Resident Evil / Director's Cut - Creatures

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Zombie

The Zombie is the resulting creature when a human is infected with certain types of engineered virus, most commonly the t-Virus which was developed by Umbrella and based off the Progenitor virus. The virus itself is designed to increase strength and resilience although it has a devastating side effect of causing catastrophic brain damage and causing severe skin and muscle necrosis. It also does not just affect humans - it has been shown to infect any other living creature whether it be plant based or animal, for example the Zombie Dog or Plant 42. Zombies can also be the result of a C-Virus infection, although in most cases the infected become more advanced creatures.

A common misconception with Zombies is that they are the undead - this is not true. They are humans which received an infection whilst alive and as time has progressed, the virus has taken full effect and the transition into a Zombie is complete. The infection can be transmitted in various ways depending on which strain of the t-Virus it is, although most are by a bite and large scale outbreaks have been caused with a pathogen mixed into the air or the water supply.

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The Zombie itself becomes a shadow of it's former self with none of it's human personality or compassion - it is strictly an animalistic creature which only has two basic needs: feeding (most commonly a cannibalistic need to feed on flesh) and spreading the infection. This change appears to be gradual, as there have been observations of the recently-infected having the ability to remember specific words, phrases or people but ultimately this disappears once the infection takes hold fully. Although they are slow and lack intelligence to use weapons, their resistance to firepower makes them extremely dangerous - for example most Zombies require approximately 10x 9mm rounds to the head in order to kill one. As their outer layer is necrotic, it's extremely easy to dismember a Zombie but their lack of pain receptors allows them to continue their assault without a single concern.

Umbrella have continually researched into the Zombie and therefore have produced most likely hundreds if not thousands of variations each with distinct advantages and disadvantages - although largely it has been considered more of a by-product of research than a profitable B.O.W.

Occasionally Zombies have also been observed going through mutations once they have been incapacitated or have been active for some time. Some are relatively minor changes, but others are complete evolutions - for example the Crimson Head or the formidable Licker. However, these transformations appear to be somewhat unpredictable; there have been instances where every Zombie in a specific area have failed to mutate further, and other times mutations have been more common.

 

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Turning Zombie

The unique "Turning Around Zombie" is the very first Zombie encountered in the Resident Evil series. It's the official name of the Zombie - named because of the way it slowly turns to face the character (either Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine) who interrupt it while it is feasting on the corpse of S.T.A.R.S. member Kenneth Sullivan, who had entered the Spencer Mansion before the two and finally gave out in a small rest / smoking area adjacent to the main dining room.

It is one of the few Zombies that seems to be able to open and close doors, as it will follow Chris or Jill into the dining room if they run away from it. However, that is the only remarkable thing about it - it acts like a regular enemy otherwise and will even transform into a Crimson Head under the right conditions (this transformation only occurs in the Remake).

The Zombie is one of the most well-known creatures in the series, as a lot of players remember the first encounter, particularly the cutscene where the Zombie is shown turning its head in full motion video.

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At the time the original game was released it was a huge step forward in terms of graphical fidelity, as before then the closest approximation would be something like Alone in the Dark, which used very low density, flat-shaded polygons (pictured), thus making it that much more impressive. The image of the Zombie is also used as the icon for PC versions of Resident Evil Remake.

Interestingly the entire scene where S.T.A.R.S. members first meet this Zombie is copied almost verbatim in the recent Resident Evil movie, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.

 

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Cerberus

Firstly, it is important to note that Cerberus is a specific type of creature, and not a generic Zombie Dog - which was the result of a random t-Virus infection on a regular Dog via an outbreak. The Cerberus was scientifically engineered as an early B.O.W (Bio-Organic Weapon) by Umbrella scientists. They believed that a canine would be a good choice to begin with as a species as they can be trained and have been successful policing and military dogs for years.

Cerberuses are Doberman pinschers infected with the β strain of the t-Virus, an early attempt by Umbrella to create a deployable B.O.W. for sale to the military.

Initially considered a success by Umbrella, trouble began after the initial t-Virus outbreak in 1998, where they escaped. Without a supply of food or training to keep them from becoming too aggressive, they turned feral and began attacking and eating anything they could find.

The dogs themselves have typical t-Virus characteristics such as decomposing skin, enhanced durability, heightened aggression and very little in the way of reasoning. However, with the right personnel, Cerberuses can be trained to follow orders to a degree. Unfortunately, it was far too late after the outbreak, the insatiable hunger and degeneration that the t-Virus brought was too much and their violent instincts had taken over.

