Fans React To Resident Evil Villain, Capcom Issues Statement
The latest installment of the Resident Evil series has drummed up a lot of fan responses recently. So much so that developer Capcom had to make a statement, most likely not to miss a chance of good PR. The latest game, Resident Evil: Village, received a teaser trailer back in January and since then the video has gone viral.
Capcom issued a statement from the development team thanking the fans for their support and to answer some fan questions.
In the teaser trailer, we get a brief look at the main antagonist, a rather towering vampire woman. Her appearance was a talking point for many fans of Resident Evil. This leads to fan questions such as “Who is she?” “How tall is she?” prompting Capcom to answer those, and other general game and design-related, inquiries
How Tall is the Tall Vampire Lady?
Capcom responded to massive fan responses with some answers and some other interesting things to note about the game’s development. First of all, they told fans our main antagonist’s name, Lady Alcina Dimitrescu. She’s a vampire that took part in a cult that participated in rituals involving vampirism and human sacrifice.
It’s not uncommon for games to go through numerous changes during every stage of development. When it comes to the game’s general design, art director Tomonori Takano said they began with the classic gothic castle and vampire theme. They decided to not replicate what’s already been done in other popular vampire stories recently.
As a result, we get aesthetics meant to evoke the feeling of the Great Depression, breathing some fresh life into vampire-related media. At the same time, this design decision affects Lady Dinitrescu’s appearance, which drew in many fans. Instead of appearing like a too familiarly cloaked vampire a la Castlevania we instead get a Roaring 20s era-inspired white dress and a wide-brimmed hat.
One of the most notable features of Lady Dimitrescu is her height. Takano confirmed she stands at a towering 9’6” tall. He also said the first piece of concept art featuring her had her crouching under a doorway. From that moment, Takano says, the team knew what direction they wanted to take with the rest of the game.
No one on the art team expected this reaction, Takano claims. He’s seen some of the tweets and comments of fans saying they want her to chase them. With the abundance of memes that were made because of the teaser, it’s probably safe to assume the art team has seen those too.
Takano also discussed the inspiration behind Dimitrescu’s look. Namely, 16th-century noblewoman and serial killer Countess Elizabeth Bathory and Morticia Addams, specifically Anjelica Houston’s portrayal. A Japanese urban legend born on an imageboard also influenced the design of Dimitrescu. The story of Hassaku-sama is a legend of a spirit that is bound to a village and she eventually murders people she’s drawn to. Hassaku-sama changes appearance depending on who sees her, according to legend, but she most commonly appears wearing a long white dress and a wide-brimmed hat.
The New Approach To The Development Of Resident Evil Villains
Takano talks about how the team looked at the previous Resident Evil games and decided to take them in a new direction. Instead of the stereotypical zombie enemies, the original games featured they decided to re-examine what frightens players. The game’s producer, Jun Takeuchi, expressed the series’s need to venture beyond the stereotypical zombies. A move they’ve made with much success thus far.
The first shakeup to the Resident Evil formula happened with Resident Evil: Biohazard. After 6 previous titles featuring zombies and action-focused gameplay, the series went back to survival horror and didn’t feature normal human or zombie enemies. Takeuchi says they’re going to explore those concepts again for Village.
What we’ve seen so far of Resident Evil: Village is enough to spark excitement in anyone. Interesting aesthetics, great character design, and a focus on keeping the series new and exhilarating is a formula that’s sure to please. Additionally, we have some hints we haven’t seen all the game has yet to offer. Takano stated there are more elements on top of what we’ve seen and they promise to make Village a bigger experience than Resident Evil: Biohazard.
Capcom has given us a lot of details thanks to the fan reception of Lady Dimitrescu. Let’s hope the rest of the game makes us all buzz as much as the teaser did.