10 Reasons Why Resident Evil Requiem is the Scariest Entry in the Series

Resident Evil Requiem is finally out, and it's without a doubt the scariest that Resident Evil has ever been. For a series that walks a line between action and horror, this game has a strong emphasis on both, but horror prevails.

Many fans were hoping that this game was going to be scary, and thankfully, that's exactly what we got with these enemies and even the atmosphere.

If you were a long-time veteran fan of the franchise like I am, you would have seen the ups and downs of the franchise, only for the series to revive and become stronger than ever. And in their newest title, the fear factor skyrocketed higher than it's ever been.

Truly, it is that terrifying.

10 New Monsters Will Get You Screaming

Chunk Especially, The Girl is Just Classic

It's no surprise that there are going to be new enemies in the game, including new Tyrants, and The Girl acts as our stalker enemy while we're playing as Grace. She's slow, shambling, and relatively easy to get around, just like with Mr. X in Resident Evil 2 — however, she's far from the only one looking for us.

While at Rhodes Hill Care Center, another enemy that will begin to stalk the halls and look for us is Chunk, who spawns after we obtain the Level 1 Clearance Wristband. Chunk is a massive creature that is obsessed with food, wanting to eat us right where we stand — and his introduction is absolutely horrific.

Seriously, Chunk (as well as a lot of other enemies) will just appear out of nowhere, forcing you to run, hide, or act, but behind the screen, players are probably screaming. It doesn't help that these enemies are particularly tough to kill, either, so you have to plan carefully to get around them or to take them down.

9 Grace's Fear is Contagious

The Most Realistic Horror Protagonist is a Terrified One

When we were first given a preview of Resident Evil Requiem, many had conflicting feelings about how Grace was terrified of everything around her — that is, until we ended up in the same hell that she's in.

I had predicted that, since fear is contagious, Grace being horrified is not just realistic, but it's going to actually help players feel more scared by their surroundings, too. That's exactly what ended up happening. So many players who felt she was too scared are now saying she wasn't scared enough, because we were finally in her shoes.

And while in her shoes, her fear rubs off on us in the best possible way, and it's not just with her reactions to things happening. If you play in third person, for example, if you try to run from an enemy (such as The Girl early on), Grace can actually trip and fall, which will definitely cause players to have a blood pressure spike.

It's a small yet genius detail that adds so much to the already strong fear factor of this game.

8 Safety is an Illusion

Lights Off

There will be several different points throughout the game where you'd think that you're safe, but it's simply an illusion.

One example is still at the Care Center, when you're still in your first encounter with The Girl. You learn that she doesn't go into the light, since it burns her, but after getting the Screwdriver to get the Fuse, the main room that we run into for refuge will suddenly go dark. Every room, in fact, will go dark.

This isn't even considering the moments where danger is barely out of reach, with one wrong step spelling out your demise — in the Basement Save Room, you can straight up see The Girl walking past the Save Room through the broken door, looking for you.

Just don't ever assume that you're truly safe, because you never are in Requiem.

7 Nails Atmosphere on Par with Silent Hill

Anxiety is the Foundation

Normally, the Resident Evil games aren't known for having the most intense atmosphere (at most, a creepy vibe), but the atmosphere in Requiem is outright oppressive. You're terrified to move forward, to even progress, and the anxiety that sets the foundation of the game is the reason for that.

In the horror sphere, normally, Silent Hill is known for having that kind of atmosphere, but Requiem implemented it in a way that not only fits with the game and its themes, but will have players anxiously biting their nails.

The funny thing is, some players working through the game are already asking: "Since when did I end up in Silent Hill?"

The ambience is clear from the beginning, and even when you're playing as Leon, there's still a lingering tension — even if you know what's coming next. Then again, that's on normal difficulties; on Insanity, you truly don't know what's coming next.

6 The Jumpscares are Perfectly Timed

They're Relieving More Often than Not

As far as jump scares over atmosphere are concerned, Resident Evil has always been known for that, dating all the way back to the dogs jumping through the Spencer Mansion windows (cue screaming). Yet, the jumpscares in Requiem are the best they've been in the whole series, working as both an instigation of terror, but also relief from that same terror.

There is a decent variety of jumpscares in Requiem, too, so it's not always got something to do with the enemies that you're hiding from. One of the earliest jumpscares is a falling taxidermied deer head, which you'll hear Grace react to (and, as a nice touch, breathe a sigh of relief once she realizes it's nothing serious).

