Some say they are a legend, others may believe it is all true about them. There are several myths concerning them, from all around the world; and through the ages, literature has several times referenced them and made use of their magical world. In any event, the artifacts that hold the Earth together can easily become fascinating pieces of narrative that most of the times (if not always) act as an axis or even a driving force in the progression of a plotline. For what it's worth, Shay Cormac in Assassin's Creed Rogue and Lara Croft in Shadow Of The Tomb Raider definitely have great stories to tell about their almost identical experiences with such magical objects, and especially what happens when they are removed from their sacred resting places.

Shay's story takes us back to 1755, when our hero is sent on a mission arranged by the Colonial Assassins, to locate and retrieve an artifact of great power and utmost importance from the depths of a temple in Lisbon. Before that, he was able to decipher a riddle of sorts, involving a Precursor box (another magical object) and a manuscript written in an unknown language (it is the Voynich Manuscript in fact, playing a vital role in the story), which were both used in an experiment carried out by Benjamin Franklin, and the result of which revealed to Shay the exact location of the artifact in question. Shay arrives in Lisbon on a joyful day, with the city celebrating the Feast of All Saints; and the temple, which is his destination, is aptly decorated with flowers and colorful flags.

Once inside the church, he starts looking for clues that will lead him to the exact location of the artifact. Somewhere around there, probably buried deep in the foundation of the historical building. Shay has fond memories of Lisbon, as he had confessed earlier to Liam, his fellow Assassin and childhood friend; he had been there before, quite possibly on a mission again, and he met some lovely girls who were preparing to become nuns. So this is not just another place for him; he is emotionally attached already. But since he is a professional after all, his focus now is strictly set on locating the artifact. With his eagle vision, he spots four symbols on the walls of the church, each one representing an element: fire, water, earth, wind. 

With parkour and acrobatics, he reaches them one by one, unlocking a key mechanisms each one with his hidden blade. Notably, the four elements, albeit very much real and existing, often obtain a magical quality in fiction, including video games. It is thanks to them that Earth and humanity can live and breathe, and their eternal presence, although it accompanies human existence since forever, always holds an amount of mystery and unpredictability. When all mechanisms are unlocked, an underground passage is revealed in the center of the church.

Shay follows the passage going down below the ground floor of the church, which leads to some kind of bridge that seems to be floating, forming itself little by little towards a pedestal where the artifact is sitting. Our hero stands in awe as he approaches the mythical object which looks like a spiked star, illuminated with strange bright symbols. Following the orders of his superior Assassins, he reaches out to take the artifact from its resting place.

Just then, the ground starts to shake and the walls around him begin to tremble and slowly collapse. It is obvious that removing the artifact from its pedestal was not a good idea after all. Somehow, doing so unleashed a destructive, unearthly power, a force that humans were unable to predict, let alone control. Shay is at a loss; all he knows is that he has to escape the collapsing church as quickly as possible.

Once on ground level, all he encounters is chaos and panic as the earthquake is in full swing. What follows is a mad run across the collapsing city, during which Shay has to find alternative paths every now and then as the streets are not always accessible. As he goes, people are running in panic, screaming and praying loudly; buildings are falling down, the ground breaks and collapses. The city, which was flourishing with festive joy just minutes before is now completely defenseless against one of the most destructive forces of nature.

After an agonizing race against time, he finally manages to reach the harbour where his ship and crew await. Once he is safe on the deck, he watches the destruction from a distance, realizing that he is partly responsible for the doom that befell that beautiful city and its innocent people. It is at that moment that he seriously questions the actions and decisions of his fellow Assassins, leading to his dramatic rift with them soon after and his subsequent accession in the Templar Order.

Shadow Of The Tomb Raider brings us to contemporary Cozumel, a Mexican village, where Lara arrives with her friend Jonah, following the leads of one of her father's maps. It is the Day of the Dead, so the whole place is decorated with flowers and candles, and there are festive activities all around; there is singing, a small bazaar here and there, and the cemetery, usually a place of grief, is now a joyful haven of remembrance, as the locals are communicating with their deceased loved ones in a ritual that aims at exorcising death.