 

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Chimera

The Chimera was an early experiment conducted at the Spencer Mansion by Umbrella scientists. Prior to the creation of the Chimera they were experimenting with existing creatures and the t-Virus and observing their physiological changes and up until this point results had been disappointing. They were hoping to create suitable B.O.W.s (Bio-Organic Weapons) to sell as defence products - overly aggressive Dobermans (Cerberus), large spiders (Web Spinner) and slightly larger than normal sharks (Neptune) did not fit the bill. So instead they turned to human testing - and reports show that Umbrella attempted to bind different kinds of insect DNA into various human embryos taken from homeless women. The name Chimera was chosen for the project as it is the name given to a mythical creature which is an amalgam of various animals into one.

The most promising connection was between a fly and human DNA - this was then placed on top of the research pile and experimentation continued on various clones they managed to produce. The creature was still in it's early stages when development ended and as such the resulting monster which was encountered during the Mansion incident was incomplete and severely underpowered. For example, the skin was severely necrotic with maggots crawling all over it's body and typically with all t-Virus projects at the time it's intelligence was extremely low. They also did not have any flight capability even with their fly DNA.

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Through experimentation Umbrella scientists managed to manipulate the creatures development where it would reach maturity in around a week after being born. This would most likely be one of the reasons why the creature was so weakened - the ones encountered were most likely coming to the end of their lives.

In terms of attack prowess, they could stalk their prey silently with their spindly bodies and ambush with their sharp claws which they could also use as hooks in order to swing around suitable objects. These claws had enough power to decapitate a human easily, so it was always important to keep distance when engaging a Chimera.

It's also worth noting that Albert Wesker had the strength to kill a Chimera in a single blow, showing how underpowered these B.O.W.s were. Plus, despite everything a few embryos did manage to get out there in their prototype state as they have been sighted in various places outside of the Spencer Mansion - but fortunately by this time all bioterrorism forces were briefed on how to correctly dispatch one - a single shot with a 44 Magnum will kill a Chimera.

Umbrella themselves never continued any further research into a fly-human Hybrid, although it has been represented in horror movies - and even then it was a terrible idea.

 

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Crow

The crow is a dangerous animal where t-Virus and other types of outbreaks occurred as they tended to consume infected flesh and become carriers. When a crow becomes infected themselves they don't display many typical physical changes associated with the virus - but their aggression is markedly increased as well as their strength; particularly their pecking power.

At best an uninfected crow is capable of causing small injuries such as cuts and bruises, but a t-Virus infected crow is capable of killing an otherwise fit and healthy human being. In particular those encounters at the Spencer Mansion tended to attack in large groups, smashing through glass as if it were paper and attacking their target.

In other cases regular crows were observed consuming dead bodies in the where parasitic Plaga had taken over. They did not seem to be afflicted with the parasite however, but they did carry objects on them such as money or even hand grenades or boxes of handgun ammunition which they must have taken a liking to and stole.

Finally, crows also were present in Dulvey, Louisiana - seemingly unaffected by the Mold in the area. However one met an unfortunate end as it was found to have been cooked alive in the microwave of the Baker family's guest house. It's unlikely this was done for food - most likely for a sick joke.

 

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Monster Plant

The Monster Plant was an overgrown vine which had occupied a spot around a water fountain inside the greenhouse of the Spencer Mansion, which had been affected by the t-Virus outbreak. Before the virus, it was most likely a weed of some kind but had since grown enormous in size and became an aggressive almost octopus-like creature which attacked anything which came near it. It blocked a path ahead when Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield scouted the mansion so they had to find a way to get past it.

It was rendered immobile as it was still rooted to the ground but it also had an almost infinite water source as it occupied an area around a functioning water fountain - plus the soil was thought to be fairly fertile as it was a carefully tended greenhouse at one point.

The plant was destroyed when a herbicidal mixture was introduced to the water supply via a water pump - the substance was extremely potent and dissolved the entire plant all the way to the root.

 

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Snake

The Snakes encountered in the Resident Evil franchise are animals which mainly serve as jump-scares and traps. They first appeared in this form in Resident Evil 4, where they relaxed in wooden crates which Leon S. Kennedy would usually find useful items such as ammunition or herbs. When the boxes were destroyed, they would quickly lunge at Leon and if he wasn't fast enough with his weapon, they would get a quick hit and escape. They subsequently appeared in Resident Evil 5, Resident Evil 6, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles and Resident Evil: Revelations 2 in a similar fashion.

