Evil Castle Requiem: Wei Lei, Grace & Leon Dual Experience | 4Gamers

“Resident Evil Requiem” developed by Capcom was launched on multiple platforms on February 27. After three days of experience, 4Gamers also provided their thoughts after playing it for the reference of players who are interested in this game.

“Re9” that combines “Re2” + “Re4”

Compared with previous works, the biggest feature of “Castle of Evil: Requiem” this time is that it incorporates the gameplay of two highly popular series, “Castle of Evil 2 RE” and “Castle of Evil 4 RE”, in the form of dual protagonists. The new heroine Grace represents “Evil Castle 2 RE”. She has to solve puzzles and explore with limited resources. At the same time, the levels also give a considerable sense of fear.

Leon, the popular male protagonist of the series with strong firepower, represents “Evil Castle 4 RE”, which focuses more on diversified weapons and exciting battles. “Fear comes from insufficient firepower” has profound contrasting experiences in these two protagonists. Because of this, even the UI of the two games is different. They are similar to “Re2” and “Re4”, and there are obvious differences in these places.

The two protagonists will be forced to switch as the plot progresses, and cannot be switched by the players themselves. Grace’s home court is mainly in the sanatorium in the first half, and returning to La Quinta in the second half is naturally Lyon’s home court. However, no matter in the first half or the second half, both sides have scenes and operations, and the overall experience is about half and half.

In addition, this time the two protagonists can also choose first-person or third-person. However, in terms of the level-clearing experience, it is basically recommended to play in third-person throughout the entire process. Although first-person is highly immersive, it will not be able to see the situation behind the corner due to the stuck perspective, which in many places will make the game become an alternative Hard Mode.

Therefore, if you use “Castle of Evil 4” as a dividing line, whether you like the early challenge of seeking challenges due to insufficient resources, or the more emphasis on gorgeous and exciting battles after the 4th generation, you can find something satisfying in this work. Below we will describe our thoughts on the two parts before and after in a way that minimizes spoilers.

Grace breaks into a sanatorium

The heroine Grace in this game is the daughter of journalist Alexa Ashcroft who appeared in “The Spread”. As an FBI analyst, she was assigned by the supervisor at the beginning of the game to investigate a case. This case is related to a series of mysterious deaths of survivors in La Quin City. The location where Grace is going to investigate is the Lianwu Hotel where Alexa died eight years ago, and the story begins here.

After the plot at Lianwu Hotel, Grace was taken to a sanatorium, which is also the most important story and plot in the first half. In the actual game, Grace will soon get the large-caliber revolver “Requiem” given to him by Leon. Requiem’s ​​ammunition is extremely scarce, but it has strong destructive power. One shot can even kill multiple ordinary zombies in a straight line.

Of course, the monsters in the sanatorium are not just ordinary zombies, but also the dead zombies that mutate twice, the “tumors” that are very difficult to deal with, and some zombies that retain their behaviors in life, such as zombies that constantly turn off the lights, or zombies that are extremely sensitive to sounds.

The experience of Grace is very close to “Evil Castle Re2”. The biggest problem at the beginning is the limited bag. As you explore Grace, you can find some props that expand the bag limit. There is also a “blood synthesizer”. You can replenish the blood through the scene or kill specific zombies, and further synthesize various props.

Among them, the “Hemolytic Syringe” is a useful prop in many scenarios. Although it requires the consumption of waste materials, it can kill more than 95% of zombies in one hit, including tumor heads. Moreover, zombies knocked down by the hemolytic syringe will explode completely, making it impossible for the zombies to turn into tumor heads.

During the process of entering the sanatorium, the editor believes that the exploration of the underground area is the part of the game that gives the greatest sense of oppression. Because the light there is controlled and there is a “girl” chasing after it, the fear can be said to be full.

In addition, the little girl “Emily” in the nursing home can be said to be the finishing touch in the plot of this game. Don’t miss the documents scattered everywhere to piece together the complete story.

Return to Lyon in La Quinta

Lakun City is a decisive place for the history of “The Castle of Evil”. As the orthodox sequel to the 30th anniversary of the series, operating Leon to return to Laquin City can be said to meet the players’ expectations and complete part of the plot of Laquin City that year.

Although Lakun City is in ruins, the scenes and monsters in the game all have tributes and easter eggs to the second generation. Leon has grown from a rookie policeman to a top spy now, and his mood in the plot is also mentioned in the game. This part is for players to experience in the game.

Lyon’s main system, which is to gain points through killing, will not be opened until here. Because of this system, it is recommended not to dodge and just kill everyone you see alive or half-dead. Although Lyon has strong firepower, the enemies are also more numerous and ruthless. The protagonists of Castle of Evil have never been good at dodging, so even if they have firepower, there are still a lot of combat skills worth learning when facing a group of enemies rushing towards you.

The first is to make good use of the elements on the site. The simplest example is the gas barrels found in some places. The second is Leon’s hand axe. This generation retains parrying, and Lyon’s hand ax is always usable. Even if the durability is exhausted, just sharpen it. Moreover, the hand ax can be used as a finishing move. Instead of hitting the head with a gun, sometimes it is better to hit the feet to make the zombies fall to the ground, and then you can kill the opponent with one axe.

In addition, Leon’s hand ax attacks are also divided into serious and heavy. Sometimes they can directly interrupt the opponent, or use parry to interrupt, triggering the execution mechanism at close range. Therefore, even if he holds all kinds of guns, as long as he uses them properly, Leon is undoubtedly the god of hand-axe war in this game.

Summary: The 30th anniversary of a stable masterpiece

In summary, “Requiem for the Evil Dead” is a fairly stable work in the “Requiem for the Evil Dead” series. If there are any shortcomings, compared to the impressive villains such as the Baker family in the seventh generation and Mrs. Dimitrescu in the eighth generation, in addition to the “girl” there is a somewhat good behind-the-scenes story, and the main enemy bosses are relatively lacking in memory points.

In terms of plot, compared to Leon’s return, the editor believes that what is more worth watching is Grace’s growth. Generally speaking, the reaction of a timid and fearful protagonist under a high-pressure narrative can easily arouse players’ resentment. However, the script relies on the two elements of being alone and adults’ responsibility for children, and successfully allows Grace’s state of mind to grow in this game without being objectionable. This is not an easy success in narrative.

This is also experienced in many operational details in the game. When Grace first ran away, her left foot tripped over her right foot and she stumbled. The first shot (only the first shot) of the Requiem shot was shaken by the strong recoil, making her whole body unstable. Later, she became much more stable. These details are worth savoring by players.

“Re2” and “Re4” are both very stable and successful formulas. This time, “RE9” has relatively well integrated, especially the arrangement of two very different gameplays that is more stable than expected. This may also lead to new breakthroughs in the future direction of “Castle of Evil”, but this time also means that this new game of “Castle of Evil” has not yet broken out of the previous existing framework.

This time, relying on La Kun City and Leon to draw full of emotions, excluding the remake, how to continue the classic “Castle of Evil” in the next game will be Capcom’s most challenging task.

“Requiem for the Castle of Evil” is now available on PS5, Xbox Series, Switch2, and PC.