The Resident Evil 4 Demo Is Already Getting Some Truly Bizarre Mods
The "Resident Evil 4" remake doesn't hit shelves until March 23, but Capcom has just released a demo of the game, and fans have already started implementing some pretty wild mods. This shouldn't actually be all that surprising though. The RE-makes for both "Resident Evil 2" and "3" were both extremely popular among the modding community as well. In fact, "RE2" currently has close to a thousand files on the popular mod-sharing site Nexus Mods, allowing players to do everything from altering the character's outfits to replacing Mr. X with Thomas the Tank Engine, so it makes sense that these creators would want to do the same thing with the remake of what many have called one of the best horror games of all time.
Some of these new mods are pretty standard, bringing back character models from previous games, attempting to improve the visual performance, or tweaking game mechanics. But there are others who aren't afraid to get a little more... experimental. There are only a handful of mods for the new game so far, but some of them are definitely doing their best to make an already unsettling game even stranger. Here are three of the most bizarre mods that have already been added to "Resident Evil 4."
Baby Strikes Back
The most prevalent type of mod on Nexus Mods' "Resident Evil 4" (2023) page are ones that alter the appearance of the game's protagonist, Leon S. Kennedy. Some of them are simple wardrobe changes while others put the rookie cop turned special agent in comedic skins, such as one that makes him look like a panda or another that dresses him as a French maid. Most of these are fairly tame, but some of them can be quite unsettling. By far the strangest one was created by JTeghius Kittius. It's called "Baby Strikes Back."
This mod replaces Leon's head with the oversized head of baby Rose Winters from "Resident Evil Village." The description of the mod jokes that it turns "Leon from a 'Babygirl' into a literal baby girl." This is apparently based on a similar mod that JTeghius Kittius originally created for "Resident Evil Village," which replaced Chris Redfield's head with a similar model and was downloaded by nearly 1,000 users.
Aside from the obviously upsetting image of an adult man with a baby's face, this particular model appears to have heavily lidded eyes and a dead stare that's sure to unnerve even the most hard-hearted of apocalypse survivors.
Shrek
Finding new and creative ways to add everyone's favorite swamp hermit to games is a popular staple in the modding community. Those who use the appropriate mods can be hunted by Shrek in "Left for Dead 2," can swing across New York as him in "Marvel's Spider-Man," or they can even ride him in place of their flying broom in "Hogwarts Legacy." These sorts of mods are definitely peculiar and seem to be most popular when they are at their most irreverent and nonsensical. Now, mod creator Iven has added Shrek to "RE4," following in this noble tradition. He does this by using a model of the ogre that he credits Mister3D69 with creating.
By using the "Shrek (Chainsaw Demo)" mod, players can replace the chainsaw-wielding cultist Salvador with the big green ogre Shrek, making him the one who tries to cut Leon into little pieces with a rusty chainsaw. Something about the fact that Shrek is a character from a Dreamworks film makes his power tool-wielding antics even more terrifying than the monsters and psychopaths that already populate the game. This mod makes it feel like maybe all those pitchfork-wielding villagers were right to try and drive out the big green menace.
Banana Gun and Spoon Knife
Like the last two RE-makes, "Resident Evil 4" is set in a third-person, over-the-shoulder POV. That means that players are going to spend an awful lot of time looking at Leon's back in the bottom corner of the screen while peering over the weapon he is holding in his hands. The first two weapons players get are a small caliber handgun and tactical knife for when Leon is low on bullets (which is generally quite frequent in "RE" games.) Some mods have replaced these weapons with others that are similar but more unique or stylized than the standard weapons. Mod creator Stevebg23 (aka EvilLord) took this in a different direction — instead making a mod that replaces Leon's handgun with a banana and his knife with an oversized metal teaspoon.
The banana in question is peeled halfway — though it's a little unclear exactly how the bullets leave the body of the fruit as there doesn't appear to be any kind of barrel for them to shoot out of. Not only do these weapons appear in Leon's hands while he uses them in combat, but they also appear in his inventory when players are sorting through his equipment.
These seem to be simple re-skins and shouldn't affect the way the weapons perform in-game. Hopefully, they will be equally effective in defending Leon from the dangers of Los Plagas.