The Snakes in Resident Evil 4 May have been infected with a Plaga parasite, a kind of organism which can change physical and mental characteristics of its host, because when they are killed they dissolve in a similar manner to Ganado when they are killed. However, they don't possess any of the other characteristics of a Plaga infection such as increased strength and other physical mutations. Also in most appearances, they drop Eggs as items when killed. In all other appearances the Snakes seem to be un-infected.

There have also been occasions where snakes have been used as the base for virus infections by Umbrella. In all cases they have grown dramatically in size, speed, intelligence and aggression. The most infamous of these was Yawn, an adder which grew to around 40ft long (an average un-infected adder usually won't be longer than 3ft long).

In the original Resident Evil and Resident Evil: Director's Cut, Snakes appeared as normal enemies albeit rarely. They were dark in colour and simply slithered across the ground. They earned a reputation of being relatively harmless as they were easy to avoid and they only had one attack.

 

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Bee

The Bee was a regular honey bee which became infected with the t-Virus either through the air, through contaminated water or from infected plants.

As their infection develops they grow roughly four to five times their original size and remarkably their wing span grows proportionally also so they retain their former agility. They were also able to deliver a dangerous poison sting repeatedly as the t-Virus has altered their physiology to allow multiple attacks. The poison has the potential to kill a human if untreated.

They were first discovered in the Spencer Mansion guardhouse; they had formed a large hive. It's not known whether there was a Queen as such as one was never encountered, but it's entirely likely. However, the hive and all specimens were eliminated when the mansion was destroyed in an explosion.

Based on reports by Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield of S.T.A.R.S., it was advised not to engage with Bees and simply flee - or if you must, use a knife. However, a swarm would cause a serious amount of injury. In terms of Gameplay, in swarms they could also stun-lock a player (essentially freezing the character into a series of stun animations, not giving them time to recover and escape which would mean a Game Over).

 

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Hunter α

The Hunter α (Umbrella Development Code MA-121: Originally named the Hunter, retrospectively given the moniker α or Alpha due to various improved models being created) was originally one of Umbrellas flagship products, the first successful bonding of human and reptilian DNA plus incorporating the t-Virus at the embryonic stage resulting in the creation of a mass-produced B.O.W. (Bio-Organic Weapon) which had the potential to be used as a superhuman soldier.

Research and Development was extensive at the Arklay Laboratory site, which was situated underneath the Spencer Mansion. The project was headed by Dr William Birkin and development began when the company required a more capable B.O.W. to enter battle sites and mop up any survivors - at the time of development the company only had Web Spinners and Cerberus dogs to rely on which had inferior intelligence and combat capability.

They took around a year to develop into a mature adult from the embryonic stage and the finished creature resembled a lizard-human cross of an average human height. They were bipedal (meaning they walked on two legs like a human) and had tough scaly skin, extremely sharp claws and a large mouth filled with even sharper teeth. In terms of intelligence it was much higher than anything that had come before this point - they had enough intelligence to interpret simple commands and follow orders for a short time. For example they could be shown how to operate a door, although without constant positive reinforcement they would eventually forget.

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During the Spencer Mansion incident, a handful of Hunter specimens were released by Albert Wesker who was a member of S.T.A.R.S. that was also a secret Umbrella employee who was tasked with pitting the creatures against all the other S.T.A.R.S. operatives to evaluate them in combat and send the information back to the company. There have been other instances where the Hunter α have been used before the turn of the century - but by then it had been largely replaced with future models.

They were replaced by the Hunter β which used the Hunter α as a template. However the Hunter α found its way onto the B.O.W. black market (most likely by Wesker) and as such is still being used despite the enhanced models out there.

 

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Tick

Please note, this creature is considered non-canon as it was featured in the Sega Saturn release of Resident Evil as a palette swap of the Hunter α. It did not appear in the Remake.

The Tick was an experimental B.O.W. (Bio-Organic Weapon) which used the exact same research as the Hunter α, only instead of using reptile DNA insect DNA was used instead, leading to something similar to the Chimera but the key difference being that the creature had roughly the same body type and abilities as the Hunter α. It was quickly discontinued by Umbrella as the product was simply too similar to the existing Hunter.

Most of the specimens were destroyed once all research and development ceased, but a handful managed to hide in the dark caves which were situated underneath the Spencer Mansion. They were encountered by Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine and Barry Burton.

