Resident Evil Requiem Confirms Return Of Abandoned RE Feature

The new Resident Evil Requiem showcase didn’t have too many incredible revelations to offer, but it did contain a few new details about the game. In the brief, 12-minute broadcast, Capcom highlighted some of the differences between playing Grace and Leon, emphasizing the dichotomy between true survival horror and action-packed gameplay. Interestingly, one option while playing as Grace brings back a feature that the series previously abandoned.

According to the Resident Evil Showcase, available on YouTube, Resident Evil Requiem will feature an option to use ink ribbons while playing as Grace. Ink ribbons, a staple of the first several Resident Evil games, provide a finite amount of resources to use at save points. While more can be found throughout the game, running out of ink ribbons at any point leaves players unable to save, adding a major point of stress to resource management.

Ink Ribbons Are Making An RE9 Comeback

You Might Not Have Missed Them

Although Resident Evil originally abandoned ink ribbons decades ago, they showed back up in 2019 thanks to the hardcore mode of the Resident Evil 2 remake. The Resident Evil 3 remake, however, abandoned them once more, leaving their RE2 reappearance as an isolated incident. Resident Evil 4 never used them to begin with, and its remake is no exception.

Like Resident Evil 2, Requiem is attaching ink ribbons to a difficulty setting. Instead of Hardcore mode, they’re now part of the Standard (Classic) setting, which also limits autosaves while playing as Grace. Neither of these limitations affect Leon, serving as part of a larger suite of design choices meant to make Grace’s experience “more akin to Resident Evil 2.“

Resident Evil Requiem Is Multi-Track Drifting

In With The Old, In With The New

Resident Evil Requiem Leon behind the wheel of a car

Ink ribbons aren’t going to appeal to everyone, but their optional return highlights Capcom’s commitment to bringing back some of the classic Resident Evil feel. In a modern gaming ecosystem where it’s rare to even limit save locations, attaching a limited resource to saves is a significant departure from what other AAA games tend to offer.

Of course, there’s a lot more to Resident Evil than just mechanics, and whether Resident Evil Requiem can recapture the magic of the franchise’s best games remains to be seen. At any rate, the string of successful entries in recent years makes it a lot easier to be confident in Capcom than it was after the disappointment of Resident Evil 6. Both the Ethan Winters games and the remakes focus on successfully blending the old and the new, and Grace’s optional ink ribbons are another step in that direction.