pod and sends him away, while Piers stays behind to perish along with the base.

In the aftermath of the C-Virus nightmare, Chris continues his work in the B.S.A.A. to honor his fallen comrades. Sherry reports the government has managed to develop a cure for the C-Virus thanks to Jake's antibodies, though she chooses to keep Jake's connection to Wesker a secret. Leon and Helena are cleared of all charges against them by Simmons. And Jake decides to travel to protect citizens of the world from B.O.W.s as a vigilante.

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

Resident Evil 7 moves away from the survivors of Raccoon City and starts a new story arc with a new protagonist, Ethan Winters.

in 2017, Ethan Winters travels to Louisiana to meet up with his wife, Mia Winters. Mia went missing three years ago and was presumed dead, until one day, Ethan gets an email from Mia telling him to meet her at the Bakers farm in Dulvey, Louisiana. When he arrives, Ethan explores an abandoned farmhouse and finds Mia in the basement. Mia says she doesn't remember sending Ethan an email or how she got here. She then starts to panic, saying they need to get out before "daddy" comes back.

As they leave the basement, Mia suddenly goes berserk and attacks Ethan. Ethan, in a panic, kills Mia in self-defense. He gets a phone call from a woman named Zoe, telling him to escape the house through the attic. When Ethan gets there, he is surprised to see Mia alive and wielding a chainsaw. He puts her down again and is wondering what happened to her. Ethan then gets sucker-punched by the man of the house, Jack Baker, dragging him and Mia back to the Baker's main house.

Ethan wakes up to a dinner table and is greeted by Jack Baker, Marguerite Baker, his son Lucas Baker, and an old woman sitting in a wheelchair. They show their hospitality by attempting to force Ethan to eat human flesh while torturing him. Ethan is spared any more suffering when the Bakers get interrupted by a phone call. When they leave to answer it, Ethan takes this opportunity to try and escape their mansion.

While exploring the Baker's home, he gets advice from Zoe via various phones from time to time on where to go next. She also mentions that she's Jack Baker's daughter, and she's the only sane member of the Baker family left. Ethan then spots a deputy outside investigating the premises and tries to warn him about the Bakers. Jack Baker then comes back and decapitates the poor deputy. Ethan manages to take down Jack but he quickly heals his wounds, revealing that he has powerful regenerative abilities. Jack even shoots himself to demonstrate that you can't kill him.

Ethan quickly finds out the Bakers aren't the only monsters he has to deal with. The Bakers have been kidnapping people and turning them into grotesque humanoid monsters covered in mold. Ethan discovers a key that will allow him to leave, but Jack Baker is guarding it. With no other choice, Ethan engages Jack in a chainsaw duel, hacking Jack to pieces.

He finally gets out of the mansion and spots a trailer in the backyard he can take shelter in. Zoe contacts Ethan and says Mia is still alive because she's infected with the same virus that mutated the Bakers. Zoe says there's a way to save Mia, but she'll only tell Ethan if he agrees to helps Zoe escape the Bakers. Zoe says a serum can cure both her and Zoe of the virus, but she needs Ethan to gather the ingredients first.

Ethan locates the ingredients at an old house infested with giant insects conceived by a mutated Marguerite. After killing Marguerite, Ethan brings the ingredients back to the trailer and calls Zoe. He is instead greeted by Lucas, who has kidnapped Zoe and Mia. Lucas taunts Ethan, goading him to come to get them at the barn house. On his way, Ethan begins to experience strange hallucinations of a little girl.

Ethan gets to the barn and is forced to solve many traps and puzzles set up by Lucas. Ethan manages to get past them all and causes Lucas to flee in frustration. He rescues Mia and Zoe, and together they make two doses of the serum. However, Jack Baker returns now as a giant monster to kill Ethan. Battered and bruised, Ethan is forced to use one of the serums to kill Jack for good. Now, with only have one dose left, Ethan is must choose between using the serum on Zoe or Mia. In the end, he chooses to save Mia.

They ride off on a boat, leaving a heartbroken Zoe behind though Ethan says he'll come back later with help to save her. As they ride the bayou, they come across a tanker ship washed on the swamp. Then Ethan and Mia are attacked by giant black tendrils and dragged to the ship. Mia wakes up and tries to rescue Ethan from the black tendrils. While exploring the ship, Mia's memories start to return. It turns out Mia used to work for The Connections organization and was transporting a B.O.W. they created called Eveline. Eveline is an artificially created human designed to brainwash her enemies by infecting them with a mind-controlling Mold. However, Eveline became unstable due to the rocky trip and began infecting the ship's crew.

Meanwhile, Ethan has a dream where he meets Jack Baker, now acting like a normal person. He explains he found Eveline and Mia washed ashore in the bayou and took them back to his home. Eveline then started brainwashing the Bakers because she is obsessed with having a family of her own. Jack begs Ethan to stop Eveline and free his family from her control. Ethan wakes up to find Mia, freeing him from some sort of cocoon. She hands Ethan a vial containing Eveline's DNA. With the last of her strength, she seals Ethan out of the ship before she is infected again by Eveline.

Ethan then travels down an abandoned salt mine and discovers a hidden laboratory. There he discovers notes detailing the origins of Eveline and that her body has become unstable. Eveline has begun rapidly aging as a result. Revealing that the old woman in the Baker's mansion is Eveline. He also finds out Lucas was working for The Connections. They gave him drugs to resist Eveline's brainwashing, and in return, he monitors Eveline's status. Using the equipment in the lab and Eveline's DNA sample, Ethan crafts a toxin that should be able to kill Eveline for good.

Now back at the abandoned house, Ethan confronts Eveline and stabs her with the toxin. Unfortunately, it mutates Eveline into a giant monster instead of killing her. Ethan stands no choice against Eveline but is saved when a nearby helicopter drops a special handgun that blasts Eveline to bits.

With Eveline gone, Ethan and Mia are rescued by the Umbrella Blue corporation, lead by B.S.A.A. agent, Chris Redfield. Umbrella Blue was formed by former employees who wanted to make amends for the crimes the original Umbrella committed. They ride off into the sunset, relieved that the nightmare is over.

Resident Evil Village

Years after the events of the Dulvey Incident, Ethan and Mia settle down and have a baby daughter, Rosemary. Their peace doesn't last long because a team of Umbrella Blue agents led by Chris Redfield inexplicably raids their home.

Ethan wakes up to find himself in a remote village in Eastern Europe filled with monsters straight out of a gothic horror story. Now Ethan must use what little wits he has left to survive this nightmare, rescue his family, and find out why Chris Redfield has betrayed him.

Will Ethan be able to save his family and get out of this village alive? Step into the world of Resident Evil Village and find out as one of the best horror games in recent years is now available on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

The Capcom renaissance continues with yet another resoundingly resplendent Resident Evil Remake. 

Resident Evil 4 launched originally on the Nintendo GameCube back in 2005. The game took the horror franchise in a bold new direction, casting off the shambling corpses and foreboding horror atmospherics of the previous three games for something a little more action-oriented. Resident Evil 4 leveraged the power of the Nintendo GameCube to show gamers what a next-gen Resident Evil might look like, and the result became one of the most popular entries in the franchise. 

Fast forward to 2023. Capcom has made something of a name for itself remastering some of its classic Resident Evil games, which ironically started with a GameCube remake of the original Resident Evil back in the day. The modern remake of Resident Evil 2 was a cover-to-cover success, although Resident Evil 3 was a little less impressive. Now we've made it to Resident Evil 4, which many regard as the franchise's crown jewel. 

Set in an unnamed mountainous region of Spain, Resident Evil 2 protagonist Leon Kennedy returns, now on a mission to rescue the U.S. president's daughter. Drafted into an elite government unit for his heroics during the Raccoon City incident, Leon finds himself once again dropped into a gauntlet of horrific mutants and mysterious pharmacological conspiracies.

Will it take the horror top spot on our best Xbox games and best PC games lists?! Let's take the nostalgia goggles off and examine everything Resident Evil 4 does right and what, if anything, it does wrong. 

Note: This review was conducted on Xbox Series X, using a code provided by Capcom. 

Resident Evil 4: Setting, Art, and Performance

Recent releases from various major publishers have often had one thing in common: shoddy launch performance. Not to call out anyone specifically, but launching rough and patching later seems to be standard practice in 2023, but it seems Capcom has decided to buck the trend. 

Resident Evil 4 continues RE Engine's winning streak, meticulously balancing visual depth and performance on the new-gen systems. Resident Evil 4 is perhaps most notable for its ray tracing implementation, which I would argue is the best and least intrusive I've experienced in a modern game so far. And what exactly do I mean by "least intrusive," you might ask. It's the only console implementation of ray tracing I've seen that doesn't prohibitively impact performance. 

