Resident Evil Requiem (RE9) does something genuinely exciting with its dual-protagonist setup: it gives you two radically different ways to experience the same nightmare. Leon S. Kennedy charges through hordes with brutal efficiency, while Grace Ashcroft creeps through the same corridors relying on wit and stealth to stay alive. Understanding how each character operates isn't just helpful, it's the difference between surviving Wrenwood Hotel and reloading from the last typewriter for the fifth time.
How Are Leon and Grace Different?
Capcom didn't just slap two characters into the same game and call it a day. Grace and Leon represent two distinct survival philosophies, and the game forces you to master both since you cannot choose one character for a full playthrough. The story alternates between them at key moments, and both get roughly equal screen time throughout the campaign.
Resident Evil Requiem: Leon vs Grace Gameplay Guide
Leon's Playstyle: Action-Forward and Resource-Rich
If you've put time into Resident Evil 4 Remake, Leon's sections will feel immediately familiar. His gameplay centers on active combat, crowd control, and pushing through encounters rather than avoiding them. Here's what defines his approach:
- Hatchet mechanics for parrying, melee finishers, and breaking open wooden closets that Grace can't access
- A significantly larger inventory for stacking ammo, guns, and supplies
- Acrobatic combat moves with updated animations building on his RE4 toolkit
- Access to powerful weapons including a shotgun and the Requiem weapon for heavy-hitting moments
- Dedicated skills oriented around crowd control and finishing moves
Leon is also dealing with a new infection (possibly a mould strain), though at launch it's unclear how deeply this affects his actual gameplay mechanics beyond the story implications.
Grace's Playstyle: Stealth, Survival, and Smart Resource Use
Grace Ashcroft isn't a trained combatant. She's an FBI analyst thrust into a viral outbreak, and her gameplay reflects that reality in every mechanic. Think Resident Evil 7's Ethan Winters crossed with the tension of RE2 Remake's resource scarcity.
Her core strengths and limitations include:
- Superior stealth capabilities compared to Leon, with a smaller frame that fits into tight spaces
- A Knife for silent assassinations on unsuspecting enemies
- Severely limited ammo and a much tighter inventory
- First-person perspective as the default camera mode (though switchable)
- Crafting and careful inventory management as primary survival tools
One of Grace's most effective combat tricks is the push-and-headshot combo. After landing a couple of shots to a zombie's head, you'll get a melee prompt. Execute the push, and the enemy drops to the ground for several seconds. Use that window to land 3-4 clean headshots while they're down. It's far more efficient than trying to track a staggering target.
Resident Evil Requiem: Leon vs Grace Gameplay Guide
Leon vs Grace: Full Comparison
Best Camera Settings for Each Character
Head into Options > Camera at any point to swap between first-person and third-person for either character. The game supports both perspectives for both protagonists, which is a welcome flexibility.
That said, the consensus among players is clear: Grace's slower, tension-heavy sections suit first-person best because it heightens the claustrophobic dread of Rhodes Hill's corridors. Leon's faster combat encounters, with enemies swarming from multiple angles, are easier to manage in third-person where spatial awareness is broader.
Experiment early and lock in your preference before a difficult section catches you off guard.
Navigating Locations: Wrenwood Hotel and Rhodes Hill
The game's early areas teach you its core loop. Wrenwood Hotel introduces Grace's investigative rhythm, while Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center escalates the pressure with more enemies, denser puzzles, and interconnected areas that reward exploration.
A few location-specific tips worth knowing:
- The West Wing of Rhodes Hill is action-heavy. Expect direct confrontations and plan your Leon resources accordingly.
- The East Wing demands a blend of stealth and puzzle-solving. Grace's toolkit shines here.
- Obtaining the West Wing keycard opens the arena path to the Parlor, where upgrades are available and the East Wing keycard becomes accessible.
- The Hemolytic Injector (craftable once you reach the East Wing) is essential for dealing with mutated blisterheads, enemies that won't go down from standard gunfire alone.
- Exploring records rooms in Raccoon City and Rhodes Hill uncovers documents that flesh out Alyssa Ashcroft's fate and the Wrenwood Hotel incident, adding emotional weight to Grace's journey.
Switching Between Characters
The story dictates when you switch between Grace and Leon. Unlike Resident Evil 2, where you could select either protagonist for a complete run, RE9 weaves both characters through the same narrative arc. You'll sometimes explore the same physical spaces as both characters at different points in the story, which creates clever moments where one character's actions open paths for the other.
Resident Evil Requiem: Leon vs Grace Gameplay Guide
When switching happens, pay attention to what each character leaves behind or unlocks. Leon's hatchet opens closets Grace walked past. Grace's stealth routes reveal hiding spots Leon can use later. The game rewards players who treat both perspectives as complementary rather than separate experiences.
Key Takeaways Before You Start
Resident Evil Requiem's 10-12 hour horror-action campaign packs a serious amount of variety into its runtime. The dual-protagonist structure isn't a gimmick; it genuinely shifts how you think about every room and every enemy encounter. Play Grace cautiously, invest in her upgrades early, and don't fight battles you can walk away from. Play Leon aggressively, keep the hatchet sharp, and use his resource advantage to clear paths for both characters.
The game rewards curiosity, patience, and a willingness to backtrack. Every locked door, hidden document, and optional enemy encounter feeds into a story that pulls three decades of franchise history together into something that feels like a genuine conclusion to an era.
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