 

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Plant 42

Plant 42 is the name of a large plant which was exposed to the t-Virus purely out of curiosity as to how the virus would affect different types of biology. Named as such as it was contained in an area called Point 42 in the Spencer Mansion. It's main roots can be seen from the ceiling of a room directly below, named the Aqua Ring. The Aqua Ring contained a tank of water in which the plant was able to promote it's growth.

By the time S.T.A.R.S. arrived to the Mansion, the plant had grown throughout the building in which it was housed, with it's vines being seen throughout the area. It had the ability to open doors and drain unsuspecting victims of their blood.

Plant 42 is weak against a chemical Umbrella have produced named V-JOLT. Unfortunately Umbrella scientists themselves were unable to utilise it due to the outbreak, but the formula to make it, plus all the ingredients remained on site at the Mansion.

Jill Valentine can synthesise V-JOLT by herself as she has the skill to mix chemicals, whereas Chris Redfield requires the aid of Rebecca Chambers. In either case, if V-JOLT is not used, or if Chris saves Richard Aiken, then Plant 42 can be defeated 'the normal videogame way' by damaging it enough, but it is quite a difficult battle, and it can regenerate itself.

 

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Neptune

Neptune (Umbrella development code FI-03) was the project name for an early prototype B.O.W. (Bio-Organic Weapon) developed by Umbrella scientists working at the Spencer Mansion site. They were experimenting with a weak version of the t-Virus paired with different animals and a great white shark was chosen due to it's fear associated with humans. The name Neptune was given as it refers to the Roman God of the Seas - which was also the name given to a blue gas giant planet in our Solar System.

Unlike future B.O.W. experiments which began at the embryonic stage, the Neptune was created when the t-Virus was administered to a mature great white shark. After some time the specimens grew three or four times their regular size and did not show any outward t-Virus characteristics such as necrotic skin or unusual muscle growth - they simply had the appearance of a large shark. However, they did have much heightened aggression and as such if they spotted prey they would make a beeline for them and try to kill them.

Research and development ended when Umbrella decided that the project wasn't improving, plus the severe disadvantage of needing to be in deep water to be effective limited their capability immensely. Thus the project was cancelled and only a three live examples remained in a large water tank at the Spencer Mansion guard house - One was the mother of the two smaller sharks - and according to reports there were originally twelve and all but two died just after they were born. The remaining Neptune's met their end when the water tank was drained, rendering them harmless out of the water.

Despite the lack of potential in the Neptune, Umbrella did mass-produce the Neptune some time later in one of their European laboratories perhaps out of desperation to have something to produce cheaply as at the time the company was at the brink of ruin.

 

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Web Spinner

The Web Spinner was an early Umbrella B.O.W. (Bio-Organic Weapon) which was researched and developed in the Arklay Laboratory. The Web Spinner was created by injecting a sample of the t-Virus into various kinds of arachnids. It is not known exactly which one was selected to become the template for the Web Spinner but it shares many physical characteristics to a tarantula so it was most likely that one.

Umbrella found the resulting creation to be unsatisfactory as apart from a marked increase in size and aggression, they did not have any other useful characteristics as a weapon. Also, they suffered from a great loss in intelligence which also made them unsuitable as weapon as they could not follow orders or listen to commands. Contrary to their name they rarely spun webs - they relied entirely on their size and formidable bite power in order to subdue their prey.

As with most spiders, they could climb along almost all surfaces with ease and as such tended to hide in the darkness. The project was cancelled soon after it began and most of the specimens were destroyed - a few remained alive to that small teams could continue experimenting on them but these eventually escaped and managed to nest throughout the Spencer Mansion. A larger mutated Web Spinner was also found in an underground cave system adjoining the mansion to the laboratory. It was given the nickname Black Tiger due to it's darker colouring and was much larger and more powerful than an ordinary Web Spinner - so much so that the creature was so difficult to kill it couldn't be stopped by UBCS (Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service) soldiers who decided to fall back.

Further research into different ways to create Spider B.O.W.s was conducted but the Web Spinner project was abandoned.

 

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Black Tiger

Black Tiger was the name of a unique mutant variant of the Web Spinner which was an early experimental B.O.W. (Bio-Organic Weapon) which Umbrella hoped would serve as a mass-produced unit which they could sell to military organisations or private individuals. However the resulting creature was underpowered and disappointing, particularly in intelligence so was rendered unsuitable and the project was abandoned.