It helps a ton that Resident Evil 4 offers players on Xbox Series X and S a variety of visual tweaks to help tailor your experience to your liking. You can disable the game's more complex hair textures, for example, to claw back some overheads for general performance, for example. You can enable ray tracing in both resolution mode and performance mode as well. For most of the game, I played in performance mode with ray tracing turned on, trading some resolution sharpness for stunning dynamic lighting that served to make Resident Evil 4 one of the most stunning games I've laid eyes on.

Volumetric mist and realistic shadows make the game's meticulously sculpted environments screenshot-worthy at every turn. Noteworthy sequences from the game's original take on new life thanks to the power and performance of the RE Engine, and Capcom uses every tool at its disposal to really elevate some of the original's classic set pieces. I'm thrilled to note that Resident Evil 4 performs excellently across Xbox Series X and Series S, bucking a trend that often sees the Series S versions left far behind the curve. The game runs with an uncapped frame rate that targets 60 FPS, and generally speaking, it offers an incredibly smooth experience. 

Even with resolution mode turned on and ray tracing maxed out, the game retains smooth performance overall — although, on occasion, I noticed textures would get stuck in a lower-resolution compressed mode for a second or two before loading in. You may see some jitter if you spin the camera really quickly, too. And there are a couple of areas in the game besieged by heavy weather effects that impact performance, but it's an acceptable trade-off for something that just looks so damn pretty. And if you don't want to sacrifice frames, you can always tweak the settings to tailor your experience. 

I had no issue gunning for visual quality over performance playing Resident Evil 4. The sheer quality makes the novelty more than worth it for me. Without spoiling, some of the original game's boss battles and enemies just work so much better with modern technology powering the experience, elevated ever further by the game's impressive dynamic gore physics and destructible environments. A huge array of toys and weapons await players to deal with the game's various mutated threats, and the game's art direction and cutting-edge tech complement each other with orchestral precision. 

The Resident Evil team continues to light the way for some of the industry's heavyweights with large catalogs of classic games. Comparing the original Resident Evil 4, which was utterly impressive in its day, to what we have now is almost like comparing a horse-drawn cart to a Tesla.  

Resident Evil 4: Story (Spoiler Free)

Covering Resident Evil 4's story is tough without leading into spoiler territory, and naturally, we don't want to ruin the game's surprises. However, I will note that there's something new for everyone here, whether you're a veteran of the original games or coming in for the first time as part of the remake wave. I will say that I think Resident Evil 4's story is probably its weakest aspect (and that's not to say it's terrible by any means). 

Resident Evil 4 is set in an unnamed Spanish mountainous region, where U.S. agent Leon Kennedy has arrived to investigate the whereabouts of Ashley Graham, the U.S. President's daughter. From the very outset, it's a bit of an odd premise. The President's daughter is kidnapped, and the government's recourse is to send one agent to investigate? There's a relatively spurious explanation offered via text files revolving around wanting to keep the event hidden from the public as well as potential spies, but this lack of plausibility permeates through much of the game. Resident Evil 4 is very much a gameplay-first entry in the franchise, for better or worse. 

Leon arrives at a small mountain village, armed with limited intel, only to find a mysterious cult kidnapping backpackers and even local law enforcement. The victims wind up subjected to grisly rituals, torture, and outright murder. Something is quite clearly very wrong with the townsfolk, too, being onerously resilient to bullets and other injuries — with some apparently capable of coming back from the dead. These aren't your garden-variety zombies from previous games, though. Retaining aspects of motor function, these enemies wield weapons, can communicate, and work as a team. Yet, the decrepit town, piles of bodies, and mysterious effigies suggest quite heavily that humanity is in short supply here. 

Resident Evil 4 has the unenviable position of paying homage to the original while also offering fresh angles. My memory of the original game is quite scant (I'm getting old, ok), essentially making Resident Evil 4 feel like a fresh playthrough. Going back to review some of the previous story directions, it does seem like Resident Evil 4 plays very close to the original in general, albeit with elevated visuals and more impressive production.

Leon retains some of his cheesy one-liners from the original, almost in a celebratory context and often to hilarious effect. Other characters occasionally break the fourth wall with some well-known Resident Evil memes, too. The supporting characters also deliver their roles well, with the fearful Ashley growing bolder as the game moves forward, and the sleazy-yet-wholesome Luis, whose one-dimensional exterior hides a more complex role within the game. The game's antagonists remain suitably creepy, too, with the self-styled prophet Saddler flanked by the effortlessly creepy nobleman Ramón Salazar.

My central criticism would be the missed opportunity to redirect the game's delivery to keep it more grounded and believable, and thus immersive. Resident Evil 4 revolves around its cult antagonists, who seek to use a parasite to gain superhuman powers, which isn't far removed from the plot of other games in essence. However, those of you who have played Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6 ultimately know where the franchise ended up and what caused it to go on hiatus for a while. Still, I'm not about to punish Resident Evil 4 for things its successors did. As a remake, Resident Evil 4 is truly excellent, and it will most likely give the majority of fans exactly what they want — an elevation of the original without taking huge liberties with the direction or its characters. I acknowledge that my criticisms boil down to a personal preference, ultimately. 

As much of a classic that Resident Evil 4 is, it also marked a turn for the franchise, which led it increasingly towards action gameplay to the detriment of its pure horror roots. Resident Evil 4 does nothing to steer the franchise away from this path, and indeed, whether or not that is a problem for you will boil down to personal preference.

Resident Evil 4: Gameplay

I mentioned above that Resident Evil 4 puts gameplay at the forefront of its delivery, and in that, it absolutely excels. No Resident Evil game, past or present, feels as good to play as Resident Evil 4, even if it comes with some compromises with the game's ability to immerse you in its story. 

Resident Evil 4 feels very arcadey, as did its predecessor. Enemies drop mountains of bullets on normal difficulty, ensuring that you're never really without ammunition. Cutting through enemies with a shotgun feels as satisfying and chunky as ever, and popping skulls with one of the game's various magnums or rifles never gets old. There are various sections designed for sniping, and the game is quite aggressively linear, with each area serving as a combat arena of sorts. Ammo crates are depicted with yellow tape for quick access, and red explosive barrels dot the land to help you take down multiple enemies at once. 

Modernizing things a bit, Resident Evil 4 introduces an incredibly fun parry mechanic, which elevates the melee combat the original was known for. You can still pop enemies in the knees and roundhouse kick them in the face, sending groups of enemies flying — but now Leon can also parry incoming attacks with his knife, opening enemies up for knockdown attacks without expending ammo. On normal difficulty, the timing is pretty generous and makes dealing with groups of enemies a lot more lenient on your ammo supplies. Some later enemies in the game become orders of magnitude easier to deal with if you learn the parry attack, which flashes up with "Left Bumper" in the bottom right corner of the screen. It's easier to simply watch out for the enemy's attacks, though, and tap it right before a hit connects. You may end up severing a few limbs this way as a bonus — and it feels so damn good when you do. 

A lot of the game's economy revolves around currency that can be obtained in a variety of ways. Resident Evil 4's notorious arms dealer returns, appearing inexplicably in random places throughout the game. He also now comes with underground pirate-themed shooting range challenges as a bonus, again, entirely inexplicably. I am irrationally irritated by the lack of in-game explanation for this vendor, but he serves an important role within the game, providing you with weapons, upgrades, and other tools to help you on your merry, violent way. 

I disliked the vendor economy in the original Resident Evil 4, and I dislike it now. It's weak that you simply buy weapons from a vendor instead of getting rewarded for finding them in the field. There are only a handful of weapons you can actually find via exploration in Resident Evil 4, which detracts heavily from the "Resident Evil" experience, in my view. Previous games had weapons in hidden places, rewarding those who were daring enough to brave another corridor likely filled with jump scares or solve complex puzzles. Again, this is a personal preference thing, perhaps, but Resident Evil 4 is only a horror game in theme. There wasn't a single sequence in Resident Evil 4 that offered much of a fear factor — there's simply so much ammo and so many enemies that I just found myself slipping into Gears of War mode. Indeed, some areas even have chest-high walls. 

Resident Evil 4 is an unapologetic action game. Thankfully, it's such a damn fun action game that once I accepted the fact, I simply couldn't put the game down. Leon is a badass, and once I got going, I played the game through from start to finish without much of a break in between. Speaking of which, a playthrough on Normal took me 17 hours, and a fair bit of that was spent exploring and looking for items for guide coverage. It also has a strong post-game content line-up, which I shan't spoil here. I will say that you may find yourself eager to jump right into New Game+ as a result. 

