Resident Evil Village Mods That Are Creepier Than The Game Itself
The anticipation for "Resident Evil Village" is at a fever pitch. After an extended demo period and a reveal of some of the creepiest creatures from the game, players are ready for Capcom's latest installation of the franchise. In fact, they're so ready that they've gone ahead and created some creepy mods.
Nexus Mods, the internet's destination for all things mod-related, has a growing "Resident Evil Village" page. Some existing mods seem peculiar, like one that puts Barney (of big purple dinosaur fame) into the game as an enemy. Fighting off a horde of smiling anthropomorphic dinosaurs is a true nightmare, but it's nothing compared to the weirdness of some "Resident Evil Village" mods. Somehow, modders created demented mashups and reskins to scare even the most stoic Raccoon City veterans.
Whether gamers are looking for a more intimidating version of Lady Dimitrescu or scarier weaponry for her daughters, modders have already begun to experiment with what's possible in "Resident Evil Village." Considering how violent the game is purported to be, these mods can only serve to make the village and its surroundings even more terrifying.
Lady Dimitrescu's daughters can brandish swords
Sometimes, enemies just don't pack enough punch, and players are left trying to figure out what could make their foes more intimidating. Someone's done that work for "Resident Evil Village" fans by giving everyone a sword.
JTeghius Kittius, or JTegh on Nexus Mods, crafted a mod that does exactly what it promises. "Swords for Daughters" allows Lady Dimitrescu's dark, brooding children to carry swords, which somehow seems more menacing than the scythes developers originally gave them. The mod description claims that it will "replace the sickle for the daughters with the longswords used by the Lycans." While scythes and sickles have agricultural uses in the real world, swords are just, well, swords. They're weapons and weapons only, which make the longsword-wielding daughters all the more intimidating. Apparently, it wasn't enough for the Lycans to carry them.
In the original conception of "Resident Evil Village," Lady Dimitrescu's castle held over 100 daughters, all of whom were witches ready to attack Ethan Winters. Now, imagine 100 daughters with swords. Ethan might reconsider coming to this village, just like he may have regretted going after Mia at the Baker estate.
Lady Dimitrescu gets glasses
UltraGamera, a Nexus Mods modder, uploaded "Mommy Glasses" with the simple description of "self-explanatory." It's true that this mod needs little introduction, because it does what it promises. "Mommy Glasses" adds a stylish pair of red sunglasses to the game's infamous antagonist, Lady Alcina Dimitrescu.
While it's not clear what the glasses add to the game, it's obvious that they're adding something for somebody. With almost 1000 views and 24 unique downloads at the time of publishing, Lady Dimitrescu's glasses are turning heads.
It's worth noting that anything Lady Dimitrescu does will grab attention, though. She's the lady that launched a thousand memes, and she's taller than anyone ever expected. Fans that want even more style for Lady Dimitrescu can now outfit her with glasses fit for a queen, or at least the lady of a wine empire. For fans that want to feel like their mom is ready to chase them through the house to argue about something, "Mommy Glasses" fits the bill.
The merchant gets a face lift
Crossovers are a hallowed part of gaming history, even if they don't always work out. One modder took it upon themselves to create a crossover no one was asking for, but everyone needed.
Pudge the Butcher, a character from "Defense of the Ancients" (more commonly known as "DotA"), is a large, lumbering menace who carves up dead bodies. He may not have much in common with the Duke, who aids players by selling them weapons and items, but there is at least a passing resemblance. Wiwilz's mod "Pudge Mask for the Duke" gives the Duke a new face, but doesn't change his overall body or attitude. Still, the result is unsettling.
The mask might help counter a troubling aspect of the Duke's character design that's already received some buzz online. Many gamers, as well as scholars, pointed out that the Duke's character design employs fatphobic stereotypes. The Pudge mask adds another layer to the design, and makes the Duke creepier without resorting to body shaming.
Lady Dimitrescu updates her interior design
Every gigantic, creepy castle needs a facelift sometimes, and what better way to decorate than with statues of yourself? "Replace the Armors with Alcina Dimitrescu" by Raq turns every suit of armor in Castle Dimitrescu into a lovely statue of the lady of the house.
You might be wondering why the switch in decor comes across as creepy. It's important to note that the statues of Lady Dimitrescu aren't just any old pose. No, these statues depict Alcina in her full glory, claws outstretched and head lifted proudly. Seeing the menacing statues should remind you that Lady Dimitrescu could be lurking around any corner. In fact, it's easy to mistake one of the towering statues for the real thing. If jumping with surprise every time you open a door is your thing, this mod is worth the price of (free) admission.
Of course, statues aren't the most terrifying thing the modding community has in store.
