Before launching Resident Evil Requiem, or even after completing it, it’s worth refreshing your memory of all the events that have transpired over the series’ nearly 30-year history. This is especially important given Resident Evil Requiem’s efforts to integrate numerous existing story arcs from both the main games and the series’ spin-offs.
Below is a brief overview for those new to the franchise or looking to recap key plot points. As you’ve probably guessed, there will be plenty of spoilers below, but they’re all important for understanding what happens in RE9 and the characters featured in the game.
Umbrella and Spencer
In the mid-1960s, a group of scientists led by Oswell E. Spencer discovered the Progenitor virus , which they believed could be used to accelerate human evolution . To fund their research, they agreed to develop new strains of the virus for the US military to use as biological weapons. One of the biggest obstacles to using Progenitor to “improve” humanity was its high mortality rate. Thus, the Umbrella Corporation was born, along with many new strains of the virus. One of these strains, of course, was the infamous T-virus, or Tyrant virus.
Incidents at the Mansion and Raccoon City
In the late 1990s, the Umbrella Corporation’s unethical activities finally came to public attention. The events of the first Resident Evil (1996) kick off the saga and detail the investigation into an Umbrella research facility on the outskirts of Raccoon City—the Spencer Mansion. The investigation is carried out by the Raccoon City Special Tactical and Rescue Service (STARS), led by Albert Wesker, who turns out to be a double agent planted within the squad by the Umbrella Corporation.
Along with Wesker, two other key characters from the series, Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, appear in the game. While exploring the mansion’s various rooms, Chris and Jill uncover Umbrella’s dirty secrets and confront Albert Wesker. Although Chris, Jill, and several other S.T.A.R.S. members manage to escape, by the end of the game the T-virus has gone out of control and spilled into the city’s water supply.
Resident Evil 2 takes place shortly after the events of the original game and introduces new characters, including, of course, Leon Kennedy, one of the two protagonists of Resident Evil Requiem . On his first day on the job as a police officer, Leon arrives in Raccoon City and witnesses the city descend into chaos: zombies begin to devour the police and civilians alike.
At the beginning of the game, Leon meets Claire Redfield, Chris’s sister, who is searching for her brother after the events of the original. Leon and Claire become the protagonists of the second game. Each character will have their own story campaign, much like Leon and Grace in Resident Evil 9.
On his quest for salvation, Leon encounters Umbrella’s top scientist, William Birkin, who has been mutated by the G-virus, a dangerous strain of Progenitor that causes more extreme and unusual mutations in those infected. He also meets Ada Wong, an FBI agent investigating Umbrella’s activities, who agrees to work with Leon amid the outbreak. Meanwhile, Claire encounters Birkin’s daughter, Sherry, who was infected with the G-virus by her father.
After many difficult trials, Leon, Ada, Claire, and Sherry finally discover an underground Umbrella facility called NEST, where dramatic events unfold, including a reunion of the Birkin family. Sherry’s mother, Annette Birkin, informs Leon that Ada is not actually an FBI agent, but a mercenary trying to obtain samples of the G-virus. Ada demands that Leon hand over the virus, but before he can, Annette shoots her. Ada and the virus strain end up at the bottom of the secret facility.
Meanwhile, Claire discovers a vaccine for the G-virus. Sherry administers the vaccine to her mother, curing her of the infection, but Annette dies from the wounds William inflicted on her.
The events of Resident Evil 3 unfold simultaneously , with Jill Valentine as the protagonist. Like Leon, Jill finds herself trapped in Raccoon City. Fortunately, she gains help from an unexpected ally: Umbrella mercenary Carlos Oliveira. However, Jill’s luck is short-lived. As part of Umbrella’s efforts to destroy the city and make life difficult for Jill, the company decides to use the chaos as a pretext to test a new biological weapon, Nemesis. Jill soon encounters a new, more dangerous adversary and is subsequently infected with the T-virus.
Luckily, the ever-helpful Carlos manages to obtain a T-virus vaccine and inject Jill with it. But, oddly enough, an even more serious problem is looming: the US government decides that the best way to “settle” the Raccoon City incident is to literally destroy the city.
Ultimately, everyone survives—Leon, Sherry, Ada, Claire, Jill, and Carlos—and leaves Raccoon City before the US drops a nuclear bomb on it.