While the debate over action vs. horror could boil down to your preference, the one thing that I think will continue to annoy absolutely everyone is the Ashley sections. For those who remember the original, occasionally, you will have to escort characters in Resident Evil 4. They have made it a little more user-friendly in that you no longer need to manage Ashley's health, but sadly her AI seems stuck in the GameCube era. A large amount of my "deaths" were actually Ashley's deaths because, as you might guess — if she dies, it's game over. One segment of the game sees the pair besieged by canons. And despite using the game's Ashley commands to tell her to run closely behind me, she still managed to get herself squashed a few times. It felt like a failure through no fault of my own, and that is never fun. Thankfully these segments are relatively brief. 

Since Resident Evil 4 is paced more like an action game than a regular survival horror game, the Ashley portions feel like jarring road bumps that don't fit the game's overall delivery, at least while playing on normal, that is. 

Resident Evil 4 also features a "hardcore" difficulty mode, as well as an unlockable "professional" mode which strips back some of the game's "modern" conveniences. These difficulty settings do bring Resident Evil 4 a bit closer to the nail-biting experiences fans of the classic gameplay may prefer, limiting your weapon choices and saving opportunities. Here, you may find yourself opting for stealth takedowns with a knife more often to conserve ammo, as opposed to normal modes' gun's a-blazin' splatterfest. It's great that Resident Evil 4 accommodates more playstyles in this way, but I think professional mode should be available from the outset rather than hidden behind a first-time completion. 

Resident Evil 4 boasts a large variety of hand-crafted environments. Never once will you feel like you're repeating steps or seeing the same corridors. The game truly is a painstaking labor of love with regard to its environmental design, and while it doesn't reward explorers with weapons, it does reward them with currency and treasures that can be sold. Some of the treasures are surprisingly well-hidden, but for a small fee, you can buy up treasure maps that show where they are. The more you get, the more powerful you can make your weapons. By the end, you'll be a walking arsenal armed to the teeth, but your enemies will also gain new powers and abilities to match. Indeed, Resident Evil 4 boasts a truly impressive menagerie of mutants as Los Illuminados' experiments bear fruit and ultimately break free. 

I suspect Resident Evil 4's emphasis on action over terrifying its players could see it wind up one of the franchises' more popular entries. While I am very personally a fan of the more horror-oriented jaunts, it's impossible to deny the sheer quality Capcom has put on offer here. A beefy campaign, tons of post-game content, stunning visuals, and absolutely spectacular combat make Resident Evil 4 a must-play game. 

Resident Evil 4: Conclusion

Resident Evil 4 is another resounding success for Capcom's effort to remake and modernize its classic games. The RE Engine showcases the current-gen systems more effortlessly than any other game I've seen so far, with a level of launch polish that sadly is becoming a rarity among full-price titles from the biggest publishers. 

While the fear factor takes a back seat for this entry, Resident Evil 4's sublime gunplay, satisfying melee combat, and elevated gore physics more than make up for it. Resident Evil 4's gameplay focuses almost entirely on the action, and it makes Leon's journey through the Los Illuminados' cult compound as fun as it is sensational. Gorgeous vistas and Hollywood-grade production values coalesce into an epic, gothic playground filled with memorable characters atop a typically weird Resident Evil plot. Twists and turns, egos and delusions of grandeur, designs upon world domination, and B-movie one-liners come home in Resident Evil 4 in what feels like an unapologetic celebration of the original.

Without a doubt, Resident Evil 4 is a must-play game. And while I personally prefer the more horror-oriented games, Resident Evil 4's fun factor and raw quality make it easy to put those preferences aside. It's also a little refreshing to be able to recommend this to anyone and everyone. If you find other Resident Evil titles to be too overwhelming but still have a fascination with the franchise, Resident Evil 4 might be absolutely ideal for you. 

Capcom has another hit on its hands with Resident Evil 4. Long may its winning streak continue. 

Capcom has delivered hit after hit with the past several Resident Evil games, and based on what we've seen, there's no reason to expect that'll change with this year's entry.

I recently got the chance to see around 17 minutes of new gameplay footage from the upcoming Resident Evil 4 remake, showing off some of the different environments, setpieces, and enemies that players will encounter in this upcoming survival-horror game. 

If you're not one of the many millions of players who have gone through this game before, I'll set the stage. Years after the events of Resident Evil 2 and 3, government agent Leon Kennedy is assigned to find and rescue the president's daughter, Ashley, who has been spotted in a remote part of Spain. 

What follows is a descent into hell, as Leon fights through crazed villagers called Ganados, strange parasites referred to as Las Plagas, and other monstrosities. Another threat is Krauser, a former partner to Leon who had a falling out and is looking to settle the score.

The gameplay shown opens up at the beginning of Chapter 4, with Leon still searching for Ashley. Combat remains tense as you'll need every gun and bullet you can scrounge up to defeat the Ganado, Plagas, and other threats lurking about.

While crowd control will still clearly be key to surviving the threats that come your way, Leon isn't as sluggish as he was when we last saw him in the Resident Evil 2 remake. The new ability to parry enemy attacks with your knife adds an extra layer of risk-reward management, encouraging you to quickly weave through smaller groups of enemies and allowing you an escape route even if you get surrounded.

The roundhouse kick also returns, allowing you to quickly stun weaker enemies with a couple of shots and kick them to the curb. This in turn sets enemies like the Ganado up for knife finishers, meaning you can quickly dispatch foes without having to use additional ammo.

Even with how heavily the focus is on the action, things are still a bit spookier than the presentation of the original experience. The aesthetic is darker and moodier overall, while the massive advancements in technology provided by Capcom's RE Engine allow for enhanced gore as Leon tears through groups of groaning Ganados and flailing Plagas. Leon is bloodied by enemy attacks, while grenades and gunfire scorch the Ganados' flesh and sever limbs.

I wouldn't be worried that it's too dark, however, as there's still a cheesy, unmistakably Resident Evil edge. At one point, after blasting an infected Ganado with a shotgun, Leon yells out "No food for you!" and if that line is any indication of the levity players can expect, things seem to be on the correct, carefully balanced course.

This preview also showed off some new tweaks to how player inventory management will work. The iconic Attaché Case returns, allowing you to again sort things to your liking in order to hyper-optimize your inventory in the service of cramming in every last possible gun, bullet, and spray. You can even get different colored cases for different bonuses like extra resources, as well as attaching charms for further special effects.

Resident Evil 4 remake uses an expanded version of the same weapon-swapping system from the past several games, mapping guns to your directional pad or hotkeys. Now, players can map up to eight different guns in addition to the knife, though of course, that may not be the best use of your inventory's limited space.

As you explore, you'll be finding treasures that can be sold to the mysterious merchant, but careful exploration will yield even greater rewards. Some items like a gilded mask will have slots for gems, and if you fill all three slots, the sale value of the mask will skyrocket. It's a neat twist, encouraging you to think carefully before you immediately sell something off.

Once the gameplay skips ahead to after Leon has found Ashley, I got to see the new controls in action. Ashley can no longer just be chucked away for hiding before a battle, but instead can be told to follow Leon closely or stay further back. Whenever she's attacked, you'll need to drop what you're doing and save her, so this is a potentially interesting gameplay mechanic, depending on how it actually shakes out through the rest of the game.

Capcom has also made big changes to the knife fight between Leon and Krauser. While this used to be entirely a QTE, it's been expanded into a full battle, and it's here that players will really have to have learned the parry system if they're hoping to come out on top.

There are a handful of questions that remain. What — if any — new enemies are skulking about that have yet to be revealed? Will the fates of any characters change? Most importantly, will Ashley's big ol' ears be shown? I don't know, but after seeing this new gameplay footage, I'm even more excited to find out.

2023 has already started strong with horror games like Motive Studio's Dead Space remake (you can read my review here) and everything shown so far indicates that Resident Evil 4 will also join the pantheon of stellar remakes, as well as being one of the best Xbox games of the year.

Capcom previously confirmed that a demo for Resident Evil 4 remake is currently in the works, so hopefully, everyone will get to try the game out shortly before its full launch. Capcom is also working on a free post-launch update that will add The Mercenaries mode, though there's no info on when players should expect it.

Resident Evil 4 is currently scheduled to launch on March 24, 2023 across Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, PS5, and PS4.

For episode 83 of Xbox Chaturdays, we'll be joined by award-winning reporter Rebekah Valentine of IGN. We'll be diving into the future plans for Silent Hill, the latest details on Resident Evil, current-gen framerate concerns, the CMA's plans to question the public about the Activision/Blizzard/King acquisition, and so much more!

If you're excited about catching up on all the biggest gaming news of the week, tune into Xbox Chaturdays live every Saturday at 1 p.m. ET!

What is Xbox Chaturdays?

Xbox Chaturdays is our weekly Windows Central Gaming podcast. Every Saturday, we sit down with various Xbox developers, enthusiasts, and industry figures to chat about all things Xbox. We designed our show to provide exciting and engaging content for Xbox and PC players, highlighting what we love about gaming. There's always something fun to chat about from the best games on Xbox Game Pass to the titles we can't wait to play.

