This article contains #spoilers. It may include spoilers for movies, games, manga, and more. Read at your own risk if that’s a concern!
1. Introduction
So, have you guys jumped into the latest entry in the series — Resident Evil 9: Requiem — yet?
I grabbed it on launch day and basically forgot that food and sleep existed. After about 30 hours and 4 full playthroughs, I managed to snag the Platinum Trophy (full trophy completion)!
It inherits the action-heavy gameplay of Village and RE:4 while blending in that old-school exploration horror that the OG Resident Evil nailed so well. Personally, I think this is hands down one of the best entries in the entire franchise.
And more importantly… Leon in this game is the coolest he’s ever been!!! If you’re a Leon fan, you KNOW you’re mashing that screenshot button here.
As a self-proclaimed “Leon simp” gamer, I absolutely devoured every second of this game on my way to the Platinum. In this review, I’ll be walking you through my journey with an efficient roadmap — spoilers and all.
If you’re thinking “I wanna get the Plat too!” or “What’s the most efficient route?”, hopefully this helps you out!
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Trophy Completion Difficulty & Overview
- Done in 30 Hours! Full 4-Playthrough Roadmap
- Playthrough 1: Standard / Modern (approx. 10 hours)
- Playthrough 2: Casual (approx. 7 hours)
- Playthrough 3: Casual (approx. 3 hours / Clear time: 3:01:08)
- Playthrough 4: Insanity Difficulty (approx. 5 hours)
- Final Thoughts After Getting the Plat
2. Trophy Completion Difficulty & Overview
- Trophy Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)
- Time to Platinum: ~30 hours
- Playthroughs Required: 4
Overall, this game definitely cranks up the difficulty and delivers some seriously thrilling gameplay. On my first run, I got wrecked more times than I’d like to admit. However, since there are no trophies tied to clear ranks (like S-Rank requirements), the barrier to entry is way lower than you’d expect. Once you unlock infinite ammo through repeat playthroughs, even the hardest difficulty — “Insanity” — becomes pretty manageable.
Even if you’re not great at action games, as long as you’re willing to grind through the playthroughs, the Platinum is totally within reach. The devs were honestly pretty chill about the trophy design.
The sound design in this game is absolutely insane — especially on your first playthrough, audio cues are crucial to the experience. But since it’s a horror game… I needed a way to get that immersion without waking up the whole house, and without destroying my ears. Enter the neck speaker — it was literally my lifeline for this Plat grind (more on that at the end!).
3. Done in 30 Hours! Full 4-Playthrough Roadmap
Here’s the exact route I used to trophy-hunt my way through the game while still having a blast. I was especially anxious about “Speed Master” since I had no idea what pace I needed to keep for each area, so I’ve included my clear times per section — hope that helps!
Playthrough 1: Standard / Modern (approx. 10 hours)
First things first — just enjoy the story. Soak in Leon’s fresh new moveset and the dual-protagonist system with Grace. There are no clear rank requirements, so don’t stress about grabbing every collectible. Just vibe and play however you want.
Grace’s chapters are pure survival horror terror, while Leon’s chapters go full action mode — and the combo works beautifully. Grace stumbles when she panics, which honestly had ME panicking too. She gets thrown into absolute nightmare scenarios. Leon, on the other hand, is cool as ever with even more satisfying combat than before. Tons of epic moments — as a Leon stan, I was absolutely living.
And honestly? Being back in Raccoon City is just chef’s kiss. Emotional moments everywhere. If you’re a Leon simp, there are scenes that’ll make you drool. I had an absolute blast.
The disappointing Robert Kendo shotgun
One gripe though — weapon upgrades were a bit of a letdown. If you go in with RE:4 expectations, you might be a little underwhelmed. There’s this hype moment mid-story where Leon gets his hands on Robert Kendo’s shotgun… and I was like “THIS HAS TO BE OP!” But by that point, I’d already been upgrading the 990-TAC (which you can buy when you first hit Raccoon City), and honestly, I couldn’t be bothered to switch. The Kendo gun went unused all the way to the Platinum.
Oh, and upgrade costs are non-refundable, so if you want to actually use Kendo’s gun, maybe hold off on dumping too much into the 990-TAC!
⚠️ Post-Clear Warning ⚠️
I know you’ll be tempted to blow all your CP on Special Content right away — resist that urge and head straight into Playthrough 2! If you buy weapons now, you’ll struggle to afford Infinite Ammo and the Rocket Launcher later.
Playthrough 2: Casual (approx. 7 hours)
Goal: Complete all collectibles + farm CP (Clear Points)
Drop the difficulty down and take your time exploring every corner of the map for anything you missed on your first run. I didn’t go for “Speed Master” or the no-healing trophy (“I Just Can’t Trust This Medicine”) yet on this playthrough.
Raccoon figurines & files: Grab them all. Finding them yourself is part of the fun, but if you’re in a rush, just look up a guide. Personally, I missed the Raccoon figurine you have to snipe from the building next to Raccoon City (on the highway) and one in the RPD library.