It doesn't matter who you're playing as; you're going to get jumpscared as both characters. Just embrace it, let it happen, and enjoy them for what they are: a scary-good time.

5 Insanity Mode is Ruthless

Infinite Ammo Can't Save You

When you first boot up Requiem, you have three difficulties: Casual, Standard (Modern) and Standard (Classic), and after you beat the game, you unlock the Insanity difficulty. If you've ever played the Madhouse difficulty in Resident Evil 7, it's almost exactly like that, with switched-around objects, stronger enemies, new safe codes and everything.

And let me tell you, Insanity lives up to its name.

It doesn't matter even if you have infinite ammo like I did by this point, these enemies are bullet sponges, and they will take out massive chunks of your health if they catch you. Many times, it's just an instant kill.

The combat in this game already does a lot to add to the fear, but Insanity mode just has us crying while doing a 40th attempt on something.

4 Low Resources = Helplessness

When You Take Away Power, You'll Have Fear

One of the easiest ways to make a player feel powerless in a horror game is to give them next to nothing — the fewer resources that players have, the more likely they are to be scared by what's happening around them, simply because they can't fix the situation themselves.

Managing your inventory has always been a staple of the Resident Evil games, but that's if there's anything in your inventory to even manage. For a good while playing as Grace, you actually don't have anything other than some empty bottles and a dream. This isn't considering when you play as Leon and how easily you run through ammo.

Even on Casual difficulty, where you get more resources, it's still incredibly easy to fly through them, and you'll end up with nothing at the end, all the same.

3 Switching POVs Help Immerse You

With Tiny Details in Each Perspective

Resident Evil Requiem allows you to have the option to switch camera POVs while playing as either Grace or Leon, with the default being that Grace's sections are in first person, and Leon's are in third person. Admittedly, I struggle with first person, so I played in third almost entirely.

Even still, there were so many little details that made third person just as terrifying as if I was walking around the game in first person. We've talked about how Grace will trip over herself while running from an enemy in third person, but another example is how her entire body will tense up when she experiences a jumpscare with us.

In first person, on the other hand, the focus is a lot more on Grace's hands, how they shake and tremble, and the incredible mo-cap and voice acting that Angela Sant'Albano brings to the character. Seriously, if she doesn't win Best Performance for this role, there's going to be a problem.

The ability to switch between different POVs was a nice touch, and a nice way for players to experience horror in their own, distinct ways.

2 The Sound Design is Unreal

Akira Yamaoka is that You???

There was a team of people in charge of the soundtrack and sound design of Resident Evil Requiem, and I can't help but wonder if Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka was a huge inspiration for their sound direction. He wasn't part of the sound team, but spiritually, he may as well have been.

There are several points in the game where the music rivals Yamaoka's, especially with how it continues to add to the already thick tension in the air.

This isn't even considering the grotesque sound effects that are featured in this game; the various enemies and noises they make will make you just want to shudder. Even if you're not wearing headphones, the noises are guaranteed to freak you out, if not just completely gross you out.

Sound design is essential for good horror, and thankfully, that was masterfully crafted for Requiem.

1 The Zombies Talk

Falling Right into the Uncanny Valley

Perhaps the most horrific aspect of this game, what truly makes it the most terrifying in all of Resident Evil, is the fact that the zombies talk. Not just a few words, either, entire phrases and behaviors from when they were human will be displayed on the various infected here.

There is something so deeply disturbing about a zombie asking, "Why is this happening?" — implying that a portion of them are still trapped within their own heads, that they're more alive than they are dead. Other zombies will say other things (such as apologizing for biting) while trying to work as if everything is normal. But nothing is normal about this; if anything, it all falls right into the uncanny valley.

In my review, I talked about one incident I had with one of the maid zombies. I had killed two zombies just outside the bathroom, and she stumbled out, collapsing and crying out, "Who made a mess?"

She tried to clean the bloody mess by scratching at the blood that continued to pool from the corpses, but then stopped and made direct eye contact with me. After a few seconds of this, she immediately lunged at me, screaming, "Why the mess?!"

It was at that moment that I had been far too scared of these zombies ever since; just when you think you're starting to get over the uncanniness of it all, they'll come out of the blue with something else that will just make your skin crawl.