With Xbox Chaturdays, we've built up a pretty incredible audience of live viewers who consistently keep the show fresh and exciting with questions. Our show promotes community interaction, and we strive to immerse our viewers in the experience. If you haven't caught an episode before, head on over to the Windows Central Gaming YouTube channel to watch past episodes or on all your favorite podcast services including Spotify, iTunes, and Google Podcasts.

Resident Evil Village first launched back in May 2021, but Capcom isn't done with supporting this Gothic adventure. 

Over a year after announcing DLC was on its way, we're finally getting Resident Evil Village: Winters' Expansion, which adds new modes and ways to play through the game, while also expanding some existing features and even a piece of new story content.

What is Resident Evil Village: Winters' Expansion?

The Winters' Expansion for Resident Evil Village is an expansion pack that includes three distinct pieces of DLC. They're bundled into the expansion pack and are not available for purchase separately, so you can't just buy one — you'll have to get them all. Winters' Expansion is $20 and includes the following:

• Third-person mode for Resident Evil Village
• The Mercenaries Additional Orders
• Shadows of Rose

If you haven't bought Resident Evil Village yet, the Winters' Expansion is also bundled into Resident Evil Village Gold Edition, providing one of the best horror games and its DLC all in one neat package. Resident Evil Village Gold Edition is $50, and also bundles in the Trauma Pack DLC for the game that's currently available. 

In case you haven't played Resident Evil Village yet, it's absolutely worth picking up. In our review of the base game, we noted that "Stunning visuals, truly bizarre creatures, a memorable parade of eccentric characters, and truly satisfying gameplay make Resident Evil Village soar, even if a few quirks in the plot delivery deflate the spectacle."

Resident Evil Village: Winters' Expansion — Mercenaries Additional Orders

Winters' Expansion includes The Mercenaries Additional Orders DLC, which revamps the Mercenaries experience with new playable characters and new maps, with additions to the latter consisting of the Bloody River and Bloody Village Stages.

The first character added is longtime Resident Evil hero and huge boulder-puncher, Chris Redfield. Chris gets powerful weapons and increased strength, using his Target Locator to blast away groups of foes while also building up his Onslaught Gauge. When this gauge is full, his movement speed, reload speed, and attack damage all shoot up, making him even deadlier. 

The second new character is the smug Heisenberg, the metal-manipulating lord. With his massive hammer, he can charge electricity for powerful shockwaves or activate a Magnetic Field and toss enemies around. He can also summon a Soldat Jet for assistance on the battlefield, though they'll self-destruct if they run into a sturdy wall.

Finally, the third new character is the towering vampire that broke the internet, Lady Alcina Dimitrescu. She slashes and claws her way through enemies with her talons and the Lady's Lipstick item. As she slaughters, she'll build up her Thrill Gauge, which increases her damage and movement speed while unlocking new moves. When the gauge is full, she can summon one of her three daughters — Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela — to the battlefield.  

Resident Evil Village: Winters' Expansion — Shadows of Rose

Shadows of Rose is a new story DLC for Resident Evil Village. Taking place 16 years after the events of the main game, Ethan's daughter Rose works to understand her strange powers and enters the Megamycete consciousness. Notably, while the main game first released as a first-person experience, this DLC can only be played in third-person mode.

Anyone that preorders Winters' Expansion or Resident Evil Village Gold Edition will get access to the Street Wolf Outfit for Rose Winters. This outfit includes the emblem of Chris Redfield's Houndwolf squad on the back of the jacket, providing a neat alternate look for Rose. 

Resident Evil Village: Winters' Expansion — Third-person mode

The final piece of DLC coming to Resident Evil Village with the Winters' Expansion pack is third-person mode. While many Resident Evil games such as Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, and the upcoming Resident Evil 4 remake are all third-person titles, a first-person viewpoint was introduced to the series in 2017 with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. 

Resident Evil Village, which is a direct sequel to 7, also features a first-person view. With this DLC, players will now be able to go through Resident Evil Village in third-person.

Despite this simple viewpoint change, the gameplay will feel very different, as almost all of the cutscenes in Resident Evil Village also take place from a first-person perspective. If you've already played through the game, this is a great way to make everything feel fresh again.

Resident Evil Village: Winters' Expansion — Re:Verse

Resident Evil Re:Verse, a multiplayer title, was included as a bonus for anyone that purchased Resident Evil Village. Like many other games over the past couple of years, Resident Evil Re:Verse ended up being heavily delayed. It's now launching at the same time as the Winters' Expansion and Resident Evil Village Gold Edition. 

Anybody who already purchased Resident Evil Village will get access to Resident Evil Re:Verse, so it's not required that you purchase the Winters' Expansion to get it. If, however, you have not yet purchased Resident Evil Village, then Resident Evil Re:Verse will be included with the purchase of Resident Evil Village Gold Edition.

Resident Evil Village: Winters' Expansion — Release date

Winters' Expansion is slated to arrive on Oct. 28, 2022 alongside Resident Evil Village Gold Edition. This is almost a year and a half after the base game first launched. Both the Winters' Expansion and Resident Evil Village Gold Edition are currently available for preorder. Resident Evil Re:Verse will also go live on Oct. 28, 2022.

What you need to know

• Resident Evil Village first launched back in May 2021. Capcom stated shortly after launch that it was working on DLC, but months went by without any update.
• During the June 2022 Capcom Showcase, the developers shared that Resident Evil Village is getting a third-person mode, new characters in Mercenaries (including Lady Dimitrescu) and story DLC called Shadows of Rose.
• The new DLC is set to launch on Oct. 28, 2022, and will be available in the Winters Expansion DLC, or bundled with the game in a Gold Edition

At the June 2022 Capcom Showcase, the publisher and developer finally delivered on the long-awaited DLC for its last mainline Resident Evil game.

Resident Evil Village, which launched on May 7, 2021, is getting a variety of DLC, as originally promised by Capcom a year ago. The DLC announced during the Capcom Showcase includes a third-person mode, bringing the gameplay in line with that of Resident Evil 2 and 3. 

There's also new support coming for the Mercenaries mode, with new playable characters: Christ Redfield, Heisenberg, and Lady Dimitrescu. 

Finally, Capcom shared that some story DLC is in the works. Titled Shadows of Rose, the DLC stars Ethan's daughter Rose, years after the events of the game. Rose is drawn into conflicts in the center of her mind, facing threats from enemies and the world around her. 

All of this DLC is available in the Winters Expansion DLC (via PlayStation Blog), which is bundled in the newly-announced Gold Edition. The DLC and Resident Evil Village Gold Edition are slated to launch on Oct. 28, 2022, alongside the long-delayed RE:Verse multiplayer title, which was originally meant to arrive alongside the initial launch of Resident Evil Village.

Capcom is also currently working on a version of Resident Evil Village designed for PS VR2. While this doesn't have a release date, PS VR2 is currently expected to launch at some point in 2023.

What you need to know

• During the June 2022 Capcom Showcase, Capcom revealed that the previously-announced current-generation updates for Resident 2, 3, and 7 were coming today.
• These updates bring native Xbox Series X|S and PS5 enhancements for three big Resident Evil games from across the last few years.
• The updates are free, so anyone who has already bought these games is getting the enhancements at no extra cost.

During the Capcom Showcase on June 13, 2022, Capcom revealed some exciting news for Resident Evil fans. The previously-announced current-generation enhancements for Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard are now available. 

This means that Resident Evil 2, 3, and 7 on Xbox Series X|S and PS5 can take advantage of the newer consoles' ultra-fast internal SSDs and advanced processing power, adding in "high framerate" alongside 3D audio and ray-tracing.

The last mainline game in the franchise, Resident Evil Village, was released in 2021 and utilized 3D audio alongside ray-tracing. Because all of these games run on the RE Engine, it seems like Capcom has been able to take its advancements from Village and backport them to the older games.

These enhancements are free for any existing owners, so you don't to buy any kind of upgrades, regardless of what platform you're on. Capcom stated earlier in the year that these three games would be getting support for current-generation consoles sometime in 2022.

Capcom is also currently working on the Resident Evil 4 remake, a re-imagining of the classic game that will only be available on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, and PS5.

The rumors were true, and Resident Evil 4 remake is really happening. Capcom is continuing its hot streak of remaking classic Resident Evil games, and this next remake isn't just any game — it's of one of the most beloved Capcom games of all time.

With a remake this ambitious for a game this high-profile, it's safe to say that expectations are high, and that fans will have questions. Here's everything you need to know about the Resident Evil 4 remake.

Resident Evil 4 remake: What is it?

Resident Evil 4 remake is, as the name implies, a remake of the original Resident Evil 4, which first launched back on Jan. 11, 2005. While Resident Evil 4 was originally designed for the GameCube, it's been ported to practically every gaming platform under the sun.

