Mozart Requiem

For almost a decade, Capcom has been refining Resident Evil, finding ways to modernize the storied franchise and to maintain what has made it so beloved. With Requiem, Capcom has dialed in Resident Evil maybe as far as it can. The result is a game that leans too hard on past successes and nostalgia, and so doesn't show its fans any new ideas. But it knows its hits backward and forward, and it plays them near-perfectly.

Mozart Requiem is not for everyone; in fact, it’s really only for people who would consider themselves fans of Mozart or janky 2000s point and clicks. There’s some charm in terms of unique musical puzzles and setting, surely, but the execution leaves much to be desired. I don’t regret buying a physical copy for the Switch at full price — a cart destined to sit in its cellophane for time immemorial — but that doesn’t mean I’m not disappointed. Even though I have some faith the dev team will fix any reported bugs, they can’t fix a woefully outdated experience. Dona eis requiem, amen.

The premise seemed interesting, but it gets bogged down by exceedingly dull dialogue and horrendous pacing. The visuals are an eyesore and the sound design is atrocious. On top of that, the puzzles are of the worst variety, either being too easy, making no sense, or being somewhat broken. Add in the fact that this is basically the same game from 2008, just with the slightest of face lifts, and that makes its thirty dollar price tag almost criminal. I asked you to rock me, Amadeus, not bore me to tears.