Resident Evil Village Was Supposed To Have Monstrous Mermaids
As us poor unfortunate souls sit and twiddle our thumbs for promises of a Resident Evil Village DLC, we're filling our time by diving deep into this gothic locale to find out what made the Four Houses tick. We already knew some content was cut before the final game, but now, we know evil mermaids were nearly part of the party.
While Lady Alcina Dimitrescu became the poster girl for the eighth main Resident Evil game, let's remember she was just the first boss before we had to blast our way through Donna Beneviento, Salvatore Moreau, Karl Heisenberg, and (finally) Mother Miranda. Each had their own distinct area, but for those that thought Moreau's Reservoir was lacking, it should've been completely different.
How Did Resident Evil Village Include Mermaids?
Posting on Twitter, noted Resi leaker Dusk Golem explained how evil mermaids were nearly part of Moreau's arsenal of enemies. The area was apparently trimmed due to time and budget constraints, with Capcom deciding to focus on more iconic locales like the fan-favourite Castle Dimitrescu and endgame Heisenberg areas.
According to Dusk Golem, mermaids were going to be a fast-swimming enemy that would attack if they found you. Players had to get Ethan onto spots of land, but even then, the mermaids would try and stun you with a screech attack. The most interesting bit is that the screech attack would apparently alert a stalker enemy.
Before its rework, Moreau's area was described as an open-world swamp similar to Resident Evil 7's End of Zoe DLC. Dusk Golem thinks this "stalker" would've been similar to the legendary Tyrant from Resident Evil 2, and that the enemy was going to be Moreau himself. It's sad that we didn't get this in the final cut - leaving Moreau as arguably the weakest of the boss battles.
What Else Was Cut From Resident Evil Village?
Click to enlargeThe reworked Moreau's Reservoir also cut "ritual stuff" with lycans and witches, claiming it was too similar to Lady D's daughters. There's nothing wrong with this segment of Village, but still, imagine what it would've been like taking on a villainous revamp of The Little Mermaid cast. The already confirmed Resident Evil 9 is expected to ditch its gothic aesthetic, so malevolent mermaids might not fit the theme.
It remains to be seen whether any of these cut plotlines could be restored for the Village DLC (if we ever see it). Another arc that was bafflingly cut saw Ada Wong return to the franchise. Ada was supposed to be a mysterious plague doctor stalking Ethan, who would eventually emerge to help our hero against Mother Miranda. In some dream world, mermaids and Ada would be reinstated for a Village DLC, but sadly, we'd say this is one rumour that's all washed up.