The Resident Evil 4 remake is designed to modernize the game. Even if Resident Evil 4 is more playable than other games Capcom has remade, it's still aged in regard to the controls and visuals. 

With its third-person shooting controls, Resident Evil 4 was critically acclaimed and is widely considered one of the most influential games of all time, helping to kickstart third-person shooters as a genre, as well as more directly inspiring the Dead Space franchise. 

Capcom notes that Resident Evil 4 remake is being developed using the proprietary RE Engine, which has been used in most of Capcom's games over the last few years, including every Resident Evil game since Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. It's also being used in the upcoming Street Fighter 6.

With that said, this game seems to be the closest to the original out of the remakes so far, at least in regard to how it plays. While Capcom is using RE Engine to modernize the controls and visuals, the game appears to still be a third-person survival-horror shooter.

Capcom's Resident Evil titles over the last few years are some of the best horror games you can play, and it seems like the Resident Evil 4 remake could join that roster.

Resident Evil 4 remake: Trailers

The announcement trailer for the Resident Evil 4 remake was unveiled during Sony's June 2022 PlayStation State of Play showcase. You can take a look at the trailer below:

Resident Evil 4 remake: Story, gameplay, and differences

Past Resident Evil remakes, such as Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3, haven't been completely one to one in regard to the story, and it appears the Resident Evil 4 remake will also have some differences. With that said, the story will keep the same premise. 

Six years after the events of Resident Evil 2, Leon Kennedy is recruited to rescue Ashley Graham, the president's daughter. In the middle of his investigation, Leon makes his way into a remote European village. There, Leon is thrown into a dark fight for survival against horrific monsters and a sinister cult. 

Capcom notes that the team is "reimagining the storyline of the game," so it's safe to say the game won't be the same beat for beat. That said, Capcom is also focused on "keeping the essence of its direction," so expect smaller deviations and surprises, not truly massive differences. 

Reports prior to the game's reveal indicated that the Resident Evil 4 remake is set to take on a spookier tone, with some scenes now taking place at night, or using concepts that were dropped from the original game.

Is Resident Evil 4 remake PlayStation exclusive?

Despite being announced for the PS5 at Sony's June 2022 State of Play, Resident Evil 4 remake is not a PlayStation-exclusive game. It's also being developed for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

This means that Resident Evil 4 remake won't be available on last-generation consoles like the Xbox One and PS4. This was almost the case for Resident Evil Village, but Capcom was able to get versions running on the older hardware in time for launch.

Because Resident Evil 4 remake is being developed exclusively for the latest consoles and PC, the game can fully take advantage of the advanced processing power and ultra-fast SSDs in these machines. That means shorter load times or potentially even no loading screens at all. 

Resident Evil Village utilized some ray tracing to improve overall image quality, and it seems likely the same will happen for the Resident Evil 4 remake. 

There is some PlayStation exclusivity around this game however. Capcom notes that some kind of content is being developed to support PS VR2, Sony's next virtual reality gaming headset. It's not currently clear whether this will be a specific mode, or if the entire game is playable in VR, like with Resident Evil 4 VR for the Quest 2. 

Capcom is also working on a version of Resident Evil Village for PS VR2, which will allow players to experience the full game in VR.

Resident Evil 4 remake: Release date

The Resident Evil 4 remake was announced with a release date of March 24, 2023. 

Amusingly, this makes Resident Evil 4 part of a potential hot streak of big-budget horror games. The Callisto Protocol from Krafton and Striking Distance Studios is slated to launch on Dec. 2, 2022, while the Dead Space remake is scheduled to arrive on Jan 27, 2023. That means players are getting three big third-person horror games in a span of a couple of months. 

Additionally, Dead Space was directly inspired by the original Resident Evil 4, while The Callisto Protocol is being created by developers who worked on the original Dead Space, adding to the amusement of the situation.

Right now, we'll have to wait and see whether this release date holds, given the generally unsteady state of game development over the last couple of years.

With that in mind, it's worth noting that Resident Evil Village launched on May 7, 2021. With Resident Evil 4 remake slated to launch almost two years later, this is actually not the longest period of time between Resident Evil game launches since the release of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard on Jan. 24, 2017. 

The Resident Evil 2 remake launched on Jan. 25, 2019, while the Resident Evil 3 remake was released on April 3, 2020. 

What you need to know

• Legendary horror game Resident Evil 4 has been rumored to get a remake for years.
• During Sony's June 2, 2022 State of Play presentation, Capcom made it official.
• The Resident Evil 4 remake is slated to release on March 24, 2023 for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and Steam.
• The title will reimagine the original's story, update the visuals, and modernize the controls and gameplay.

The Resident Evil franchise has produced some of the most legendary survival horror titles of the last few decades, and one of its most infamous titles is getting another chance to win over the hearts of gamers everywhere. After years of rumors, Capcom has officially announced a full remake of Resident Evil 4.

Announced during the Sony June 2022 State of Play event, the new Resident Evil 4 will reimagine the 2005 original's storyline, massively upgrade its visuals and presentation, and modernize its controls and gameplay.

It's not clear how much of the original game's plot will be altered for the remake, but previous rumors suggested the story would take an even darker tone. With the remake, Capcom is hoping Resident Evil 4 will once again be able to stand toe-to-toe with the latest and greatest horror games.

The updated survival horror title is officially arriving on March 24, 2023, and will come to Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PS5, and PC via Steam. Sony also revealed that PS VR2 content for Resident Evil 4 is in development, but further details aren't available at the moment.

What you need to know

• Resident Evil Village first launched on May 7, 2021.
• Capcom shares that as of March 31, 2022, Resident Evil Village has sold over 6.1 million copies.
• Capcom also reported its fifth consecutive year of record-high profits, largely driven by digital content.

Publisher Capcom is reporting another year of record high profits, driven primarily by digital content, alongside solid sales updates for some of its more recent games.

Resident Evil Village sales have reached 6.1 million copies sold, per Capcom's latest financial results for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022. Resident Evil Village previously reached 5 million copies shipped worldwide as of October 2021. The best-selling games in the Resident Evil franchise are Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and the Resident Evil 2 remake, which launched in 2017 and 2019, selling over 10 million copies and 9 million copies, respectively.

During the fiscal year, Capcom recorded a record 32.6 million units sold across all its franchises, which the company notes was driven primarily by the launch of Resident Evil Village and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, the latter of which has now sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide.

Looking ahead, Capcom is currently working on Street Fighter 6, though little is known about this next big entry in the iconic fighting game franchise right now. Capcom is also widely reported to be working on a remake of Resident Evil 4.

What you need to know

• Capcom is updating Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3 and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard for Xbox Series X|S and PS5.
• Exact details for the improvements have not been confirmed.
• These upgrades are free and are slated to arrive sometime later in 2022.

Capcom is bringing a slate of its games from the last console generation to new gaming hardware. Resident Evil 2, 3 and 7 are all coming to Xbox Series X|S and PS5 later in 2022.

Capcom shared on Twitter that all three games would be getting upgrades later in the year. These upgrades are free for anyone who currently owns the games, and PC owners will also be getting an upgrade adding in the new features. Exactly what's being upgraded in these new versions of the games on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PS5 isn't clear however, as Capcom hasn't shared any particular details.

Resident Evil Village, the most recent game in the franchise, featured ray-tracing and 3D audio, so it would make sense to see these kinds of upgrades come over.

Capcom launched Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, and Resident Evil Village in 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2021 respectively, maintaining a steady slate which has seen several games join the ranks of the best Xbox horror games available. Most recently, Resident Evil Village has crossed 5.7 million copies sold so far.

Looking ahead, Capcom is reportedly working on a remake of Resident Evil 4, with the remake reportedly taking a darker tone and changing some things up compared to the original game.

What you need to know

• A report from Fanbyte indicates that the still-unnannounced Resident Evil 4 remake is going to have some fairly big changes.
• Some of these changes include a darker tone, with the iconic scene in the village taking place at night.
• The game is reportedly going to be revealed sometime later in 2022.

The rumored Resident Evil 4 remake is reportedly taking a darker, spookier tone than the original game. A report from Fanbyte indicates that the game is not meant to be a direct one-to-one remake of Resident Evil 4, with plenty of new ideas being explored and changes being implemented.

Some of these changes come in the form of altering iconic moments in the game, such as having the village attack sequence now take place at night. Capcom is also exploring the stories of other characters in the game such as Ada, looking into reworking the Assignment: Ada and Separate Ways mini-campaigns from the GameCube and PlayStation 2 versions of the game, respectively.

Fanbyte's report also corroborates prior information indicating the game was originally being developed by M-Two, the studio that worked on Resident Evil 3 remake. The team reportedly even asked original creator Shinji Mikami to work on the game, though he declined, staying in his role as head of Tango Gameworks, which is currently working on Ghostwire: Tokyo. Development has been moved to an internal division of Capcom, though M-Two's work was kept and that team is still assisting with the project.

