Nine years after Resident Evil 7 debuted the “Reach for the Moon” engine, Capcom’s foundational tech seems to have hit its stride. The latest entry, Resident Evil Requiem, marks a true generational leap, especially on the PlayStation 5 Pro.
What changed most: The PS5 Pro version delivers a stunning ray-traced experience at a nearly locked 60fps, fulfilling the promise of the upgraded hardware by combining high-end visual features with smooth performance.
Resident Evil Requiem is a visual showcase, leveraging a current-gen only focus to push the RE Engine further than ever before. The game opens in a rain-soaked city that serves as a masterclass in lighting, environmental detail, and ray-traced effects. According to the initial analysis, character models are among the best this generation, featuring incredibly realistic materials, skin shading, and eye refraction.
Capcom has also improved its strand-based hair system first seen in the Resident Evil 4 remake; it now integrates seamlessly without the significant performance penalty. Beyond the visuals, the game boasts excellent black levels and superb 3D audio design that effectively builds a creepy, convincing atmosphere by conveying enemy positions with precision.
The console versions offer distinct experiences, with the PS5 Pro standing out as the premium choice. Here’s a breakdown of the key technical differences noted across the platforms.
- PS5 Pro (RT Mode): Near-locked 60fps, temporal upscaling from ~1080p to near-4K, ray-traced reflections and global illumination.
- PS5 Pro (120Hz Mode): Higher frame rates but disables RT and uses a simpler spatial scaler, similar to FSR1.
- PS5 & Xbox Series X: Run at 60fps with a spatial upscaler from a resolution just over 1080p. They retain the strand-based hair system but lack ray tracing.
- Xbox Series S: Utilizes an FSR1-style scaler from a base 720p resolution for smooth performance, but the strand-based hair system is completely removed.
Early technical reviews are overwhelmingly positive, positioning Requiem as a system-seller for the PS5 Pro. One analyst called the upgrade one of the most convincing we’ve seen for the system.
The character models, in particular, have drawn praise, with the reviewer stating, the realism is brilliant: the quality of materials, cloth rendering, skin shading and eye refraction impressing me greatly.
While the engine scales well to all consoles, the consensus is that the Pro version is in a class of its own.
For Resident Evil fans and graphics enthusiasts, Requiem appears to be a must-play. While impressive on all current-gen hardware, the PS5 Pro version is highlighted as the definitive console experience that fully delivers on the hardware’s promise. It’s a technical showpiece that, beyond its stunning visuals, is rated as one of the best titles in the long-running series.
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