But Lara is on a mission; as much as she loves the festivities, since they are also part of her own field of knowledge and research (being an archaeologist who is also interested in folk culture), she disguises herself as one of the locals so as to locate and follow the trail of Dr Dominguez, a fellow archaeologist and former associate of her father's, who is also looking for the same artifacts that she wants to find. Of course he does not want them for anything good - at least this is what Lara believes in the beginning; Trinity, the order of which he is the leader, seeks such artifacts around the world in order to gain more power and control humanity.

Lara's path to the artifact is not as straightforward as Shay's; she has to stealthily follow Dr Dominguez and his men for a while, then outrun them towards the location in question, which is a precipitous area just outside the village; and climb some rather unfriendly rocks above raging waters until she finally gets to a huge cave where she has to move several objects around so as to reach a series of otherwise inaccessible platforms. Eventually she gets to the top of the cave, where she discovers a dagger of incredible craftsmanship hidden under a riddle pedestal resembling a Mayan calendar. Lara solves the puzzle, revealing the dagger which is majestically sitting on a receptacle, in such a way that all the details of its design are fully visible.

On the wall above the pedestal, there is an ominous primordial mural depicting a series of catastrophes, which Lara understands that are connected to the dagger. It is definitely wise to just leave the valuable artifact there, but knowing that Trinity is close behind and that they are surely going to take the dagger for their own dark purposes, she has no other choice but to remove it from its resting place. As soon as she does so, there is a shaking, and parts of the rocks around her collapse. However she has the time to escape the cave, as the first catastrophe has not started yet; and once outside, she has to fight a group of angry Trinity soldiers before she comes face to face with Dr Dominguez himself. The mysterious archaeologist attacks her with the help of his soldiers before violently taking the dagger from her and just then a most destructive flood is set in motion.

Lara runs frantically across the village, which is now fully overtaken by the force of nature. As she goes, either jumping from roof to pole or swimming through flooded buses and stores, everything around her gets gradually swept by the hostile waters as streets become torrents, houses flood, people try in vain to save their lives and the only way to possibly survive seems to be to attempt to reach a higher ground. And that is what she does, eventually reaching a safe terrace, marginally making it alive but ever so devastated for involuntarily causing this tragedy. 

These parts of Shay's and Lara's stories are very similar, and not only as far as their progression is concerned. It is worth the while to watch the sequences side by side, so that we can see in real time how things unfold for both of them, in the following comparison video. On the left, we see Shay's part and on the right there is Lara's part. 

Although their initial intentions are different, since Shay is tasked with taking the Precursor artifact by order of the Assassins and Lara is looking for the Dagger of Chak Chel following her self-assigned mission, they both seek to hide the magical objects from the opposing forces, namely the Templars and Trinity respectively. Interestingly enough, however, there is a similar twist in both stories. In Shadow Of The Tomb Raider, Dr Dominguez secretly wants to protect his native city, the mythical Paititi, and thus use the dagger for this purpose; similarly in Rogue, the Templars wish to keep the Precursor artifacts protected, knowing what would follow the removal from their resting places. Even so, the motives of the "villains", so to speak, in both stories still remain somehow dark and foggy, and we can never be sure about the sincerity of their own intentions. It is notable however that in Shay's story we witness a rather rare instance in the Assassin's Creed saga where the "good guys" not only seem to be completely in the wrong (albeit this is due to ignorance and not to malice), but they also act with unusual hostility towards Shay, who dared question their creed. In both stories, the setting is pretty similar. Lisbon in Rogue, Cozumel in Shadow Of The Tomb Raider, places of Latino heritage and on very fateful occasions as well: the Feast of All Saints in Lisbon and the Day of the Dead in Cozumel, both create a magical, unworldly atmosphere; although this is more evident in Lara's story, because there we have the chance to spend more time in the festive grounds and even interact with the locals; while Shay's route is mainly solitary.