Capcom is also reportedly planning to announce the Resident Evil 4 remake sometime early on into 2022, though game development remains difficult at the best of times and these plans could change. Capcom is also currently working on DLC for Resident Evil Village, though it's not yet clear what this additional content will be composed of.

What you need to know

• Resident Evil Village launched earlier in 2021.
• The game has crossed 5 million copies shipped faster than its predecessor, the 2017 Resident Evil 7: Biohazard.
• Resident Evil 7: Biohazard reached over 10 million copies shipped earlier in 2021.

Resident Evil Village crosses 5 million copies shipped worldwide, faster than the prior game Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Capcom shared on Thursday. Resident Evil Village launched back on May 7, 2021 to critical success and has continued to steadily sell well since, joining the ranks of the best Xbox horror games currently available.

While Resident Evil Village is currently selling faster than its predecessor, it'll be a while before it reaches the top. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard recently crossed 10 million copies sold since its launch in 2017. Meanwhile, Capcom's best-selling game of all time remains Monster Hunter World, which recently reached over 20 million copies sold.

Resident Evil Village is currently available on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC, PS4 and PS5. The game supports a free current-generation upgrade, so if you buy it on Xbox One or PS4, you'll get the Xbox Series X|S or PS5 version at no extra cost. Resident Evil Village is a direct sequel to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, with protagonist Ethan Winters trying to find his kidnapped daughter.

What you need to know

• Resident Evil Re:Verse is a six-player multiplayer title originally planned to launch alongside Resident Evil Village.
• After being delayed to the summer, Resident Evil Re:Verse has been delayed to 2022.
• Players with codes for the game will still be able to access it with no issue.

While Resident Evil Village took the series' classic single-player horror to a Gothic European setting, it was meant to be accompanied with a multiplayer title called Resident Evil Re:Verse. After an initial delay to sometime in the summer, fans will be waiting even longer to dive in on this player-vs-player experience, as Capcom announced on Thursday that Resident Evil Re:Verse is delayed to 2022.

Capcom recommends that players go ahead and redeem their codes for Resident Evil Re:Verse to ensure they will have access at the planned launch next year. Resident Evil Re:Verse is a six-player deathmatch spin on the series, with players facing off as iconic characters like Leon Kennedy and Jill Valentine.

Resident Evil Village has sold over 4.5 million copies so far, with its critical and commercial success seeing the announcement of upcoming DLC being developed, though there aren't any details for what the DLC will entail so far. Whatever it is, it's likely to help cement the game's place as one of the best horror games available

What you need to know

• Dead by Daylight is an asymmetrical horror game where one player is a horror killer and the others have to survive.
• The long-awaited Resident Evil chapter of Dead by Daylight was announced on Tuesday. It'll be available on June 15.
• Leon Kennedy and Jill Valentine are joining the game as Survivors, while Resident Evil 3's Nemesis is joining as a Killer.

The long-awaited Resident Evil chapter of the PvP horror game Dead by Daylight is finally almost here. According to an announcement from the game's developers on Tuesday during a fifth anniversary broadcast, Nemesis, the Big Bad of Resident Evil 3, is joining the game as a killer, while Leon S. Kennedy and Jill Valentine will be playable Survivors starting on June 15.

Each of the killers in Dead by Daylight has unique abilities that change up each round. Nemesis (called the Tyrant here), attacks Survivors with his tentacles, as seen in the trailer above. That makes him a ranged killer. However, he has an extra ability; he can infect Survivors with the T-Virus, which doesn't exactly turn them into zombies, but does make them cough, therefore making them easier to find. He can also spawn zombies that can also infect Survivors — the first time AI characters can help the Killer. The more Survivors he infects, the more powerful he becomes. His tentacles become stronger as a result.

Like with other Killers, there are ways to counteract his abilities on the map. Here, there will be vaccines that players can find.

The new Survivors also get their own perks, including high adaptability for Jill and a flashbang for Leon, which he can spawn during the match under very certain conditions. This is very unique for the game, which usually only allows you to equip items before a match.

Along with the new characters is a new map in the Raccoon City Police Station, the famous setting from Resident Evil 2, and 3 to a certain extent. It'll be the map recreated from the remake versions of those games.

This is the first new chapter the game has received in a while. The team has been focused on graphical upgrades over the past year, according to Creative Director Dave Richard.

For more information on the new chapter, what the new map looks like, and with some other Dead by Daylight goodies (including some streamer fun), you can check out the broadcast stream on YouTube. (The Resident Evil announcement starts at around 46:33.)

Now, when's Lady Dimitrescu joining Dead by Daylight? We're waiting.

Among the many atmospheric, dreary, and terrifying locales of Resident Evil Village, House Beneviento stands out as one of the most unique and possibly dangerous of them all.

When you arrive at this household, you will quickly be robbed of all your weapons, healing items, and key items, forcing you to survive this evil residence through pure wits alone.

This will be easier said than done, as House Beneviento contains some extremely devious and complex puzzles that will bring your journey to a grinding halt if you can't solve them.

Fortunately, if you're stuck trying to escape House Benevientio's absurd puzzles, we have solutions to help get out of here quickly before its horrifying masters come to claim your life.

Warning: This guide will contain spoilers for some events in the game, so proceed with caution.

Beneviento doll house puzzle guide

1. Door Lock Combination

After attempting to snatch a piece of Rose from the clutches of the creepy Donna doll in the lower levels of House Beneviento, the lights will go out, and you will lose access to all items in your inventory.

On an operating table in the center of this room, you'll find a disturbing mannequin with the likeness of Mia. You'll also notice that the door you entered from now has a lock requiring a six-digit combination.

To crack this code, you'll need to investigate the mannequin on the operating table thoroughly.

Examine the left hand of the mannequin. You'll notice a small wedding band covered in blood. Remove this item and make your way to the opposite side of wooden Mia.

Examine the right upper-arm of the mannequin to discover a hidden compartment housing a small silver key. Grab this key and make your way to the door in the room with markings identical to those on this key.

In this room, you'll find a small medical sink, which can be used to wash the blood from the wedding ring. Engraved on the inside of this ring will be 05-29-11. This is the combination for the lock on the double doors.

2. Music Box Solution

Once you've successfully unlocked the double doors, make your way back out into the halls of House Beneviento. You'll likely notice one of the doors in the main hall creep open as you're walking by.

Enter this room to find a small music box with a bride and groom sitting upon a table. To access this puzzle, you'll need to re-examine the Mia mannequin for a specific item.

Inside the left knee of the mannequin, you'll find a small winding key.

Take this item to the music box to reveal its unique puzzle. You'll then encounter a series of movable slices of musical wheels.

To solve this puzzle, you'll need to line up these slices in the proper order before turning the winding key. Pay attention to the markings on the far edges of the music box.

These provide clues as to the proper layout of each piece. But to make things easier on you, the picture above is the solution.

Grab the tweezers from inside and move on to the next puzzle.

3. Film Projector Puzzle

After obtaining the tweezers from the music, make your way back to the Mia mannequin and examine the mouth. Inside, you'll notice a strip of film, which you can obtain by using the tweezers.

Take this piece of film to the study at the end of the hall closest to the elevator. You'll find an old film projector and a note on the table with the proper order for each of these film strips in this room.

Place the piece of film you took from the mannequin's mouth and arrange them in this order.

1. Monkey Doll
2. Village of Shadows Book
3. Baby Rose
4. Music Box
5. Wedding Ring on Hand

Playing the project with the film pieces in this order will open up a secret passageway behind a bookshelf in this room.

Make your way inside and grab the pair of scissors held by one of the many disturbing dolls in this crawlspace.

Use these scissors to cut through the fabric blocking your exit and make your way back to the Mia mannequin.

5. Doll puzzle (Mia's Body Mannequin)

Once back at the mannequin, use your newly acquired scissors to cut through the bandages on the mannequin's chest. This will reveal a circular opening with a brass medallion inside.

Collect this item and then examine the right elbow of the mannequin to reveal an additional medallion with three closed eyes on it. Finally, examine the mannequin's eye to reveal a symbol of a crew with its wings outstretched.

Pay close attention to the positioning of the crow's wings.

From the mannequin, make your way down the small left hallway from this operating room until you reach a door with medallions on it.

Place the brass medallion you collected from the mannequin in the biggest hole and use the clues we found from the eye and right elbow to rotate the other two medallions to their proper positions.

As a reminder, these are the three closed eyes and the crow facing to the right with its wings outstretched.

6. Hide and Seek with Donna

After experiencing what is easily the most horrifying encounter of the entire game, you'll eventually make your way back up the elevator to the main area of House Beneviento.

Here you'll need to play a twisted game of Hide and Seek with ever-terrifying Donna. This serves as the grand finale to this haunted house detour in Resident Evil Village.

