It says something that no one has ever been able to truly top Resident Evil 4’s Regenerator. Out of all the countless abominations in Resident Evil alone, there are few that practically every player is leery of like the pale-faced beast that ambushes players from out of nowhere. Whether you’re a guns-blazing wannabe action hero or the most nerve-wracked, tactful survivalist, everyone faces the creature’s wrath.
Regenerators, by their very name, already make you wary because they can leave you wasting potentially tons of ammunition. Regenerators are kept alive by parasites only visible via a bio-thermal scope, or if you’re extremely lucky, they might be exposed by a shotgun blast ripping flesh open. It leans hard into the emphasis on strategic aiming – little surprise Dead Space wholesale copied the Regenerator as a recurring boss fight of their own.
Except that’s just the thing… the Resident Evil version isn’t a boss fight. There are many of them, and they’re ever so pleased to meet you. Their durability is only one slice of the creep factor, as the Regenerator is simultaneously eye-catching yet understated. The first thing any player will hear is their breathing. Sickly, hungry breaths hounding you as the lone warning bell. Then you see their slender, uncanny bodies, with rows of sharp, tusk-like teeth in an unbreaking grin. Nothing’s worse than the breathing though. That endless, inhuman breathing…
Regenerators might look human-shaped, but then they start warping and stretching like living goo. It’s as if you’re fighting a zombified claymation character, their bodies able to whip around and harrass you. It’s one of the few times a horror enemy’s attack patterns resemble that of the Drunken Master martial arts style, using tactful mishaps to their advantage. Even if you’re doing everything right and have them on the floor, injured in several places, they can turn the odds in their favor in the blink of an eye.
And I’m pleased to report that Resident Evil 4 Remake has managed to make them even more disturbing. The sound design has been cranked up to 11. Darker lighting in the laboratories leaves you watching their glowing eyes glare menacingly at you in the dark. By far, the best section is when you need to identify and kill a particular Regenerator to progress through a puzzle. Not only does it ensure players learn the value of their new scope, but it’s a nerve-wracking bit of long-range surgery.
For instance, if like me, you didn’t have an assault rifle on hand, that means your only guaranteed way to kill the parasites is with a long-range sniper rifle… in close quarters. Granted, this was far more challenging given the Remake’s poor controller aiming, but I adapted. Trickier still is due to the Regenerator’s chaotic attacks, he accidentally smash free all the other Regenerators in the room. Four Regenerators at once? That’ll get your heart pumping, that’s for sure!
Nothing’s worse than the breathing though. That endless, inhuman breathing…
I wouldn’t say it’s impossible to fight any of the remake’s Regenerators off without using the scope, but given the even sparser ammo drops and the sheer punishment the creatures take, do you really want to make that gamble? Yet that’s also what made me so sad when the section was over. Fighting the Regenerators in Resident Evil 4 Remake is one of the few times it actually feels like the original Resident Evil 4 in the best way possible. It’s that perfect blend of action and horror. I really would’ve liked more of the game to retain this enjoyable tension – that fine line between anxiety inducing and thrilling.
It’s particularly poignant as, right before the Regenerator arises, the gameplay practically transforms into a straight-up military shooter for several minutes, pitting you against gun-toting infected through environments straight out of Metal Gear, with sentry turret spotlights, incentive to neck-stab enemies, and everything. I get that the Umbrella labs and their military defenses were part of the original game, but the differences are staggering in pacing and tone – that is, until you reach the Regenerators.
I wouldn’t think I’d be sad to see one of the most harrowing enemies in the series slink back into the shadows, but they add so much to the experience. If nothing else, credit is due to whoever worked on the Regenerators in the remake. They did an outstanding job, demonstrating at least someone at Capcom remembers why Resident Evil 4 worked in the first place.
