Resident Evil is back - can it redefine the survival horror genre once more?

Source: BBC Technology

Resident Evil is back – can it redefine the survival‑horror genre once more?

2 hours ago
Laura Cress – Technology reporter

Capcom

New playable character

Grace Ashcroft joins the Resident Evil series as a new playable character in Resident Evil Requiem.

A brief history

Thirty years ago, a game named Resident Evil ushered in the survival‑horror genre—a blend of nerve‑shredding tension, elaborate puzzles, and intricate inventory management. The series became Capcom’s best‑selling franchise ever, spawning books, films, TV programmes, and numerous sequels.

The latest entry

The newest edition, Resident Evil Requiem, was released to excited fans worldwide on Friday. How does it keep the scares feeling fresh three decades on?

“Balancing ‘familiarity and freshness’ has been a huge challenge,” said director Koshi Nakanishi to the BBC.
“I hope the new title manages to redefine survival horror in interesting new ways while still respecting the DNA of the series.”

Past and present

Over the years, the franchise has see‑sawed between pure terror and high‑octane action, with mixed results. When news broke that Requiem would try to combine the two, some fans feared it might feel too jarring.

Producer Masato Kumazawa reassured the BBC:

“Fear is such a human emotion. Through entertainment we find ways to use fear as a thrill, but in a positive way. Even after 30 years, people still want to experience those thrills over and over again—that’s what makes us human.”

The article explores whether Resident Evil Requiem can once again push the boundaries of survival horror while staying true to the series’ core identity.

The Evolution of Evil

“They have escaped into the mansion where they thought it was safe. Yet…”

With those mysterious opening lines, Resident Evil created a new type of game.

While many believe the first true survival‑horror title was 1989’s Sweet Home (also made by Capcom), the term survival horror was coined specifically to market Resident Evil’s 1996 release by its director Shinji Mikami.

The phrase helped describe the game’s tense atmosphere—fixed camera angles, forever‑encroaching zombies, and a limited supply of ammunition.

From Horror to Action

Freelance games journalist Vikki Blake told the BBC that the series has not always stuck to its genre roots:

“Its later pivot to action left some fans feeling like Resident Evil forgot about the horror part of survival horror.”

She added that by the time the set‑piece‑heavy Resident Evil 6 arrived in 2012, the franchise seemed to be doing “very little” to distinguish itself from “the army of cookie‑cutter zombie games that had popped up in its wake.”

A Return to Form – Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Requiem

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard marked a “return to form” in terms of the franchise’s focus, according to Blake.
The upcoming Resident Evil Requiem will re‑introduce some action elements, but in a way that nods to the series’ past:

• One playable protagonist is a now‑older Leon S. Kennedy, a fan favourite.
• The second lead is a brand‑new character, FBI agent Grace Ashcroft, whose lack of combat training promises a “more tense” gameplay style.

“It’s tricky to blend so many different elements—old and new, action and horror—so that they become more than the sum of their parts,” said Nakanishi, a senior producer at Capcom.

“It’s never possible to make something 100 % original. You always need to ground it in something familiar as a starting point to give people the sense that it’s the same kind of game they liked before.”

Visuals

Capcom

Requiem will see the return of a now‑older “hot‑uncle” Leon S. Kennedy.

Leon will revisit classic locations—such as Raccoon City’s police department from the second game—while also exploring brand‑new areas alongside Grace.

“The double‑protagonist angle lets us explore the duality of the characters, the storyline, and the different horror approaches,” Nakanishi added.

Community Perspective

Monique Alves, a Brazilian content creator who runs the fan‑led site Resident Evil Database, explained her initial concerns:

“When Requiem was first announced, some fans were afraid of having Resident Evil 6 all over again.”

After receiving three hours of early access, Alves felt the game was different:

“Resident Evil 6 is a product of its time, so of course it had more action and explosives. This time, the Grace‑and‑Leon roots are very well combined.”

Critical Reception

Most critics agree that marrying two very different gameplay styles has been a success rather than a step back for the series. See the aggregated scores on Metacritic.

“We’ve really taken care not to do the same thing over and over again,” Nakanishi said. “Fans love not knowing exactly what kind of experience they’ll get—that’s exciting as a player.”

Additional Media

Monique Alves – content creator and founder of Resident Evil Database.

“We don’t want to make players feel like we’ve just produced yet another game in the series with the same old content. I want players to feel like this is a really fresh new entry.” – Kawata, Creative Director, Capcom

Stay tuned for more updates on Resident Evil Requiem and the evolving landscape of survival horror.