Leon Kennedy’s announcement as a playable character in Resident Evil Requiem sent the fanbase into a frenzy. The latest entry in Capcom’s popular survival horror series already had plenty of eyes on it by that point, but seeing the protagonist of what many consider the best entry in the series returning – visibly older but still as prone to roundhouse kick his way through packs of shambling zombies – significantly fanned the hype flames while posing one important question: what if a mod let you fully play through Resident Evil 9 as Leon?
At its core, Resident Evil Requiem aims to satisfy both fans of the older and newer entries in the series, alternating between its two protagonists and their different playstyles. FBI Intelligence Analyst Grace Ashcroft is a fish out of water, relying more on stealth and using limited ammo to stagger opponents and give her a chance to escape when spotted. She has to carefully pick which zombies she kills across some of Resident Evil’s most unnerving sections.
Resident Evil Requiem’s Full Playable Leon Mod Lets Us Roundhouse Kick Our Way Through the Campaign
Leon’s levels balance things out with a heavier focus on action. Although far from infinite, ammo and inventory space are more plentiful, while blasting things to bits replaces sneaking around. Many of Requiem’s 6+ million players agree that it does a great job of capturing the magic of the series’ different eras. But for a part of the playerbase, the dual protagonist approach proved uneven, with Grace’s sections feeling like they dragged on while relying a bit too much on stalker enemies.
Enter Resident Evil Requiem’s Full Playable Leon mod, a project from modder Rabbit-TooneedIM that lets us roundhouse kick our way through the campaign. This is more than just a reskin, bringing the federal agent’s full might into Grace’s sections. If you found sneaking around a little too tedious, this mod provides a fix, even if it is an imperfect one.
The lack of official Resident Evil Requiem mod support means that modders often work with limited resources, so playing through Grace’s sections as Leon lacks voice acting, which can make for a rather awkward narrative experience. Leon cannot use the blood collector – given how it is tied to Grace’s upgrade system –, while interacting with Emily can result in a series of animation errors.
Aside from seeing Leon cower in fear when facing Dr. Gideon – which is as funny as it is strange –, you’ll also be treated to cutscenes featuring two Leons, although that may not be as much of a negative. But perhaps the most important things to note if you plan on getting Resident Evil Requiem’s Full Playable Leon mod revolve around its overall impact on the game’s length.
The mod does remove several sections from the campaign including Grace’s prologue, the orphanage, and, strangely enough, Leon’s motorcycle ride through the devastated Raccoon City. Leon’s larger inventory space and increased lethality both enable more easily dispatching foes in the Care Center, further reducing the length of the game, since a shotgun with plenty of ammo turns enemies like the Chef and Chunk from seemingly insurmountable threats into mere nuisances.
Resident Evil Requiem’s Full Playable Leon mod is as good an alternative to a Graceless campaign as we can hope for at this stage, but it should be clear enough that, while fun, it’s not necessarily the most optimal way to experience Resident Evil 9. As much as I yearned to show the larger foes who’s boss as Leon for all the trouble they originally gave me, it doesn’t make for a great first playthrough.
Although the mod’s popularity might prompt its creator to continue working on it, there’s likely only so much that they can do, and a fully-voiced campaign that properly integrates Leon’s mechanics without diminishing the horror of the Care Center sections will likely remain just a dream.
It’s also why a similar mod that lets us play as Grace for the entirety of the game hasn’t materialized yet and may not do so, since adapting Leon’s sections to her playstyle might be considerably more work than one modder can take on.
Still, Resident Evil Requiem’s Full Playable Leon mod remains worth checking out, if you’re fine with making some concessions. And, if you don’t want to stop there, there are, unsurprisingly, plenty more RE9 mods floating around.
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