During Sony's huge PS5 event last month, Capcom announced Resident Evil Village, which is the next installment in the long-time survival horror franchise. Alongside the confirmation of the upcoming game was a debut trailer, which gave players a sneak peek on what to expect in Resident Evil Village. Of course, the biggest revelation in the announcement trailer is the return of Resident Evil 7 protagonist, Ethan Winters, and series veteran Chris Redfield.

However, the trailer also confirmed some terrifying enemies that players can expect to encounter in Resident Evil 8, which includes what appears to be a witch, some deranged villagers similar to Resident Evil 4, and strange creatures that appear to be similar to werewolves, which were also previously leaked prior to the trailer's release. It is worth remembering that ever since its release back in 1996 the Resident Evil franchise has always been a survival horror series based on science fiction. However, some players are now wondering whether the addition of werewolves and other monsters in RE8 is a signal that the franchise is now entering the realm of the supernatural.

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Of course, there is no way of knowing the true nature of these werewolf-type creatures until Resident Evil 8 releases next year for the PC and next-generation consoles. However, it is worth nothing that this is not the first time that werewolves existed in the Resident Evil universe. Now, here is a brief history of that one time that werewolves appeared in Resident Evil, and what their inclusion in RE Village could mean for the franchise moving forward.

History of Werewolves in Resident Evil

Resident Evil Village

During 1998-99, when Resident Evil was still at its infancy, Capcom released a comic book series that told the story of Resident Evil outside of the games. In its third issue, released in September 1998, a story was featured called "Wolf Hunt," which takes place a week before the mansion incident. In Wolf Hunt, a terrifying werewolf is reported to be stalking the streets of Raccoon City College.

In an effort to investigate these strange sightings, RPD's STARS sent Jill Valentine to go undercover as a student to see if any of the claims about a werewolf were true. During her investigation, Jill encountered the werewolf,but the comics never explained what the werewolf was. When it was killed, it reverted back to its human form, which seems to suggest that it may not be a creation of the Umbrella Corporation. Although this is technically the first time werewolves were featured in Resident Evil's universe, it is worth pointing out that while the comic series is officially licensed by Capcom, its story is not considered as canon.

What The Werewolves in Resident Evil Village Could Mean for the Franchise?

resident evil 8 address re7 criticisms

So what does the appearance of werewolves in RE8 mean for the Resident Evil franchise? While some speculate that the upcoming game could be the beginning of the franchise's transition to supernatural horror, it is worth remembering that the same thing was said with the latest Resident Evil game. Prior to the release of Resident Evil 7 in 2017, the game was thought to be heading into a supernatural direction, especially with the ghost-like enemies seen in previews. Of course, we know now that just like the games before it, all the enemies in Resident Evil 7 were bio-organic weapons, and were created by an evil organization. Having said this, it is possible that the werewolf creatures seen in RE8's debut trailer are also created by either a virus or parasite.

But it is also important to point out that Resident Evil going supernatural is not an unlikely scenario, especially since Capcom has already considered taking this route in previous games. During the development of Resident Evil 4, early prototypes of the game included supernatural elements. However, after noticing that the game strayed too far from Resident Evil's existing lore, Capcom decided that the prototype would be better off becoming its own franchise, and thus, Devil May Cry was born. Apart from Resident Evil 4, Capcom also considered introducing supernatural elements in Resident Evil 7, with game director Koushi Nakanishi saying, "At the beginning, we did consider everything, though --- and wondered what we could bring in for more of a supernatural dimension. But we didn't end up going down that route."

One huge thing that players can take away from the development of RE4 and RE7 is that Capcom has been thinking of bringing the Resident Evil franchise in the realm of the supernatural, and it is possible that Resident Evil Village and its werewolf enemies would mark the first time that the series would delve into forces unexplained by science. If true, this would also mean that Resident Evil Village would be a massive departure from everything that the franchise has established so far. But, players should know that Capcom has never been shy of trying to re-invent the Resident Evil franchise, and it is likely that Resident Evil Village would be the start of a new era for the long-time survival horror series.

Resident Evil Village is set to release in 2021 for the PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.

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