Resident Evil Requiem is – as something of a 30th anniversary celebration of the legendary survival horror series – stuffed with lovely little touches, but it’s one of Capcom’s subtler inclusions that currently has fans debating. Look closely as Leon S. Kennedy removes his gloves toward the end of the game, and (mild spoilers to follow from here on out) an apparent addition to his ring finger suggests our leather-clad hunk might have tied the knot at some point off-camera – immediately sparking the question, with who?
I’ll be honest, it’s a detail I entirely managed to miss during my playthrough (granted, it’s easily done when Leon’s muscles are perpetually threatening to ripple right out of his shirt), but – with many players now wrapping up their first go of Requiem following its release last week – ample photographic proof is now circulating. And if the in-game shots of gloveless Leon aren’t clear-cut enough for you, the ring also appears again – prominently, in undeniable close-up – in some concept art unlocked after completing the game.
Granted, a band on Leon’s ring finger don’t necessarily mean he got hitched somewhere along the way, and if he has, there’s no guarantee it’s to someone we’ve met before – but it sure as hell has people speculating. Immediate thoughts have, of course, turned to Ada Wong, with whom fresh-faced Leon shared a brief kiss during the events of Resident Evil 2 – although having played the remake again this weekend, I can say it wasn’t a kiss he returned with much enthusiasm. That, though, isn’t their only encounter, so who knows what might have blossomed between them over the years off-screen.
Other fans, meanwhile, think Claire Redfield might be the lucky gal – which would, if nothing else, feel thematically appropriate given Requiem serves as something of a cyclical conclusion to the events of Resident Evil 2 – and Claire was the first friendly face Leon met in the doomed Raccoon City.
Requiem also includes an unlockable Claire Redfield charm titled Trusted Companion – although, that feels as much a reference to Claire’s framing as the anti-Ada in Resident Evil 2 as anything. And besides, Leon’s clearly now married Chris – a fact so incontrovertible, no proof is required (“I’m sure I’ll run into him at some point”, wink, wink, eh Leon?).
Tantalising hints of marriage aside, Resident Evil Requiem is very good indeed. I gave it five stars when I reviewed it last week, calling it “both a masterful bit of suffocating horror and a nostalgic, fan-thrilling victory lap for the legendary series.” And it’s proving popular among players too – this weekend, Requiem saw the biggest concurrent Steam player count in Resident Evil history.
