Resident Evil Requiem's Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center is a Little Too Good

I have loved Resident Evil for the majority of my life at this point, and Resident Evil Requiem is now one of my top three entries. Leading up to the game’s release, I was worried that my expectations were too high for Resident Evil Requiem to be a satisfying game. Thankfully, I was very wrong. Not only did Requiem meet my expectations, but it also exceeded them in a lot of ways. The balance between Leon and Grace kept things exciting instead of jarring, and the story took some big swings with Resident Evil‘s lore that ultimately paid off.

One of the biggest standout moments for me, though, was every second spent at the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center. A sprawling mansion filled with zombies could easily just feel like Requiem‘s developers copied and pasted Resident Evil 1, but that isn’t the case with this facility. This terrifying mansion stands on its own, and it has easily become one of my all-time favorite Resident Evil set pieces. There is one big downside to the care center being so good, though: it’s going to be really hard for future Resident Evil games to top it.

Resident Evil Requiem’s Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center Sets a High Bar for Future Locations

Resident Evil‘s 30th anniversary just happened this month, and there have been some great locations over those three decades. Leon, Chris, Jill, and Claire’s fight (and many others) against bioterrorism has taken the crew to a lot of places. There have been some wonderful sets featured in the franchise, but there are a few that really stand out.

A Few of the Best Locations in the Resident Evil Games

Spencer Mansion
Ecliptic Express
Raccoon Police Department
Castle Dimitrescu
House Beneviento
RE4’s village
The Baker Family house
Raccoon City streets
Heisenberg’s Factory

Balance the critic averages

Easy (6)Medium (8)Hard (10)

This list is subjective, but it’s going to be surprising if Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center is left out of future lists that go over the best Resident Evil locations. Parts of the care center are reminiscent of places like Spencer Mansion and Raccoon Police Department, but the location is a beast all its own.

The sheer size of the building and terrifying encounters like Resident Evil Requiem‘s Chunk boss fight come together to make the place an absolute nightmare. Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center has all the staples of what makes a Resident Evil location so memorable: great stalker enemies, unique zombies, lots of confusion, and a sense of helplessness.

The Zombies Are Some of Resident Evil’s Best

There are a lot of great things about the care center, but Requiem‘s zombie types definitely take the cake as one of the best features. Resident Evil Requiem‘s bosses shine throughout the game, but the run-of-the-mill zombies are some of the most inventive to be introduced to the series. Each zombie encountered throughout the care center still holds on to remnants of their past lives, and it makes them way more disturbing. Two of the most notable are the singing zombies that haunt the halls. Clumsily dancing about as they sing and scream is spine-chilling. They have already become franchise icons, as some fans have even already made fan art.

The facility’s kitchen also features a pretty great zombie. Rhodes Hill’s chef is still working hard, but it’s probably best to stay away from whatever gore-filled meal he’s cooking up. Because of his size, he would be scary enough on his own, but the developers’ decision to let the chef and the others keep a glimmer of their past personalities adds more depth to these zombies. It isn’t just terrifying, it’s heartbreaking. Out of all the Resident Evil games, Rhodes Hill’s version of the infected reminds players of their humanity. It also makes the care center feel even more alive. Future Resident Evil games will hopefully look to Rhodes Hill’s zombies as inspiration from now on, because there are a lot of fun scenarios and personalities that the series could play around with.

Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center has all the staples of what makes a Resident Evil location so memorable: great stalker enemies, unique zombies, lots of confusion, and a sense of helplessness.

The Resident Evil Franchise Has a Long History of Making Set Pieces Feel Like Characters of Their Own

When walking through the halls of Rhodes Hill as Grace and Leon, it’s easy to imagine what the place would have been like before Dr. Victor Gideon infected the facility. It doesn’t just feel like a well-decorated level. A lot of thought and love went into crafting Rhodes Hill, and it shines through all the terror. For the building to be so huge, it also feels incredibly claustrophobic at times. That’s a hard balance to achieve. Just like Grace and Leon serve as ways to feature both tense survival horror and action, the Rhodes Hill facility feels like a wonderful blend of classic and modern Resident Evil. Some of the best Easter eggs in Resident Evil Requiem are found at Rhodes Hill, too. The location feels very aware that it’s an homage to the first games, but it fully embraces all the unique qualities that make it so fresh and exciting.

Where Does Resident Evil Go From Here?

It’s hard to imagine how the next mainline Resident Evil game tops Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center. This isn’t even an issue that only mainline chapters face, either. There have been plenty of Resident Evil 1 and Code: Veronica remake rumors lately, and the two have the difficult task of making their locations feel exciting while also familiar. It could be really easy for Resident Evil 1‘s Spencer Mansion to feel like a reused version of Rhodes Hill now. It’s going to be tough, but Capcom will hopefully stick the landing.

With two potential remakes on the way, combined with Resident Evil 10 rumors and theories already beginning to form, it’s going to be really exciting to see where the franchise takes players next. Requiem‘s ending left the franchise in an interesting position. There’s no telling where the story goes from here, but the next chapter hopefully features set pieces that are just as beautifully-crafted and unique as Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center.