Resident Evil 4remains one of the most popular games in theResident Evilfranchise, despite marking a departure from its predecessors in a number of ways including gameplay and story. While main character Leon S. Kennedy was a returning protagonist from earlier in the series, the events ofRE4existed mostly outside of the core story about the evil corporation Umbrella. Another big departure from the formula for Capcom up to that point was the inclusion of a new parasite responsible for the monstrous mutations inResident Evil 4, the Las Plagas.
Meaning “the plague” in Spanish, the Las Plagas were at the time a radical change in direction for the tried-and-true formula of players battling against both people turned into zombies and creatures mutated beyond recognition by the T-Virus. Umbrella’s bioweapon manufacturing was fueled by using the T-Virus to manipulate DNA and its release into the populace of Raccoon City spurred the events of the first threeResident Evil Games.RE4’s extended development cycle helped give a lot of time to buildhype for the horror game, and many fans believe it delivered. The Las Plagas were important to this success and have since become less odd of a choice for Capcom.
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Fear Grounded In Reality
One of the scariest things about the Las Plagas inRE4for many players was the parasite’s basis in reality. Throughout the game, players can uncover research notes from Dr. Luis Sera that draws comparisons between the Las Plagas parasites and the real-lifeophiocordyceps unilateralis. This fungus infects insects and arachnids and overrides their basic survival instincts helping the fungus reach the higher predators it seeks to infect.
The Las Plagas parasites were developed by Osmund Saddler from preexisting samples he had obtained from his predecessors as a way to infect humans and create monsters like the horrific Novistadors. These giant cricket-like creatures operate in a hive mind and are some of the most fearsome enemies in the game, and as theResident Evilparasites continued to evolve, Saddler and his organization are able to create even more grotesque monsters.
Unlike theT-Virus, which was propagated either as an airborne pathogen or transmitted via bites from an infected individual, humans are implanted with an egg from which the Las Plagas sprouts and begins to take over its host. These infected individuals, called the Ganados by Saddler and his cronies, operate in a somewhat hive mind way and obey orders from Saddler or his subordinates.
Even as one of themost skilled protagonists in theResident Evilfranchise, Leon finds himself in trouble when facing hordes of the Ganados. One of the biggest surprises for players inRE4is the first time a Las Plagas erupts from its host after a well-placed headshot, and the parasite lashes out with sharp blades while steering its host body (which, while terrifying, was not based in reality).
Not So Odd Anymore
RE4was originally designed to be a departure from the rest of the series, but recently Capcom has slightly “retconned” the story ofRE3to state that Nemesis was created by the European branch of Umbrella. Umbrella Europe gained access to the Las Plagas parasites and mutated it into what became known as the Nemesis Alpha parasite, and after infecting a T-103 model Tyrant, the already huge and grotesque bioweapon from the originalResident Evil, Nemesis was born.
Many fans have interpreted this retcon as a hint towards the possibility ofremake ofResident Evil 4.If Capcom is indeed planning a remake ofRE4,the new origins of Nemesis and Umbrella’s early attainment of the Las Plagas will need to be fit retroactively into the existing narrative, making the parasite less of an oddity in the line ofREviruses, plagues, and the like.
Resident Evil 4is available for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
