Sure, here goes:
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Ever heard of Grace Ashcroft? Probably not. But she’s about to become a big name in the world of Resident Evil—yeah, that Resident Evil. The latest game, Resident Evil Requiem, ditches the blasted-if-I-know-how-many years old familiar face of Leon S. Kennedy. I mean, the dude’s been everywhere, right? Anyway, Grace is an FBI analyst off to poke around the spooky stuff happening at the Wrenwood Hotel where—plot twist—her mom bit the dust. During the recent Capcom Showcase, the devs unfolded a bit about Grace. Hmm, not literally, of course.
So, the director, Koshi Nakanishi, spilled the beans. “Leon could have been the main guy,” he says, but nope—“making a horror game around him is tough.” And this? It stirred up the fan base big time. Some folks are grumbling, but I kinda get it. You put Leon in, and it’s all action hero, zero fear-factor.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I adore Leon—purely platonically, I swear. He’s faced down Raccoon City’s worst. But here’s the thing: he’s never truly scared. I mean, sure, at the start of Resident Evil 2 Remake, he’s sorta “what the heck?” But scared? Nah. In RE4, he’s basically high-kicking monsters like it’s just another Tuesday. Who knew killing undead could look that casual?
Capcom’s switching it up with Grace. They want that storyline where the hero (that’s us, I guess) goes from “holy crap, what was that?” to slowly kicking butt. Leon, bless him, has already gone full superhero. He doesn’t fit this new horror groove. Maybe the devs want us biting our nails, not just button-mashing through zombies.
Oh, and here’s the wild card: this whole Leon talk could be misleading. Classic bait-and-switch. Will he pop up in Requiem? Who knows? Rumor has it, this game’s kind of a farewell tour for the Raccoon City bunch. Makes sense Leon might swing by. Some fans say they’re “baiting” us with this blend of psychological horror and action. Maybe they are, or maybe it’s just the fun—albeit twisted—way game marketing goes.
Anyway, keep your eyes peeled. Grace Ashcroft’s story might just surprise us all. Or not. Who can say anymore?
