Resident Evil Requiem has "a different kind of replay value" than the rest of the series, director says: you can use Leon to steamroll the zombies you're too scared to deal with as Grace

Key art for Resident Evil Requiem showing Grace with a flashlight, with a larger image of Leon in shadow behind her against rainy streets — (Image credit: Capcom)

Ever since Capcom confirmed the worst kept secret in Resident Evil fandom to be true - that Leon Kennedy is in fact one of the heroes of Resident Evil Requiem - the studio has really been emphasizing how much gameplay variety is opened up by having dual protagonists. Grace is the timid, anxious, newcomer while Leon is the battletested hot uncle who's perhaps become a little too cozy with his new ax.

In a new interview with the PlayStation Blog, director Koshi Nakanishi revealed yet another layer of depth that wouldn't have been possible without two playable characters: enemies and items that persist when you switch between playing as Leon and Grace. According to Nakanishi, this adds a new level of replayability.

"If you switch from Grace to Leon in the same location, any enemies Grace took down stay dead for Leon, and the same goes for items on the ground," Nakanishi said. "However, it’s tough for Grace – who’s always short on ammo – to wipe out all the enemies. Using Leon to take down enemies that Grace fled from is one of this game’s highlights."

Article continues below

As a self-proclaimed scaredy cat myself, I'm excited about this for a whole different reason. I'm a massive Resident Evil fan, but there are moments in the series that have tested the limits of what I can handle, most notably the first half of Resident Evil 7, which Nakanishi himself directed. The fact that I'll be able to nope out of some combat encounters with Grace and take them on as the more physically confident Leon is genuinely assuring.

TOPICS