To complete this puzzle, you'll need to find and stab Donna three separate times. Her first location is always upstairs in the bedroom to the right.

Unfortunately, the other two hiding spots are randomized for each playthrough.

The easiest way to track her position for the second and third locations is to use headphones and listen for her distinctive laughter, which will be a dead giveaway.

Stab this monstrous doll three times to end the nightmare and collect the piece of Rose.

Will you be able to escape House Beneviento?

There you have the solutions to solve the puzzle gauntlet of House Benevientio.

There are other threats to contend with within this madhouse aside from puzzles and Donna.

However, we won't spoil that here, as it's the greatest (and traumatising) horror experiences Resident Evil has pulled off in years that need to be seen on a blind playthrough to be believed.

Resident Evil Village is now available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, and PC via Steam.

FAQ

Are you looking forward to playing the upcoming Resident Evil Requiem? If so, are you planning to revisit Resident Evil Village or any other previous game in preparation?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, please share them with us in the comments below.

Obviously, there are MAJOR spoilers ahead.

Resident Evil Village is here, and it's rather awesome. Resident Evil Village concludes Ethan Winters' story, which kicked off in Resident Evil 7, in a fictional Eastern European mountain town full of monsters.

Ethan has been through quite a lot. After rescuing his girlfriend from a mold zombie-infested swamp in Louisana, the couple moves to Europe under a new identity to start a new life, aided by the BSAA (Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance). Unfortunately, as you might guess, things don't exactly go to plan.

In this article, I'll share some thoughts about the game's final chapters and plot twists, and some tin-foil hat conspiracy theories about what the revelations could mean for any prospective Resident Evil 9.

Once again, I emphasize, this article has many huge plot spoilers.

Resident Evil Village: Full plot synopsis

Resident Evil Village kicks off with Ethan and his wife, Mia, in a new house in an unknown location somewhere in Europe. Set a few years after Resident Evil 7, the couple has had a child, Rose, and seem to be living a somewhat idyllic life, until they aren't. Series staple Chris Redfield storms the house with his Hound Wolf Squad, and guns down Mia in a hailstorm of bullets. Enraged, frightened, and confused in equal measure, Ethan and his daughter are forcefully taken away by the tactics team.

Ethan wakes up somewhere in the forest after some sort of attack caused their truck to veer off the road. The squad with Ethan has been killed, leaving few clues as to what actually went down. Ethan stumbles into the cold of the night, and eventually reaches a deserted village in the mountains nestled in the shadow of a gothic castle. It's not long after arriving that Ethan discovers something is very wrong. Blood coats the walls and floor, and signs of carnage and death are everywhere. Soon, Ethan is attacked by a horde of werewolf-like humans with murderous intent.

Ethan resolves to discover what happened to his daughter while hunting down Chris Redfield's team in the process. Battling through scores of werewolf "Lycans," Ethan eventually reaches the outskirts of the castle, only to be attacked by a group of shadowy lords that seem to hold dominion over the area. Heisenburg has the ability to manipulate magnetic fields, making iron objects hover through the air, transforming them into all sorts of weapons and projectiles. Donna Beneviento and her puppet, Angie, manipulate the pollen of a hallucinogenic mountain plant to induce dark visions. Lady Dimitrescu stands tall over the others, with superhuman strength and razor-sharp claws, while Moreau stalks the shadows, mutated and fish-like. They're led by Mother Miranda, a godlike figure with six black feathered wings who presides over the others with otherworldly authority.

They attack Ethan, subjecting him to all sorts of torments and horror throughout the game. Ultimately, each of them underestimates him along the way. Ethan escapes their clutches and discovers that it's maybe them who took Rose from Chris Redfield and is ultimately holding her captive. After dispatching a mutated Lady Dimitrescu atop the highest tower in her castle, Ethan discovers that Rose has been literally torn apart, separated into four flasks for some grotesque ritual. Wracked with despair, a mysterious merchant known as the Duke claims Ethan can restore Rose by gathering her parts and completing the ritual himself.

Each of the four lords of the village has a piece of Rose, and Ethan travels across the valley to kill each of them in turn. He battles the fish-like monstrosity Moreau in his aquatic domain at the dam and Bienviento in her hallucination-inducing cliffside mansion. He then takes the fight to Heisenburg in his factory, whom Ethan discovers has his own agenda. Heisenburg reveals that Mother Miranda created each lord through a series of failed experiments, trying to create the perfect "vessel" to resurrect her deceased daughter with the mold introduced in Resident Evil 7, called the mutamycete. Heisenburg created an army of half-man, half-machine cyborg zombies from dozens of villager victims to facilitate his goal to kill Mother Miranda, and have vengeance. He asks Ethan to join. As you might expect, Ethan declines with extreme prejudice.

Ethan battles through the factory and meets Chris Redfield, who explains that Mia is possibly alive. The "Mia" they gunned down was in fact, Mother Miranda, who is almost entirely comprised of the mold. This gives her the ability to manipulate her form, mimicking all sorts of shapes, and thus, people. Miranda mimicked the form of a corpse in the van and attacked the Hound Wolf squad, kidnapping Rose in the process. She plans to use Rose as her vessel to resurrect her daughter's consciousness. Rose's composition is somewhat unique too, being the daughter of Mia, who was infected with the mold prior to getting cured, and Ethan... who is actually dead.

It's revealed that Ethan died at the start of Resident Evil 7. In fact, if you go back and play it, you can hear quite clearly that Jack Baker stomps Ethan's skull with a sickening crunch at the end. Ethan's ability to withstand various types of damage is not merely gameplay armor, but in fact, is due to that he's literally made almost completely made of mold — the mutamycete.

Underneath the village is the origin of the mutamycete, some grotesque parasitic creature dubbed the megamycete, that spreads and grows like a gigantic sentient fungus. It infects and replaces the cells of its victims, creating the enemies from Resident Evil 7, the molded, and occasionally more advanced molded creatures, like Ethan and Mother Miranda.

Ethan defeats a gigantic, mutated Heisenburg using a polymer-alloy tank, and resolves to save Rose, and end Mother Miranda in the process. Throughout the game, the mutamycete growth has spread, while becoming more and more powerful. It eventually erupts out of the ground like a gigantic forest made of dark mold tentacles. Left unchecked, it could envelop the valley, perhaps across the entire world. It's at this point you take control of Chris to bring the fight to the mutamycete and remaining Lycans.

During the fight, Chris realizes that his former colleagues at the BSAA have also gotten involved, sending in a small army of their own to take on the Lycans, the Urias Strajer, and the mutamycete. Chris tracks the mutamycete growth underground, with the aim of placing a large explosive at its very heart. In Mother Miranda's underground labs, Chris finds the real Mia, who has been interred for some time.

Additionally, they discover that Oswell E. Spencer, the founder of Umbrella, met Mother Miranda decades ago right in this village. The pair studied the metamycete together, alongside other viruses and strange phenomena. Spencer left a letter for Miranda, noting his goals of world domination and his intention to use a virus to do it. It would appear that Mother Miranda is the source of Spencer's knowledge and inspiration, ultimately responsible for the carnage in the first few Resident Evil games.

After his battle with Heisenburg, Ethan is attacked by Mother Miranda, who rips out his heart. Being molded, Ethan survives, albeit barely. Ethan uses what little strength he has left (and all the accumulated ammo from playing) to take the fight to Miranda herself, who mutates into various forms throughout the fight. Interrupting her final ritual to steal Rose's body, Rose is ultimately restored, and Miranda is defeated, shattering into a thousand dusty pieces.

The megamycete continues to grow unchecked, although Chris manages to place a large explosive underground at its very heart. Ethan takes the detonator from Chris, and urges Chris to take care of the restored Rose for him. In the end, Ethan is killed in the ensuing blast, taking out the megamycete for good.

As Chris, Mia, Rose, and the remaining Hound Wolf squad members escape in a helicopter, the soldiers reveal that the BSAA are using bioweapon soldiers, rather than human soldiers. The soldiers look pale white and gaunt, like the Tyrant T-Virus models from Resident Evil 1 and 2. Chris notes that his squad may have to pay a visit to BSAA Europe.

In the epilogue, we see a teenage Rose, who seems to be doing well. She visits Ethan's grave, and a secret agent appears in a car to take Rose away. He jokingly calls her Eveline, in reference to the bioweapon girl from Resident Evil 7. Rose doesn't appreciate the comment, reacting angrily. She notes she has "abilities" that "Chris doesn't even know about," implying that her unique birth has given her some supernatural powers. We see the car drive away, but it is then stopped by a shadowy figure at the end of the road, whose identity remains a mystery but could possibly be Ethan himself.

