Resident Evil Requiem's "classic" difficulty forces Grace to scrounge for ink ribbons to save, and the PS1 sicko in me couldn't be happier

Grace Ashcroft looks at a computer in Resident Evil Requiem screenshot
(Image credit: Capcom)

Today's Resident Evil Requiem showcase mostly recapped previously revealed information while breaking down some merch and brand collaborations, but there were a few fresh morsels of gameplay info to enjoy among it all. Most notable in my mind is the reveal of a new difficulty mode that will force you to scrounge for ink ribbons in order to save during Grace's sections of the game.

Requiem will offer an array of difficulty options, including a Casual mode with an aim assist function that'll allow you to take down enemies more easily. There's also Standard (Modern), which Capcom says is in line with what you'd expect from "modern" Resident Evil titles.

But if your heart lies in the PS1 era of RE, you're going to want Standard (Classic). This mode offers "limited" autosaves during sections featuring Grace – the rest of the time, you're going to need to dig up ink ribbons in order to save your game. Given how Requiem's two characters have been billed as tributes to the two main gameplay styles of the series – action and survival horror – I'm delighted to see the more old-school portions of the game embody that DNA so thoroughly.

Resident Evil Showcase | January 15, 2026 - YouTube Resident Evil Showcase | January 15, 2026 - YouTube
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Capcom hasn't detailed what, if any, other differences exist between these difficulty modes, but pointedly no hard mode was shown. I suspect that hard mode will be an unlockable feature, but the devs haven't confirmed that one way or another.

You'll also be able to give Grace and Leon's respective gameplay segments their own distinct flavor by choosing whether you want to play each character in first- or third-person. We already knew there would be a toggle between the two perspectives, but letting you choose your camera per character is a nice touch – given the gameplay we've seen so far, it seems Capcom is keen to emphasize first-person horror for Grace and third-person action for Leon.

For more upcoming horror games, you know where to click.

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Dustin Bailey
Staff Writer

Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.

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