Resident Evil Requiem sees the return of Ink Ribbons in Classic mode and adds a new casual experience. Read on to learn more about the game’s difficulty options and an overview of Grace and Leon’s playstyle.
Resident Evil Requiem Showcase New Details Revealed
The Return of Ink Ribbons and New Casual Mode
Resident Evil Requiem (RE9) will feature a new difficulty option for players and will bring back Ink Ribbons for its Classic mode. CAPCOM held the latest RE Showcase on January 15, where they revealed new information about the upcoming horror title’s gameplay and systems.
As stated during the livestream, RE9 will have three modes for players to choose from: Standard (Modern), Standard (Classic), and the new Casual mode. For players who want a balanced experience typically found on modern RE games, RE9’s Standard (Modern) mode is the perfect choice.
Meanwhile, those who want a more relaxed playthrough can choose Casual mode. This streamlined experience allows players to focus on the narrative, utilizing aim assist to dispatch zombies with ease.
Finally, the Standard (Classic) mode offers the 'traditional experience' long-time fans crave, bridging the gap between modern design and classic challenge. In this difficulty, auto-saving is limited during Grace Aschroft’s gameplay and will require players to use the returning Ink Ribbons feature.
In previous RE titles, such as RE1, RE2, and RE3, Ink Ribbons are a core mechanic in the horror experience, forcing players to strategize on when to save their progress as these items are limited. While most games provide enough ribbons to finish the story, they are distributed sparingly and are usually done so to prevent players from saving ever so often.
The return of Ink Ribbons further differentiates Grace and Leon’s gameplay, adding more layers of fear and difficulty in Grace’s sections.
Leon and Grace Gameplay Explained
Much anticipation has been surrounding the inclusion of RE fan-favorite Leon S. Kennedy, and the latest showcase provided more information about how he will be played. Officially revealed during The Game Awards 2025, CAPCOM highlighted the differences between both protagonists’ playstyle, with Leon’s being more action-oriented compared to Grace.
According to Director Koshi Nakanishi, players will feel like playing different games with Grace and Leon. He compared Grace’s parts to those of RE2 and RE7, focusing more on the horror aspects of the game, while Leon’s was more akin to RE4’s full-on action style.
For RE9, Leon will feature a hatchet, which he can use for close-quarters combat, allowing him to parry enemies and stun them for a while. However, the main focus is still on shooting, and Nakanishi noted that they focused on refining the gunplay.
Players can target specific parts of enemies to slow them down and take them out with unique melee finishing blows. After defeating them, Leon can equip their dropped weapons and utilize them against other foes.
On the other hand, Grace’s gameplay leans more towards "closed spaces with scarce ammo and terrifying enemies." She focuses more on sneaking behind enemies and will always have key decisions to make on whether to take out enemies or escape.
Although Grace does not have access to heavy weaponry as Leon does, she wields a symbolic weapon that shares the same "Requiem" name as the game’s title. Nakanishi described it as a "large caliber assault revolver that has limited ammo, but it’s the pinch hitter that can get Grace out of tight spots."
Aside from the protagonists’ gameplay, he also gave a brief overview of RE9’s new crafting system, which was built to have a similar structure to RE2. A new mechanic, however, is that players can create specialized injectors using the blood of the infected they defeated.
This Hemolytic Injector can stealthily defeat enemies and also prevents corpses from mutating and coming back from the dead. A quick preview was shown on how this new item was used, where Grace struck an infected from behind with the injector, after which they blew up into a puddle of blood.
Porsche Collaboration, Hamilton Time-Pieces, and More
Apart from gameplay and systems, CAPCOM also announced various collaborations with multiple brands that will make the RE9 experience more special. To start, RE worked with Porsche to create a one-of-a-kind vehicle that Leon will use.
The custom Resident Evil Cayenne Turbo GT represents Leon’s style and will be pivotal as players navigate through dangerous moments in the game. It is currently unclear whether this means that there will be open sections where driving would be necessary, or just specific scenarios where the car will be featured.
Another huge collaboration that RE9 will have is with the renowned watch company, Hamilton. The Khaki Field Auto Chrono for Leon and the Pan Europ Automatic for Grace are both stunning watches that they will wear in the game.
These timepieces are also recreated in real life and will be sold as limited-edition watches, with 2,000 pieces each design. It will be available alongside the game’s release on February 27 at selected stores and on Hamilton’s official website.
Beyond these new collabs, CAPCOM mentioned their previously announced exclusive RE9 Switch 2 Pro Controller, designed with in-world newspaper articles featured in the game. Furthermore, they gave an updated version of the game’s Deluxe Edition, which now includes extra costumes for Leon and some weapon skins for his firearms.
There will also be new 1/64 scale figures for both Grace and Leon, which can be either displayed separately or together as a set. Both items can are scheduled to release this Fall, with no specific date yet announced.
Nakanishi concluded the showcase by stating the importance of "Elpis," and how it ties with Leon and the murder of Grace’s mother. As RE9’s release looms near, he urged fans to stay tuned until then for more details on the new era of horror that they will bring in the classic franchise.
Resident Evil Requiem is set to release on February 27, 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. To stay up to date with the latest information about the game, check out our article below!
Source:
Resident Evil Showcase | January 15, 2026
