Capcom has finally revealedResident Evil 8: Villageto much fanfare, with rumors aplenty swarming the web to pick out every clue and theory they can derive from theResident Evil 8trailer. While there are many theories regarding specific predictions comprisingResident Evil 8’sstoryline, there is perhaps further insight to be gained in looking at recent rumors as well.
Given that the trailer confirmed many ofResident Evil 8’sprevious rumors to be true, it might be worth considering the possibility that other unconfirmed rumors may be true as well, and, if so,Resident Evil 8could bring the series' storyline into a full circle finally. TheResident Evilgames could traditionally be split into three separate story arcs between the main games, which have their own infectious experiments largely separate from each other, albeit some loose connections, such as shared protagonists.
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Resident Evil’s 3 Origin Stories and Plot Arcs
For example,Resident Evil 1-3, as well asResident Evil 0,6andCode Veronicaall featured the story arc manifested from theResident Evil’sinfamous T-Virus, which Umbrella obtained from a particular flower that only grows in a secret cave in West Africa. Next,Resident Evil 4and5featured monstrosities created from the Las Plagas parasites which came from a secret underground cave in Spain. With the exception of Albert Wesker and Ada, and Krauser to a degree, the main antagonists inResident Evil 4and5also had their own origins separate from the T-Virus.
Resident Evil 5heads into some particularly strange territory with a story arc that is one of dualism, as Albert Wesker,Resident Evil 5’smain villain, was attempting to unleash the Ouroboros virus on the world, which shares lineage exclusively with the T-Virus arc, or more specifically, the earlier Progenitor virus. Finally,Resident Evil 7rolls into completely new waters again, introducing players to the fungal experiment known as theMold and the Eveline project inResident Evil, with origins that are still mostly unclear.
In short, these three story arcs could be described as the T-Virus, the Las Plagas, and the Mold arcs. Interestingly enough, just a few weeks before the release of theResident Evil 8trailer, developers fromResident Evil 3’s team officially confirmed that theNemesis' storyline was changed inResident Evil 3 Remakein order to connect the storyline to the Las Plagas parasites inResident Evil 4. Specifically, they confirmed that Umbrella Corporation’s Nemesis Parasite, which was responsible for turning a Tyrant into the Nemesis, was engineered to mimic the Las Plagas parasites.
This means that Umbrella was aware of the Las Plagas' existence and has some sort of unknown link to the matter, which was previously not known by players. In short, this also confirms that the Nemesis villain is a fusion of the T-Virus and the Las Plagas parasite lineage of infectious experiments.
Now that the Las Plagas parasites and T-Virus story arcs are interconnected, and aResident Evil 4 Remakeis rumored to be in the works,Resident Evil 8can bring the three main story arcs to a full circle by explaining the origins of the Mold and hopefully weave it into the fabric of Umbrella’s dark presence throughout theResident Eviluniverse, specifically the Las Plagas and T-Virus family of experiments.
Resident Evil 7never fully explained how the Mold’s psychic abilities work, or even theEveline project’s mysterious origins. Given that the Las Plagas parasite also shared a similar mechanism in its ability for the Dominant Plagas host to communicate with followers, there is ample room to tie the origins of the Mold into the story arcs of the Las Plagas and T-Virus backgrounds.
The Mold’s Origins
After all, Umbrella’s presence looming overResident Evil 8is all but confirmed in the trailer, as a quick snippet shows the Umbrella emblem upon what appears to be a classic-styleResident Evilpuzzle. And Ethan, who was infected with the Mold inResident Evil 7, may still carry its presence in his blood stream, which could likely play some sort of significance inResident Evil 8. In fact, just after the two minute mark in the trailer, there appears to be a short clip showing one of the female characters potentially biting Ethan’s hand in first-person view and drawing blood from it. However, there is no way to confirm if that is Ethan, sinceResident Evil 8is rumored to feature three playable characters.
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It is also worth mentioning thatResident Evillore has confirmed that the H.C.F. paramilitary organization, belonging to longtime antagonist Albert Wesker, had a role in the research and creation of the Eveline project inResident Evil 7, and assisted the mysterious group it belonged to known only as The Connections. While this does not mean Albert Wesker necessarily had a direct involvement, it could speak volumes for the latest rumor regardingAlex Wesker’s return toResident Evil 8as an antagonist.
In the timeline ofResident Evil’spast, Alex Wesker was known for supervising projects on multiple islands owned by Umbrella, where she turned them into deadly playgrounds and real-life simulations to test her subjects and bio-weapons within. This was essentially the plot forResident Evil: Revelations 2, which was set on an island whereAlex Wesker was testing her T-Phobos virusto identify suitable prisoners for more advanced experiments.
Resident Evil 8’svillage, which appears remote and encapsulated within a range of mountains or valleys, would seem to be a great experimental playground for Alex Wesker. Furthermore, her keen interest in experiments that target hosts' minds appear fitting forResident Evil 8’spsychological-horror directionand rumored hallucinatory in-game effects, as well as the psychic communicative properties of the Las Plagas parasites and the Mold too.
Resident Evil 8: Bringing it all Together
Resident Evil 8also could very well leave room for inclusion of the Nemesis Parasite in some role within the storyline. One important matter to note is the emblem shown in theResident Evil 8trailer, which appears similar to a Las Plagas parasite, or some of the parasites created by theNemesis monster inResident Evil 3 Remake. One key difference is the presence of what appears to be a large head with a surgical scar on it, which also makes it resemble some sort of fetus.
Resident Evil 8clearly comprises themes of dark and occult horror, at least on the surface, and often times these include themes of fertility. From black goats, witches, weird symbols and rumors that Ethan and Mia have a baby inResident Evil 8,themes of the occult resonate strongly here. And in looking closely at the strange emblem in theResident Evil 8trailer, there appears to be a scar on its head with stitches in it, as if it was possibly operated upon.
It is important to remember that while the Las Plagas parasites inResident Evil 4and5need to be injected in the neck or orally consumed by their human hosts, the Nemesis Parasite, on the other hand, is surgically implanted into the brain. The Nemesis has the surgical scar on its head to show it. Furthermore, like the Las Plagas parasite, the Nemesis Parasite also has European origins, whereResident Evil 8appears also takes place. Furthermore, Umbrella’s European facilities inResident Evilwere focused on experiments that manipulated the mind or retain intelligence.
Given the timing of the revelation by Capcom developers that the Nemesis conveniently fuses the lore of the Las Plagas and T-Virus story arcs together, there is some room for speculation thatResident Evil 8could be the ultimate cocktail of all ofResident Evil’smost diabolical experiments. This is further supported by additional rumors which claim that zombies will be returning toResident Evil 8.
Resident Evil 8certainly appears ambitious in its direction, and hopefully it will answer some ofResident Evil 7’smost pressing questions, such asthe role of Chris Redfield inResident Evil 8. But perhaps just as pressing isResident Evil 8’spotential to provide greater insight into the lore and canon of Resident Evil’s past, as well as future, and tie it all together.
Resident Evil 8: Villageis in development and set to release on the PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X in 2021.
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