This isn't just one game. It is two very different experiences that pay homage to the entire franchise thus far, and much like a franchise that's had many ups and downs, this too has many ups and downs.

The first half of the game is a very grounded experience that is truly some of the best survival horror Capcom has ever come up with. Playing as Grace your actions feel important, every enemy killed feels important, every item crafted and every item found equally so. The game feels tense, you need to be on your guard and ready for whatever is around the next corner. There are plenty of secrets to discover and ways to deal with your foes. Let's talk about the foes, if you are lucky enough to have played the first two Forbidden Siren games on the PS2, they will feel rather familiar. The best thing that Capcom has done, is giving the "Zombies" personality. They will roam, and do actions associated with their personality/job. You may have an easier time sneaking past one by making a bloody mess of another zombie in the area or turning on a light switch may help get rid a pesky foe in a tight corridor. Capcom loves stalker enemies, this much is clear. Grace's stalker, is nothing short of horrific Capcom really outdid themselves, the sound design in particular is capable of putting the fear in you. Combat is not always needed but often relied upon, Grace feels weak, she isn't a specially trained super soldier and this is wonderful. Playing in third person (For reasons we will get onto later) grace stumbles, falls and bumps into things these small details give the game heft, a feeling of weight that really adds to the dire nature of the situation. Later in the game I felt some of that weight leave Grace's controls, I'm not sure if this is implemented deliberately, or me getting better at controlling her, either way this adds to the immersion. The story throughout Grace's initial sections is intriguing, and left me asking many questions, I will touch on the story later.

Throughout the Grace section you'll intermittently be playing as our old wise cracking friend Leon. These shorter sections really highlight the difference between the two main protagonists, making Leon's shorter sections a welcome respite from Grace's tense anxiety ridden sections. These shorter Leon sections are a taster for what is to come.

The Return to Raccoon City.

Where it all began. I have been playing this franchise from a young age, and have been wanting a game to return to here for so long. This is the start of the Leon section, gone for now are the tense stealth sections and limited resources, we are back to Resident Evil 4/5/6. Gone are the dimly lit corridors and the tight encounters against foes beyond your measure. I enjoy the more action oriented Resident Evils I would even say I quite like Resident Evil 6 so these changes from a gameplay perspective I have no issue with. But I have such mixed feelings for this, because I feel as though it could have been so much more. You initially you start in a fairly open area to explore tasked with finding three different items to move forward, the parallel of this and the main goal of Grace's section is not lost on me. Leon's section feels like a bastardised version of Resident Evil 4, with the majority of the nuance from earlier in the game removed in a rather hollow attempt at trying to recapture the magic of Resident Evil 4.

Once this more open area is finished you move to another, the big selling point of the game, the return to the RPD part of me really wishes Capcom hadn't used this in marketing as much. The RPD section manages to scratch that nostalgia itch, despite it being an homage to the remake, I couldn't help but think of the original this was helped by using the "Original RE2 soundtrack bonus." Considering this was the main selling point for some, this section is very short and could be ran though in less than ten minutes.

Once the longer Leon section is finished you return to intermittently playing as Grace. These sections are once again tense, but a lot of the flavour is gone. What made the early sections special has been taken away. An old foe returns and is more terrifying and daunting than ever. Using stealth to get around them is very satisfying.

As I said at the start about ups and downs, this game has many. Thankfully it has more ups and I really enjoyed my time with it and would recommend it to new and old fans alike.

Please don't read this next section if you are wanting to avoid story spoilers.

Capcom has done it again, they seem incapable of killing off any of their original main protagonists unless its a Haha fooled you bait ending. Let's touch on that bait ending, I was so annoyed with that ending, not because of Leon getting shot in the f**cking face but how I imagine nearly 90% of the players will go with that ending the first time like I did. I was glad the game gave me the option to go back instantly and see the other ending and play the only true boss fight in the game. Overall the story was enjoyable, nothing spectacular but enjoyable none the less. I did at times feel the villains were under utilised. We have a guy who moves like Albert Wesker and we don't even get to fight him? Disappointing. There were several little details though the game that confirm previous games and yet un revealed remakes, so I am sure Resident Evil 5/6 will eventually be getting the remake treatment, although we may have to wait until 2030 and beyond.

Now some PC specific things. In the year of our lord two thousand and twenty six, why the hell is there no FOV slider!? If grace didn't have the option to play in third person I would have been playing the game motion sick. CRASHING. Much like Monster Hunter Wilds, this game was causing hard crashes, seemingly only linked to their Kernel Based DRM. Performance wise the game ran very very well on a mixture of high and ultra settings with Ray tracing.