Lady Theodora creeps into uncanny territory
True horror often hinges on Julia Kristeva's theory of the abject, which focuses on the tension between desiring something and fearing it. Nothing describes the division between love and fear like Lady Dimitrescu's voluptuous body with the face of Thomas the Tank Engine poised on top. The description of "Count Theodora," a mod by CrazyPotato, claims that the program replaces Lady Dimitrescu with Thomas from the popular children's television show of the same name. In reality, it does much more than that.
It should go without saying, but tank engines should not have attractive human bodies, nor should attractive human bodies have the heads of tank engines. The contrast between Lady Dimitrescu's model and Thomas the Tank Engine's unblinking, blank face feels jarring, and there's something doubly disturbing about the train-faced tall lady walking slowly towards the player, calm and ready to kill.
Video footage of the mod in action only emphasizes how surreal it is. Count Theodora even takes a shotgun to the face and keeps on moving.
The "Resident Evil Village" modding community will likely expand after the game releases on May 7, but until then there are plenty of strange, terrifying mods to keep players happy until then.
Ricardo Milos dances in to Resident Evil 8
Ricardo Milos, a Brazilian model who went viral in the early 2010s, is the meme that just won't quit. Now, you can make "Resident Evil Village" even more bewildering by transforming the game's typical monsters into the dancing model.
Modder Marcos RC released the Ricardo Milos mod for his Patreon subscribers, so it's behind a bit of a paywall, but that doesn't make it any less scary. The many Milos have a glistening quality to them, like each model has been greased up and is ready to slip through the dungeons under Castle Dimitrescu. In typical Ricardo Milos style, the writhing models wear American flag bikini bottoms and a red bandana.
One commenter jokingly said that Lady Dimitrescu had met her match, while another called it "scary and funny at the same time." Whether it's meant to be funny or not, the mod is certainly uncanny and overwhelming. Nothing says terror like a group of oiled-up models in your face.
Lady Dimitrescu's daughters get cleaned up
Mods can do a variety of things, and some of the stranger ones may speak to the curiosities of certain players. One such curiosity involves Lady Dimitrescu's daughters, who appear in "Resident Evil Village" as blood-smeared, fly-covered monsters. Underneath all that blood and grime, though, some players saw lovely character models, so the girls got spruced up in a mod from UltraGamera. UltraGamera's mod removes all the blood from Daniela, Bela, and Cassandra — but doesn't manage to get rid of the flies, unfortunately.
The result is impressive. The girls are cleaned up and, for the first time, players can see their full faces without the jammy gore. One commenter joked that Lady Dimitrescu must not have taught her daughters any manners, and that the program cleans up their faces perfectly.
UltraGamera explained in their original post that players can still see a ghostly outline of where the blood once stained the daughters' faces, but it's difficult to see unless you're really looking for it. The modder hinted that they may improve on their work after the release of the full game.
This gun is bananas
"Banana Gun and Spoon Knife," a "Resident Evil Village" mod from Stevebg23, brings a healthy dose of potassium to Castle Dimitrescu. The mod turns Ethan Winters' gun into — you guess it — a banana, with the protagonist's knife becoming a spoon.
The mod's page explains that Stevebg23 originally created a similar mod for "Resident Evil 2," and that they feel excited to bring a new version of the banana gun to the latest installment of the series. While the humorous tone of the banana gun might not fit with the dreary village Ethan Winters finds himself in, it provides some much needed levity to the dark overtones of the world. It's hard to be scared or angry when there's a banana in your hand.
Banana guns are a favorite in the modding community, with yellow fruits getting added to a variety of games, including "Fallout 4" and "Boneworks." The banana gun doesn't necessarily change how weapons work in "Resident Evil Village," but it does alter players' perceptions of the horrific events unfolding onscreen.
Lady Dimitrescu gets a haircut
Lady Dimitrescu is already beautiful and adored by fans all over, but one mod gives her a fierce new look. LV Gaming created this Patreon exclusive mod, demonstrating the giant, Sinead O'Connor-esque Lady D in a YouTube video.
The mod delivers on its titular promise. "Bald Head Lady Dimitrescu" takes the tall villain's hair off of her model, leaving behind a shiny, smooth hairline. The video features a couple of minutes of footage of Lady Dimitrescu chasing Ethan Winters around the castle, swiping at him with her claws.
Some commenters thought the mod didn't go far enough, and asked for additional bikini modes for the harsh mistress of Castle Dimitrescu. Another fan just seemed shocked at the incredible speed with which developers have managed to produce mods. "Resident Evil Village" hasn't even been released yet, and already there are so many mods to choose from. Perhaps that's the true terror, here.