Resident Evil Villagecontains a shout-out to the scene inResident Evil 5where that game’s protagonist, Chris Redfield, punches a boulder. Although Chris takes on a backseat role for most ofResident Evil Village, only becoming playable toward the end of the game, his most legendary achievement is directly referenced by the villainous Karl Heisenberg.
In his boss battle, Heisenberg explicitly describes Chris as a “boulder punching [expletive],” promising to kill him as soon as Ethan is dead. Gamers who playedResident Evil 5may recall that the boulder in question was much larger than Chris, who is not a small man, and question where Heisenberg’s confidence comes from.Resident Evilcharacters have been known to perform superhuman feats of strength and speed, but the boulder punching incident was so iconic–and notorious–that itwent down in video gaming history.
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For many fans, this was the scene that marked theResident Evilfranchise’s transformation from survival horror to cheesy action. The decision to include a reference to it in the follow-up game toResident Evil 7, which was a deliberate attempt to bring the series back to its terrifying roots, is an interesting one. There aremany things to love and hate aboutResident Evil Village, but its determination to connect the franchise’s past and future may earn players' respect.
Despite the differences in tone,Resident Evil Villagedraws heavily on previous games in the series for inspiration, such as basing Lady Dimitrescu’s stalking mechanics off of Mr. X, whose relentless pursuit is itself inspired by Nemesis in the originalResident Evil 3. Some players may findthe execution of her character and boss fight a bit lackluster, but it’s clear what the developers intended to invoke with her following Ethan through the castle. Compared to that, Heisenberg’s reference to Chris’s past exploits is a much more minor nod to the series' past.
Resident Evil Villagehad the series' biggest launch on Twitch, so this reference may well have been the meme’s first exposure to gamers who missedResident Evil 5. These new fans may wonder how Chris managed to move that rock with a body that’s supposedly only baseline human. In the years sinceResident Evil 5’s release, Capcom has made it clear that this moment was not a hint that Chris has picked up enhancements or lost his humanity during his decades-long fight against the B.O.W. threat–it was only ever meant to give Chris, and thus players, a chance to be an action hero. For better or worse, the scene succeeded so well that long-time fans got the reference immediately.
Resident Evil Villageis out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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