The Black Tiger was a random mutation of the Web Spinner which could not be replicated in laboratory environments - it seemed to have existed purely by chance, either the t-Virus dose was larger or some other unknown factors came into play. It defended a large nest in a cave system under the Spencer Mansion which was connected to the Arklay Laboratory where the initial Web Spinner project was created.

Unlike the Web Spinner, the Black Tiger was actually capable of spinning a web and it produced a very thick silky web which was strong enough for a human to feel resistance when they would try to move it. It also had an ability where it could launch a volley of poison at an enemy. It was also several times larger than the average Web Spinner and much more aggressive. The creature also had the capability to release many Spider hatchlings from its body as a way to interfere with an adversary.

However despite it's appearance and strength against small arms fire, the creature was eliminated by Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine with a flamethrower and a 44 Magnum. Earlier, Umbrella sent their UBCS (Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service) after the Black Tiger to attempt to eliminate it but the team failed and were forced to flee.

 

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Spider

These types of Spider are essentially younglings which are birthed from a mature adult which has been infected with the t-Virus - they often sprout from the abdomen in large numbers and swarm a target. In most cases this occurs after the adult has been killed - but sometimes the adult spider is capable of launching smaller spiders as a kind of attack.

In general these spiders do not cause much damage and are more of an inconvenience. They have enough strength to cause irritation and limit movement slightly but they have not been known to kill anybody.

The most effective way to destroy a small spider is either by stepping on it or if there is a large swarm, a specialist weapon such as a flamethrower. Using projectile weapons is not advised due to their small size and agility - unless you are a perfect shot it will be difficult to hit one.

 

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Yawn

Named Yawn because of the way it held it's mouth wide open before it attacked, it was the result of t-Virus experiments on an adder. Umbrella scientists attempted to keep it under control, but because of the outbreak, it broke out of containment and caused havoc throughout the Spencer Mansion, likely killing many in the process.

On top of it being extremely venomous and dangerous, it grew extremely large, but still retained agility. Also, It's venom was so powerful that it could only be cured with a special serum, which supplies of were kept in the Mansion. Once taken, the user would be immune to the venom's effects permanently. If the person bitten was not cured, they would die.

S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team members Rebecca Chambers and Richard Aiken were attacked by Yawn, with Richard taking a venomous bite in order to protect Rebecca. Later, Alpha Team members Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield encountered it and eventually defeat it.

In all appearances, Yawn is battled in the Library. However, in Resident Evil Deadly Silence, another more resilient Yawn can be found in the location where Plant 42 was. The serum can be found in 1F Chemical Storage Room.

A Snake-like creature was later developed by Neo Umbrella which was named Iluzija and based on a C-Virus infection on a human host.

 

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T-002 (Tyrant)

T-002, named simply Tyrant, was the result of an improvement on the techniques used by Umbrella to attempt to create a super-human soldier. This involved a massive infection of the t-Virus onto a human host with additional surgery to enhance the creature even further. The main drawbacks with the earlier incarnations of Tyrant is that the intelligence was reduced massively - but in this case it was found to have only slightly reduced intelligence from it's initial human form, as Umbrella had by this time developed an improved strain of the t-Virus (named Epsilon) and the host had the required genes for the mutations to happen optimally. Otherwise it could have just become a regular Zombie.

The host was a human male, and through the t-Virus infection it developed an enormous clawed left hand as well as an increase in muscle mass and skin thickness in certain key areas. It also developed a special organ in it's body which was designed to process and disperse the t-Virus into the air which is how the initial t-Virus outbreak began throughout the Mansion Incident. It's surgically-enhanced circulatory system takes over much of the upper half of it's body with veins and arteries covering much of it's chest and head and it also has a number of bulbous growths on it's right leg, and this is potentially where the t-Virus is produced.

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Umbrella's goal was to conduct further experiments with the T-002, including pitting the creature against a squad of military forces and also to continue to add further improvements through surgery. At this point it had been outfitted with a larger heart to cope with it's increased size, as well as a Power Limier to help hold unwanted mutations at bay. However, because of the t-Virus outbreak this progress stalled and the unfinished creature was held in containment.

The Tyrant was released from containment by Albert Wesker, and then it was subsequently overpowered by the rest of the S.T.A.R.S. team who were present. However, soon after this it's Power Limiter was disabled and the further mutations began to manifest which transformed it into a much more powerful beast named a Super Tyrant which could no longer be incapacitated with small arms fire. It was eventually destroyed from a direct-hit by a missile.