Trophy: “Expert Phlebotomist” (easy method):
This is the one where you collect blood samples running around the hospital. Here’s the cheese strat:
- Clear out the hospital as Leon first (this is KEY)
- Once Grace returns from the basement, save your game in a safe spot (this save is critical)
- Run around collecting blood samples
- After grabbing everything, reload save #2
- Rinse and repeat!
Important! Trigger the “Final Mystery” flag before clearing:
Look this one up — there’s literally no way you’d figure it out on your own just playing normally. But the CP reward for clearing it is absolutely juicy, so unless you’re going for a blind run, just do it. After clearing, reload that save from earlier, bring Emily along, and solve the puzzle for an easy grab.
With this playthrough, you should be able to unlock Infinite Ammo (50,000 CP) in one shot.
Playthrough 3: Casual (approx. 3 hours / Clear time: 3:01:08)
Goals: Speed Master (under 4 hours), “I Just Can’t Trust This Medicine” (no healing), Minimalist (no blood collection)
Now we’re cooking. This is where infinite weapons carry you hard.
Strategy: Basically just spam the most busted weapon in the game — “Requiem” — and obliterate everything. Skip almost all item pickups. For Grace’s chapters, channel all that built-up frustration and let loose.
Watch out (Grace’s chapters): Since you’re doing the no-healing AND no-blood-collection run (meaning you can’t craft acid bottles), Grace can’t use the Requiem. The Lickers at the end of her section are the real wall here. Stock up on empty bottles beforehand so you can lure them away. For Leon’s chapters, grab grenades for the final boss — they make it way easier.
Boss “???” strategy: The ARK boss hits hard and is tough to dodge. With the no-healing restriction, this fight is legit sweaty. I barely scraped through with a sliver of health, but infinite weapons make it doable. Might come down to raw skill though…
My area clear times for Speed Master (under 4 hours):
- After Grace exits the underground: ~1:00:00
- Leon enters Raccoon City: ~1:20:00
- After leaving RPD: ~2:16:00
- Arriving at ARK: ~2:23:00
- Final clear time: 3:01:08
After clearing, I used the 90,000 CP earned to finally go shopping in the Special Content store! Grabbed the Infinite Rocket Launcher, Kotetsu, Freya Needle, and other OP weapons.
Playthrough 4: Insanity Difficulty (approx. 5 hours)
Goal: Clear the highest difficulty
What’s genuinely impressive about this game is that Insanity mode still manages to be scary even after 3 full playthroughs. The devs really nailed the tension tuning. That said, the Infinite Ink Ribbon (unlocked from the speed run) lets you save constantly, which makes it way more manageable.
Damage is brutal though, so make sure you’re actually picking up healing items this time.
Tough enemy — “The Girl”: The Requiem won’t always stagger her in one shot. The move is to hit her with a Molotov first to stagger, then follow up with the Requiem. Her spawn locations change too, which keeps things spooky.
Leon’s chapters are a breeze: Infinite Rocket Launcher go brrrr. Enemy placement changes don’t matter when everything dies in one shot. Bosses get absolutely deleted. Pure power fantasy.
Finally, after clearing, make sure you view (not just purchase!) all the artwork and figures in the gallery. I bought everything and was confused why the trophy didn’t pop — turns out you have to actually look at each one. Rushed through viewing them all and boom — trophy unlocked. Platinum achieved!
By the way, I had 18,200 CP left over after buying everything. Didn’t expect that!
4. Final Thoughts After Getting the Plat
30 hours of tearing through the darkness of Raccoon City alongside Leon and Grace — it was one hell of an experience.
When I finally heard that Platinum ding, there was this massive wave of accomplishment… but also a tinge of sadness knowing the journey was over. I mean, who knows how many years until the next numbered entry, right? The story leaves a TON of threads hanging and clearly sets up a continuation, so I’m definitely hyped for future DLC.
Also… no Ada?! That stings, ngl.
But complaints aside, this is without a doubt my personal GOAT Resident Evil game.
I hope this trophy guide helps you on your own RE9 Platinum journey! If you found the time estimates useful, or if you vibed with the Leon appreciation, drop a like and follow — it means a lot!
Oh, and they recently added Photo Mode, so I’ve been going ham taking screenshots of Leon looking cool. The fact that he has a camera-look pose? The devs GET IT.
Over at “Platinum Hunter Jipi“, I’ll keep putting out trophy guides alongside my Shih Tzu co-host, Jipi. If you want to tag along on the next Platinum adventure, give me a follow!
🎮 Must-Have Gear: How I Saved on a PS5 Controller
During my hardcore Platinum Trophy grinds, the rubber on my PS5 thumbsticks finally tore off. I was dreading spending another $70 on a brand new DualSense… but then I tried these thumbstick caps as a last resort.
Surprisingly, they fit perfectly right over the torn rubber! I saved the replacement cost and used that money to buy another new game instead (lol).
If your thumbsticks are starting to peel or fall apart, I highly recommend this cheap fix to extend your controller’s life before you buy a new one!
(Amazon Associate / PR disclosure)
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