Beyond the initial reveal trailer shown back in June at Sony’s PlayStation 5 showcase, there’s still remarkably little known about Resident Evil Village, at least officially.
In the weeks since then, of course, numerous leaks have surfaced online, most of which purportedly originate from participants in ongoing playtests as part of Capcom’s Ambassador program. The folks over at Biohazard Declassified have been documenting everything their unnamed sources have been providing, resulting in some interesting revelations, to say the least. Following on from a recent leak claiming to describe Village‘s entire opening sequence, subsequent details shared by the site this week reveal a new enemy type that fans of the classic games might find sounds incredibly familiar.
Described by the anonymous whistleblower as a “Gorilla-Man,” the otherwise nondescript creature is said to be some form of miniboss that Ethan Winters will be forced to fight throughout the course of Village‘s campaign.
While an admittedly vague visual profile – it’s not clear if the creature in question is simply an abnormally large human or a monster with physical attributes similar to that of a gorilla – the use of such animals in Resident Evil isn’t an unfamiliar concept to Capcom. The developer had once intended for a primate-type enemy to appear in the original Resident Evil 2, though would ultimately go on to scrap the idea. Only several years later in 2002’s prequel entry Resident Evil 0 would something akin to that original design be introduced, making the T-Virus’ use on simian species a canonical plot point.
Given that the Umbrella Corporation’s iconic logo has already been spotted in footage of Village, this development could be yet another hint towards its involvement and the story’s direction, but what do you think? Be sure to let us know in the usual place below!
Resident Evil Village is out next year for Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5 and PC.