As Summer Game Fest 2025 got closer and closer, the rumors of Capcom’s Resident Evil 9 (Resident Evil 9: Requiem) making an appearance only grew stronger. It has been one of the biggest games from Capcom, surrounded by rumors, with constant chatter about when and where it would finally show up. Of course, little did we know that when Capcom asked us if we wanted to preview an unannounced game, it would not only be Resident Evil 9, but that it would also completely knock our socks off.
Sure enough, during Summer Game Fest, Capcom pulled back the curtain and officially revealed Resident Evil 9 to the world. What we didn’t expect was that we’d also be getting a special hands-off demo of the game. We didn’t even know that until we arrived at the event and were asked to sign an NDA, promising not to talk about what we saw until today. So, now that the date has arrived and we no longer have to fear Capcom putting us into our very own Resident Evil game, let’s talk about what we saw.
Of course, everyone has seen the trailer for Resident Evil 9: Requiem, so there’s no need to go over that again. However, during the trailer, there was a moment where we saw the protagonist of the game, Grace Ashcroft, daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft, who served as an investigative reporter and was one of the playable characters in Resident Evil: Outbreak. Ironically, while the trailer suggests that Alyssa died some time ago during the Raccoon City outbreak, that didn’t appear to be canon if you played the game, since Alyssa survived and remained hot on the trail of Umbrella Corp. I’m sure we’ll find out what’s what when we finally play the game.
What We Experienced During the Hands-off Preview
As for what we saw during this hands-off demo — well, there wasn’t a whole lot, but what we did see definitely got us hyped. Still strapped to a medical bed, we saw Grace connected to an IV, with her blood being drained. This wasn’t explained, but we did see how Grace managed to break the container holding her blood, swing it toward her hand, and use it to free herself from the bed. It was something straight out of a movie.
Following that, Grace stumbled through the dark, moving very slowly, barely able to see what was in front of her. Eventually, she found a lighter, which became her only source of illumination. Still moving slowly, Grace started to encounter the typical Resident Evil fare: locked doors, finding a key, searching for a fuse to open a door. And all the while, as you looked at the environment, you couldn’t help but think, “This looks familiar.” Being in a room full of other journalists and content creators, I think we were all having the same thoughts, because you kept hearing “Oh!” and “Hey, I know this place!” throughout the room.
About halfway through the demo, we started to hear some unsettling sounds and soon encountered a dead body. Grace, being curious, touched the head of the body to confirm that it was indeed dead. Then those sounds grew even louder, and suddenly a giant hand grabbed the body and hoisted it into the air. We couldn’t see what the hand was attached to until we saw massive teeth begin to chomp on the body. The camera panned up, revealing not just those teeth but the entire monstrous figure.
Grace panicked, and a chase scene began, still almost entirely obscured in darkness. Eventually, Grace found cover, and the creature stopped pursuing her. The demo then jumped to another section of the game, with Grace still in the same location and still enveloped in darkness. Unfortunately, the creature found her again and this time managed to take a bite out of her, though it didn’t kill her.
Thanks to some healing items, Grace recovered and resumed exploring, trying to figure out where she was. Eventually, we came across a somewhat familiar location — one with a door sealed by bars that required a fuse to open. Backtracking, Grace went looking for that fuse, but once again the creature gave chase, and this time she wasn’t so lucky. She met her fate.
While the spotlight was on the gameplay, I’d be remiss not to mention that the sound design also played a huge part in immersing us, as we sat in a dark room, much like what Grace was experiencing. Every creak, every loud sound, every crashing thump made some people jump out of their seats. It wasn’t just the jump scares — it was the sound itself that was pushing people over the edge, and here I was, loving every second of it, being a bit of an audiophile myself. I even peeked at the sound system Capcom had set up in the room, with a very expensive Denon AVR running the show.
Playing Resident Evil 9: Requiem in the dark with a proper sound system or a surround sound headset is going to be a fantastic experience. Capcom has already mastered the art of immersing players with its survival horror titles, especially in the last few entries, but here I feel they’re taking it to the next level.
Capcom Brings Back Third-Person Perspective To Resident Evil
We thought the demo was over, but Capcom had one final surprise — the one thing I’m sure every Resident Evil fan was hoping for when they revealed the title. Resident Evil 9: Requiem will allow players to switch between first-person and third-person perspectives. The moment this was shown, the entire room erupted with cheers, and for good reason. Ever since Capcom switched to first-person back in 2017 with Resident Evil 7, fans have been asking for the third-person perspective to return. Well, it’s back. Thank you very much, Capcom!
I’m sure I’ve left out a few details, as it’s been a few days since I saw the demo. And while I’m still excited, we weren’t allowed to record anything or take photos. Honestly, even writing this now, I’d love to see the demo again, if only to refresh my memory — especially since I’m pretty old now!
Regardless, the experience was really freaking cool. Having Capcom pull the rug out from under us and show this for the very first time was right up there in terms of gaming moments. I loved it. And now I can’t wait for Resident Evil 9: Requiem to be released, which sadly won’t happen until February 26, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam).