Thoughts on Resident Evil Village's ending and major twists

I wrote in my review that I thought some aspects of Resident Evil's story were a bit clunky or under-explained. For example. it's not really explained why Rose needs to be separated into four parts in order to be transformed into Mother Miranda's daughter, Eva. It's barely touched upon why Chris doesn't just explain what's going on to Ethan from the outset. His teammates remark upon this as you're traversing the cave systems as Chris, saying "you should have told Ethan," and Chris even agrees, "I know," as if this was injected at the last minute to stave off criticism.

I also think the inclusion of Chris felt a little forced in general towards the end. I think the section where you battle the Urias Strajer would have been better if you were just Ethan, using his new-found mold powers instead. Instead of using a convenient polymer-alloy tank that's immune to Heisenburg's powers, wouldn't it have been cooler to have turned into a molded bioweapon Ethan instead? It would have made far more sense in context and would have seemed a little less contrived. The polymer-alloy tank had me rolling my eyes. Why would Heisenburg make a tank, specifically, that could kill him?

The game is, frankly, filled with an array of barely-sensical motivations from various characters, which you could explain away with insanity, I guess. Why does Mother Miranda steal Mia's body and play happy housewife when she could've just turned into some kinda creature and murdered them both to steal Rose? Why not just do the ceremony to replace Rose with her daughter outright to begin with? Why doesn't Mother Miranda know that Heisenburg is plotting against her, considering she can literally transform into crows and spy on everything?

These weird issues with the writing is ultimately why I deducted points from our review. Some of the haphazard explanations come in the form of text files, but they just heap on confusion. Mother Miranda has some motivation to "recruit" powerful molded entities from her experiments, but why?

Spencer notes in his letter that their goals diverge: Spencer wants to take over the world, while Miranda only wants to resurrect her deceased daughter. Why would Mother Miranda want to recruit males at all, to that end? It makes for cool gameplay since it would suck without the various bosses, but I feel like there must have been a better way to narratively tie all of this together.

I actually enjoyed the plot twist that Ethan was molded, however. It elevates Resident Evil 7's story a great deal as a result, explaining away why Ethan has his hands severed multiple times and is able to reattach them with relative ease. The hivemind-like qualities of the mutamycete also make for an interesting concept. I also liked that Resident Evil Village tied itself quite neatly into the events of the previous games via the connection between Miranda and Spencer. The iconography in the ruins surrounding the village, bearing the symbol Umbrella would eventually go onto use, carries some mystery of its own. Also, there's the whole angle with the shadowy bioterrorist group The Connections — what exactly is their endgame?

Indeed, Resident Evil Village leaves us with an array of unanswered questions. What exactly is the megamycete, and where did it come from? What's going on with the BSAA and their bioweapon-soldier usage? What the heck is going on with Rose? Where are the franchise's other characters?

What this could all mean for Resident Evil 9 (or DLC)

In Resident Evil 7 and Village, we learn that The Connections were behind much of the recent mutamycete outbreaks. Working with Miranda, The Connections created Eveline from Eva's DNA. The Connections built Eveline with the plan of creating a bioweapon that could infect soldiers in the field, and turn them into allies through mold-induced pheramonic mind control. Unfortunately, Eveline was psychotic, and used her bioweapon powers to spread the mold, creating "family members" from the corpses of the dead. Miranda bailed on The Connections at that point, resolving to find another way to revive Eva. Eveline would eventually end up in the swamplands from Resident Evil 7, infecting the Baker family and the surrounding wildlife.

Since we know the megamycete seems to hold the cognitive essence of the people it infected with the mold strain, there's certainly a chance that that "hive mind" of consciousness still exists within Rose. Rose remarks during the epilogue that "she knows" she's like her father, despite having never met him. This could explain why Ethan has visions of other infected characters, like Eveline, Jack Baker, and Mia. Is Rose currently aware of Ethan's consciousness? Does the metamycete hivemind still exist within her? Could she become malevolent in the future? The fact the secret agent types had a sniper rifle pointing at Rose during the epilogue certainly suggests they are afraid of her, at the very least.

There are a lot of ways Resident Evil 9 could take advantage of Rose's unique status. Given that Resident Evil 7 appears to hint at Mother Miranda in its original promotional art, I'd say that the overarching plot has already been planned out for Resident Evil 9 to some degree.

Given that the BSAA seems to have resorted to using bioweapons in its army now, there's a chance it could also be somehow compromised. The goal of various pharma companies throughout the Resident Evil canon was to ultimately create supersoldiers that could withstand irregular amounts of damage, and accept some sort of ultimate authority. If the BSAA has truly achieved this goal, they would be the first to do so without any major consequences, besides the potential legal and ethical issues. On the flip side, they could also have become evil as well. Blue Umbrella, comprised of former Umbrella scientists who want to make amends for the disasters from Resident Evil 0-3, are now working with Chris' strike team, Hound Wolf. Could the former central antagonists of the franchise now become good? With the BSAA and The Connections becoming the central villains? Time will tell.

Mother Miranda's mold-induced powers gave her the ability to shapeshift into any form and stave off aging. Her lab suggests she'd been there for over one hundred years, applying her research skills to a variety of projects. She created the "cadou" parasites from the megamycete, using them to infect humans and experiment on different mutagenic properties. Spencer preferred a virus as the method of infection since it self-propagates much more rapidly than a parasite can. However, the huge time period of Mother Miranda's activities suggests she could have been responsible for other strange happenings throughout the franchise — perhaps, even further back.

Ultimately, we have no idea on her exact age, knowing only that her daughter was killed by the Spanish Flu in around 1918, and became mortal sometimes after that from discovering the megamycete fungal growth.

Resident Evil 9 ultimately could explore two separate tracks, or perhaps both. The ending says "The Father's Story is Over," heavily implying the next game will be about The Daughter, i.e. Rose. Teenaged Rose seems to be interred with Blue Umbrella and Chris' group, but we have no idea how much time has passed since Resident Evil Village. I don't know if Chris would wait 15+ years to find out what's going on at the BSAA, which is now using Tyrant-like bioweapon soldiers. Eveline however, exhibited rapid aging. Could the time period be less than we expect?

I think Resident Evil 9 may potentially follow Chris heading to the BSAA to find out what the hell is going on there. After Jill Valentine was infected in Resident Evil 5, she spent some time in quarantine with the BSAA as they tried to figure out what effects Wesker's experiments had on her. Could Jill be in trouble, or perhaps even responsible?

If Resident Evil 9 does a time skip ahead with Rose as the protagonist, that potentially leaves the BSAA plot to be explored either via a Chris-focused DLC as we saw in Resident Evil 7, or as part of a separate game entirely. Resident Evil has done spin-offs before, with Revelations 1 and 2, which explore subplots. Revelations 2 followed Barry Burton and his daughter Moira, for example.

Historically, the Revelations games have been of a lower caliber and budget than the mainline Resident Evil games, but perhaps the modern Capcom has other plans. I wouldn't say no to a bigger-budget Revelations 3 that followed Chris to BSAA Europe, even if it was perhaps a bit more action-oriented.

The mainline Resident Evil sequel will hopefully remain true to the survival-horror formula we've come to know and love. The Connections are still out there, working their dark machinations. We have no idea what sort of powers Rose harbors, nor do we know if Blue Umbrella is a true ally or not. Resident Evil has many loose ends across the board and tons of potential exploration opportunities for future installments. I didn't even write about the game's mysterious vendor, the Duke, who seems to be molded too. What's his deal?!

Resident Evil remains crazy, but I love it

Resident Evil has never had the most sensical plot, with enemies that seem incapable of learning from their mistakes and narratives that contradict gameplay. But, frankly my dear, I don't give a damn. Could Resident Evil be something more? Sure, and I would like that, but I also love fighting zombie werewolves, cyborg monstrosities, giant fish monsters, and flying psychic dolls. Resident Evil is a bit silly, but I every dimension of its wacky and wild plots, strewn through a lens of tense survival horror action.

I think Resident Evil honestly reminds me of the X-Files in some ways. The games seem to work better when they focus on smaller, more intimate localized stories, rather than the bigger plot hole-filled main story arc. Marrying believable scientific information with the fantastical beasts of the franchise would probably require mountains of additional dialogue. Resident Evil does a good job of explaining its universe generally if you're willing to read the text files that is. I'm still unclear on a lot of the different character's motivations, but hey, being infected with a mutagenic virus probably does a number on your cognitive reasoning skills. And maybe Chris just isn't that smart.

In any case, I love this bloody franchise. After the relative disappointments of Resident Evil 5 and 6, 7 and 8 feel like a big return to form, and I hope the Capcom of the modern era continues the trend.

What do you think of Resident Evil Village's ending? Hit the comments, and let's chat.

Resident Evil Village is available now for $60 on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. It's quite easily one of the best Xbox games of the year so far, and well-worth a look. Be sure to read our full Resident Evil Village review for more details!