Resident Evil Village’s lycan enemies are ‘smarter and trickier’ than any other enemy to date

Although critically acclaimed and a return to form for the series overall, one glaring detriment of 2017’s Resident Evil 7 was its lack of enemy variety, a problem which the upcoming Resident Evil Village hopes to remedy in a big way.

One such example (besides the already hugely popular giantess, Lady Dimitrescu) will be Resident Evil Village‘s lycan enemies, the werewolves who could be seen as early as the game’s announcement trailer back in June’s Playstation 5 event.

The most recent issue of Game Informer shed some light on what players can expect from Resident Evil Village‘s lycan enemies and their preternatural capabilities never before seen in a Resident Evil game.

Capcom

Lycans will be “smarter and trickier” than any enemy encountered in a Resident Evil game yet with behavior that will adapt to the situation at hand. Lycans will be able to lay hidden and motionless in the shadows of rooftops and bushes, ready to ambush players if they go unnoticed. Much like wolves in real life, Resident Evil Village‘s lycan enemies will also “hunt” their prey differently if they’re by themselves or have other members of their pack present.

In addition, the lycans were designed with the game’s more open and vertical environments in mind. They’ll exhibit such behavior as readying themselves in a crouching position and then full on chasing players on all fours in sprint mode; scaling walls and buildings and even smashing through obstacles which might hinder their pursuit.

One such example has main protagonist Ethan Winters (who game director Morimasa Sato said is in for “the biggest surprise you could possibly imagine”) entering a grain field. As he does, he can see lycans entering the field after him, emerging from wheel barrows and other related objects. Soon, Ethan can only hear the lycans coming after him, trying his best to judge their position through the rustling of the grain stalks. Players will have to make a choice on what to do as the lycans give chase, making the dangerous choice to wait for the enemy to reach them or attempting to hinder them along the way — through such actions as shooting a bag of flour, which kicks the white powder up into the air, temporarily stunning the werewolves and revealing their location.

Capcom

The description of Resident Evil Village‘s lycan enemies prowling through wheat fields, with only the sounds of their movements hinting at their presence lends more credence to Sato’s belief that 3D audio will be “indispensable” in Resident Evil games and horror games in general going forward.

Resident Evil Village releases for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Stadia platforms on May 7th.

Are you looking forward to the heart-racing, spine-chilling scenarios which Resident Evil Village‘s lycan enemies threaten to bring to the game? Will Chris Redfield, who has looked bestial in appearance in both game trailers and official game art, have some sort of affiliation with Resident Evil Village‘s lycan enemies? Let us know in the comments.