Players Find Resident Evil 5 Easter Egg In Village
The gloves (and in case of Ethan winters, hands) are off, as Capcom's Resident Evil Village is finally out and brings the long-running shooter series to a whole new generation of fans. Although our review of Village said the game was largely only a Resident Evil 7 sequel by name, there's just enough complicated lore that ties the eighth main game back to everything that came before.
As we trudge through this snow-capped nightmare of werewolves and woes, players are digging up Easter eggs from the depths of Castle Dimitrescu and beyond. Now, eagle-eyed fans have spotted a potential Resident Evil 5 Easter egg that's lurking toward the end of the game's main campaign. Considering most players are taking their time to explore this rotten realm, they might've not reached this point yet, so if you haven't, keep your eyes peeled.
What is the Resident Evil 5 Easter egg in Village?
Click to enlargeTo be honest, the Resident Evil Village Easter egg passed us by due to being too caught up in all the slaughter and shooting. Still, there's a throwaway line in the Heisenberg boss battle that honours one of the franchise's weirdest moments. For Ada and Albert aficionados, they'll likely have noticed the clever reference to Chris Redfield while Ethan tries to topple Karl Heisenberg. After besting the other four house heads, a bruised and battered Ethan takes his fight to Heisenberg's factory.
Things soon turn ugly, and after navigating the murderous locale, getting various parts, and taking out a monster with a propeller for a head, things go really crazy. With Heisenberg's factory on fire, he moves out into the open for a final showdown. Ethan is equipped with a makeshift vehicle that has a machine gun and a chainsaw, but as the battle progresses, Heisenberg throws Ethan from his little tank and nearly slices him in half. At this point, there's a small quip where Heisenberg vows to destroy Ethan and that "boulder-punching a**hole".
What does the Resident Evil 5 Easter egg mean in Village?
Anyone who is anyone will know that while Resident Evil 5 was criticised for not quite hitting the mark, the game is remembered for the frankly bizarre moment Chris Redfield punched a boulder. In a scene that's arguably even more ludicrous than Ethan taking on a giant transformer, the end of RE5 took Chris and Sheva Alomar into an active volcano to try and stop Albert Wesker (as you do). Chris had to dash to Sheva's aid, but when a boulder blocked his path, he punched it into submission. Even though we don't know where Chris suddenly got this burst of Ethan Winters-esque strength, it was the birth of the iconic Boulderfield.
Chris is back as a pretty important part of Resident Evil Village, so it's a nice touch that his boulder-punching escapades are remembered. It's unclear how Heisenberg learned of Chris boulder credentials when he's been stuck in Europe and Chris was whacking rocks in Africa, but still, the legacy lives on.
Click to enlargeOf course, boulder punches aren't the only Easter egg in Village. Others have spotted a cool feature where the main menu changes depending on where in the game you're up to. The further you advance into toppling the Four Houses, the field has a different backdrop. If you try to boot up the game toward the end of the campaign, you'll see the haunting scarecrow against a grim sunset. Importantly, it proves Village takes place over a single day. Wow, that's a lot for poor Ethan to pack in. And you thought your average Monday morning was bad.
Elsewhere, the jolly Duke deliverers his own throwback to Resident Evil 4 when he asks Ethan "What'yre buyin'?" - just like the 2005 classic's Merchant. Some took it to mean the Duke is the Merchant after putting on a bit of lockdown weight, but it's been confirmed they're two different characters. Finally, a more obvious Easter egg/reveal is the fact Oswell E. Spencer loved the region's crest so much, he stole the look for the Umbrella Corporation logo. Remembering that Spencer was a student of Mother Miranda, it was this wicked woman that put the whole franchise into motion. We're sure there are more out there, but for the time being, we're suitably stuffed with eggs.
Images via Capcom