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Perspective is everything in horror, and it’s something that Resident Evil has baked into its games since the beginning of the Capcom franchise. The jump to a 3rd person over-the-shoulder perspective in 2005’s seminal Resident Evil 4 was a colossal leap forward for video games generally, but it also signified a more action-oriented approach that the franchise took with its fourth, fifth, and sixth games. That feeling of heart-pounding action in a horror setting came to a screeching halt in Resident Evil VII: Biohazard, though, when the franchise switched to a first-person POV. That is, instead of watching your character meander through hallways filled with zombies, you were wandering through the hallways yourself. It’s what makes the first hour of Resident Evil VII absolutely terrifying for even the most hardened survival horror fans (myself included), and was just one aspect about the franchise’s 7th game that made it such a winner among fans. 

Now, with Resident Evil: Requiem out in February 2026, Capcom has described the upcoming game as a “celebration” of the past, present, and future of Resident Evil. While Requiem will remain accessible to gamers who have never ventured into Raccoon City or battled Las Plagas, it’s also a game that honors the legacy that longtime fans have rallied around for 30 years. Crucially, this includes an option where you can switch between first- and third-person perspectives while playing the game. Immediately, this came across to me as a strong creative choice that celebrates the different ways that Capcom has scared us over the years. 

Something I value about Resident Evil, beyond its schlockiness, is how it appeals to gamers from various walks of life. I have friends in their 50s who have fond memories of playing the early games back when they came out, and it’s impossible for me to attend a pop culture convention here in Southern California without running into a young Resident Evil cosplayer. Thanks to a recent slate of remakes that have wonderfully reintroduced games 2, 3, and 4 to a new generation of gamers, the Resident Evil community has held strong even as the games have changed over the years. 

So what does this have to do with perspective in gameplay? Well, by giving players the ability to switch between first- and third-person perspectives, Capcom honors both of the dominant forces that have shaped Resident Evil games for two, even three, generations of fans. I was built in the 90s and have memories of giggling around a Blockbuster as a kid while saying “President Evil” to my older sibling after seeing a poster for the original movie starring Milla Jovovich, so my default image for Resident Evil gameplay is 3rd person. But a Gen Zer who imprinted on Resident Evil VII’s Ethan Winters may think differently. And at the end of the day, all of us are valid! Even though we enter the space of the Resident Evil games wanting to feel distressed by these horrifying stories, giving us the tools to modulate our sense of distress through switching between 1st and 3rd person POV can help make Requiem more accessible to a larger pool of gamers. 

There is also the matter of Requiem’s protagonist, Grace Ashcroft. She’s somewhere between the hyper-badass protagonists of early Resident Evil games and the absolutely terrified Ethan Winters who must encounter horrors beyond all comprehension in game 7. Grace is an FBI agent, but at PAX West 2025’s Capcom panel, she was also described as having “a fearful personality” despite her gun training. Capcom’s panelists stressed that playing Requiem through first-person POV will give the player a scarier experience, while third-person POV will let the gamer get to see how scared Grace is as she tries to navigate her surroundings.

I’ll be honest with you, I will likely play most of Requiem in third-person, because I find first-person and VR games a little too real for my comfort. But, because Resident Evil games are designed to be beaten quickly and played over and over again, I’ll probably do an entire playthrough just from first-person one day. After all, I have beaten Resident Evil 4’s remake on every difficulty level. Who am I to pass up a different way of experiencing a Resident Evil game? 

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