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UPSIDE DOWN

Category: Gaming / Horror Games / Entertainment

By: Todd Deck, Writer | PPM Staff

December 18, 2025

After years of speculation, fan theories, and hopeful whispers across the Resident Evil community, it’s official: Leon S. Kennedy returns in Resident Evil: Requiem — and for the first time since Resident Evil 2, he’s stepping back into the ruins of Raccoon City.

Capcom’s newest trailer doesn’t just confirm Leon’s involvement — it re-centers him in the franchise’s emotional core, blending legacy horror with a bold, modern evolution of gameplay. For longtime fans, this isn’t just another sequel. It’s a reckoning.

A 30-Year Echo: Why Requiem Matters

Resident Evil: Requiem is the ninth mainline entry in the franchise and is set 30 years after the Raccoon City incident. The game embraces its history rather than running from it, using the city’s devastation as both a physical setting and a psychological weight.

Leon’s return isn’t nostalgic fan service — it’s narrative closure. Raccoon City made him who he is. Requiem asks what remains after three decades of bio-terror, loss, and survival.

Dual Protagonists, Two Survival Philosophies

Capcom introduces a compelling dual-lead structure:

Grace Ashcroft

FBI analyst

Vulnerable, grounded, and survival-focused

Investigates deaths at the Renwood Hotel, a location tied to her mother’s mysterious past

Gameplay mirrors RE2-style tension: stealth, hiding, resource scarcity

Leon S. Kennedy

Veteran agent shaped by decades of global bio-threats

Combat-forward gameplay reminiscent of RE4

Tactical, composed, and deadly — but haunted

Switching between Grace and Leon allows the game to balance classic survival horror with refined action, giving players two perspectives on the same nightmare.

Gameplay & Mechanics: Horror Evolves

Perspective Switching Players can dynamically switch between first-person (claustrophobic terror) and third-person (situational combat awareness) — a major evolution for the franchise.

The Stalker Monster A relentless new creature hunts Grace throughout key sections:

Phases through walls

Forces stealth-based gameplay

Requires hiding under tables, environmental distractions (glass bottles), and precise timing

Light vs. Darkness

Light can damage the creature

But it also attracts it

Every choice becomes a risk

Persistent Injuries Grace’s wounds remain visible and affect gameplay and cutscenes — reinforcing vulnerability and realism.

Raccoon City Reimagined

Requiem returns players to a ruined, overgrown, and hauntingly detailed Raccoon City — rendered with the RE Engine’s latest enhancements:

Advanced lighting and ray tracing

Environmental storytelling through decay

Familiar landmarks transformed by time

This isn’t the city you escaped. It’s the city that never healed.

Story Themes: Legacy, Trauma, Survival

Resident Evil: Requiem explores:

The long-term consequences of bio-terror

Personal grief tied to global catastrophe

The contrast between survival instincts and hardened experience

Grace represents the human cost. Leon represents the aftermath.

Release Details

Release Date: February 27, 2026 — marking the franchise’s 30th anniversary

Platforms:

PlayStation 5

Xbox Series X|S

PC (Steam & Epic Games Store)

Nintendo Switch 2

Editions & Bonuses

Standard Edition

Base game

Deluxe Edition

Exclusive costumes

Weapon skins

Screen filters

Charms

Lore files

Pre-Order Bonus

Grace’s “Apocalypse” costume (all editions)

This trailer gives an overview of the game's story and features:

IGN •YouTube •RER Official Leon gameplay and story trailer

IGN • YouTube The world premiere trailer that announced Resident Evil: Requiem at Summer Game Fest 2025. This cinematic reveal introduced the game’s setting, tone, and return to Raccoon City.

Why Fans Are Calling This a Turning Point

Leon’s return to Raccoon City isn’t just symbolic — it’s emotional payoff decades in the making. Resident Evil: Requiem doesn’t erase the past. It confronts it.

For veterans of the franchise, this is the game that finally connects the dots. For new players, it’s an entry point rooted in character-driven horror.

Either way, the nightmare comes full circle in 2026.

Image Credits: Capcom | Resident Evil

Disclaimer: This article is written by Resident Evil fans for fellow fans. Power Pulse Magazine is not affiliated with Capcom or the Resident Evil franchise.

Video Credit: IGN YouTube — Resident Evil: Requiem official Leon gameplay and story trailer.