Before moving forward in the timeline, it’s worth recapping two games also set in Raccoon City. Set around the same time, Resident Evil Outbreak 1 and Resident Evil Outbreak 2 introduce new storylines and supporting characters trapped in the city during a zombie outbreak. However, Requiem’s plot is particularly significant for Alyssa Ashcroft, the mother of Grace Ashcroft, the second protagonist of Resident Evil Requiem.
Alyssa is an investigative journalist for the Raccoon City Times. During the events of Outbreak, she reaches a private hospital on the outskirts of the city, near the Umbrella lab from the first game. It is here that repressed memories return to her—either due to trauma or deliberately erased by an Umbrella agent—the exact reason is unknown. These memories relate to events five years earlier, when Alyssa was investigating possible illegal drug experiments at Raccoon City Hospital. As one might guess, Alyssa witnessed Umbrella’s experiments.
Alyssa manages to escape the hospital and Raccoon City alive, and ends up publishing an exposé, making her a crucial figure in the downfall of the Umbrella Corporation.
After Raccoon City
Following the destruction of Raccoon City, several key events occur. First, in Resident Evil — Code: Veronica, Claire Redfield searches for her brother Chris, but is instead captured and imprisoned on Rockfort Island , controlled by Alfred Ashford. After another outbreak and subsequent escape, Claire discovers another secret Umbrella base in Antarctica, which harbors an even more serious threat: the T-Veronica virus. Meanwhile, Chris travels to Rockfort Island in an attempt to find Claire, but is confronted by Wesker, who admits to faking his own death to fully unlock his powers.
Secondly, the Umbrella Corporation collapses. Laws, lawsuits, and financial problems ultimately lead to the giant’s downfall, although the consequences of its actions will be felt for a long time.
However, what is particularly significant for Resident Evil Requiem is that Leon agrees to work for the US government to secure his and Sherry Birkin’s freedom after attempting to apprehend them in the events of Resident Evil 2.
Resident Evil 4 centers on his mission to find the US President’s kidnapped daughter , Ashley, last seen in the Spanish countryside. Upon reaching the location, Leon encounters a cult infested with the Las Plagas parasite. The rookie cop turned zombie exterminator eventually finds Ashley, meets an old acquaintance, Ada Wong, and returns to the US after the game’s conclusion.
For the sake of brevity, we won’t dwell on the journeys of Chris, Jill, and Claire between the events of Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 6; Resident Evil: Revelations 1 and 2, as well as Resident Evil 5, play a relatively minor role in the overall storyline. The only fact that deserves special attention is that Chris presumably kills Wesker at the end of Resident Evil 5.
This brings us to Resident Evil 6 and its three separate campaigns, none of which are considered particularly remarkable or significant, so a quick recap will suffice. Like Resident Evil 4, much of Resident Evil 6’s plot is relatively self-contained, but the game introduces a new character, Jake Muller, Albert Wesker’s son, and also introduces us to two key organizations. The first is the DSO (Department of Security Operations). This is an official division of the US government, created in 2011 to combat bioterrorism. Leon is one of the co-founders, and Sherry becomes one of the agents. The second organization is the BSAA (Bioterrorism Surveillance Alliance), originally established in Resident Evil 5 and co-founded by Chris Redfield. The BSAA is similar to the DSO, but is an international organization formed with the support of the UN.
The Ethan Winters Saga
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Resident Evil 8 : Village focus on a new character, Ethan Winters, and explore a fungal infection called “Mold.” While seemingly unrelated to the Progenitor virus and its many strains, it is revealed that one of Umbrella’s founders was a student of Mother Miranda, the main antagonist of Village, who was the first to become infected with the Mold. Thus, much of Umbrella, right down to its logo, is inspired by Miranda and her actions.
These games also introduce another villainous corporation, The Compounds, a criminal syndicate involved in money laundering, drug trafficking, and, yes, biochemical research. The Compounds collaborated with Miranda to develop mold, much like Umbrella helped develop the Progenitor virus and its many strains. One key aspect of the mold research is that the resulting infections allow for partial mind control of those infected. However, the BSAA learns of the Compounds’ activities, forcing them to relocate their research and ultimately triggering the events of Resident Evil 7 and 8.
That concludes the backstory, but there’s one more crucial fact to consider before playing Resident Evil Requiem. While it’s not mentioned outside of the trailers, it appears that some survivors of the Raccoon City incident developed a disease due to prolonged exposure to the T-virus. While it doesn’t cause rapid mutations like the common infected, it ultimately leads to death. Leon suffers from the same disease. And it’s the search for a cure that draws him into the story of Requiem, pushing him to return to the ruins of Raccoon City.
