During Sony’s huge PS5 event last month,CapcomannouncedResident Evil Village, which is the next installment in the long-time survival horror franchise. Alongside the confirmation of the upcoming game was a debut trailer, which gave players a sneak peek on what to expect inResident Evil Village. Of course, the biggest revelation in the announcement trailer is the return ofResident Evil 7protagonist, Ethan Winters, and series veteran Chris Redfield.
However, the trailer also confirmed some terrifying enemies that players can expect to encounter inResident Evil 8, which includes what appears to be awitch, some deranged villagers similar toResident Evil 4, and strange creatures that appear to be similar to werewolves, which were also previously leaked prior to the trailer’s release. It is worth remembering that ever since its release back in 1996 theResident Evilfranchise has always been a survival horror series based on science fiction. However, some players are now wondering whether the addition of werewolves and other monsters inRE8is a signal that the franchise is now entering the realm of the supernatural.
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Of course, there is no way of knowing the true nature of these werewolf-type creatures untilResident Evil 8releases next year for the PC and next-generation consoles. However, it is worth nothing that this is not the first time that werewolves existed in theResident Eviluniverse. Now, here is a brief history of that one time that werewolves appeared inResident Evil, and what their inclusion inRE Villagecould mean for the franchise moving forward.
History of Werewolves in Resident Evil
During 1998-99, whenResident Evilwas still at its infancy, Capcom released a comic book series that told the story ofResident Eviloutside of the games. In its third issue, released in September 1998, a story was featured called “Wolf Hunt,” which takes place a week before the mansion incident. In Wolf Hunt,a terrifying werewolfis reported to be stalking the streets of Raccoon City College.
In an effort to investigate these strange sightings, RPD’s STARS sentJill Valentineto go undercover as a student to see if any of the claims about a werewolf were true. During her investigation, Jill encountered the werewolf,but the comics never explained what the werewolf was. When it was killed, it reverted back to its human form, which seems to suggest that it may not be a creation of the Umbrella Corporation. Although this is technically the first time werewolves were featured inResident Evil’s universe, it is worth pointing out that while the comic series is officially licensed by Capcom, its story is not considered as canon.
What The Werewolves in Resident Evil Village Could Mean for the Franchise?
So what does the appearance of werewolves inRE8mean for theResident Evilfranchise? While some speculate that the upcoming game could be the beginning of the franchise’s transition to supernatural horror, it is worth remembering that the same thing was said with the latestResident Evilgame. Prior to therelease ofResident Evil 7in 2017, the game was thought to be heading into a supernatural direction, especially with the ghost-like enemies seen in previews. Of course, we know now that just like the games before it, all the enemies inResident Evil 7were bio-organic weapons, and were created by an evil organization. Having said this, it is possible that the werewolf creatures seen inRE8’s debut trailer are also created by either a virus or parasite.
But it is also important to point out thatResident Evilgoing supernatural is not an unlikely scenario, especially since Capcom has already considered taking this route in previous games. During the development ofResident Evil 4, early prototypes of the game included supernatural elements. However, after noticing that the game strayed too far fromResident Evil’sexisting lore, Capcom decided that the prototype would be better off becoming its own franchise, and thus,Devil May Crywas born. Apart fromResident Evil 4,Capcom also considered introducing supernatural elements inResident Evil 7, with game director Koushi Nakanishi saying, “At the beginning, we did consider everything, though — and wondered what we could bring in for more of a supernatural dimension. But we didn’t end up going down that route.”
One huge thing that players can take away from the development ofRE4andRE7is that Capcom has been thinking of bringing theResident Evilfranchise in the realm of the supernatural, and it is possible thatResident EvilVillageand its werewolf enemies would mark the first time that the series would delve into forces unexplained by science. If true, this would also mean thatResident Evil Villagewould be a massive departurefrom everything that the franchise has established so far. But, players should know that Capcom has never been shy of trying to re-invent theResident Evilfranchise, and it is likely thatResident Evil Villagewould be the start of a new era for the long-time survival horror series.
Resident Evil Villageis set to release in 2021 for the PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.