 

The most prominent common element however is the quality of the artifacts themselves. They are both found buried in practically inaccessible places, and they seem to be placed at neuralgic spots, as if they are literally connectors in some kind of circuit that holds parts of the Earth together. Just like the crucial pieces of a Jenga tower, which, if removed, cause the collapse of the whole installation, in a similar manner objects like the Precursor artifact in Rogue and the Dagger of Chak Chel in Shadow Of The Tomb Raider act like key items of a power that the human mind is unable to conceive. From a scientific point of view, we could assume that, in the case of the Mayan artifact, there could be some realistic explanation to back the legend up. The Mayans, like the Aztecs or the Egyptians, had developed a massive and impressive expertise. Their architectural achievements are miraculous, even with today's standards. It is very likely that they had come up with ways to control the unstable grounds of their earthquake-prone lands by constructing mechanisms and key elements that were able to somehow hold neuralgic connecting axes together. Of course this could never work fully, as nature is unpredictable; but it could act as an indicator or a regulator of an imminent disaster. The fictional Isu of the Assassin's Creed saga share elements of civilizations like the Mayans, so their own expertise is pretty similar as well. Humanity - even in the case where it is half-divine, like the Isu - will always seek ways to understand the complex mechanics of the Earth and all it involves; because as much as we want to believe that we know it well enough, it still retains and undoubtedly will always be full of unexplored and unexplained mysteries. 

Ramón Salazar's Unlikely Legacy

When I played Assassin's Creed III a while ago, I was struck by how familiar Haytham Kenway's look and posture was to me, although back then I could not decipher any of his look's details that could lead me to the solution of this unexpected yet so interesting riddle. And how could it be possible, since the character he seems to nod to as far as his iconic outfit is concerned is no other than Ramón Salazar from the original - and now cult classic - Resident Evil 4, who is Haytham's exact opposite in terms of appearance, although they do share common elements when it comes to cunning and evilness. Released in 2012, Assassin's Creed III is a gloomy, deeply pessimistic tale with one of the saddest twists ever; and its protagonist-turned-antagonist Haytham Kenway is undoubtedly the most fascinating and complex villain of the Assassin's Creed Saga. As for Ramón Salazar, the villainous diminutive aristocrat whom we first met in Resident Evil 4 in 2005, he has left his own mark in the Resident Evil series, and the gaming world in general.

Haytham Kenway and Ramón Salazar do not have anything in common as far as their of physical appearance and temperament are concerned; Haytham is tall, good-looking and attractive, with a sharp, cunning mind and an even sharper arsenal, and equally uses his disarming charm, his mental gifts and his literal blades as lethal weapons in any given case. Gifted with high intelligence, intuition, insane physical strength, and all kinds of charisma, he is an unstoppable force of evil who is able to trap everyone around him in his seductive yet lethal web. What makes him so frightening as a villain is the fact that he is a debonair, stunningly handsome man who is always calm and collected and speaks like a nobleman; it is almost impossible to tell, by just looking at him, how merciless he can get and what extents his cruelty can reach.

 

 

Ramón on the other hand, hit by an incurable sickness and later affected by a devastating mutation, is trapped in a sick, diminutive body, doomed to look like an evil child for as long as he is destined to live; and his cleverness, albeit considerable, is consumed in spitting out smartass insults and setting up lethal traps to capture or even eliminate his enemies. His evilness is instantly obvious, but truth is he is incapable of reaching Haytham's level of cruetly because he lacks the self-confidence and physical strength to do so on his own.

 

Regardless, you cannot ignore the paranoia that shines in the eyes of both of them, although for each one it stems from different roots.

But it is their choice of outfits that is strikingly akin. Haytham and Ramón are dressed in a similar style, even wearing hats of the same type. Their preferred colors are also matching, with variations on their accessories and the details. They can be seen sporting blueish purple outfits with several layers and white shirts underneath. Ramón 's outfit is more simple, with rows of embroidered golden roses decorating its edges and part of the back and a yellow vest with what looks like vine motifs over his shirt, while Haytham's is more elaborate, with golden studs, buttons and threads, and he additionally has a red tie-ribbon and a red vest, as well as an impressive dark blue / grey cape which is red on the inside and has a fancy design on the back. They also both love to walk around with their arms behind their backs.

Haytham is always armed and ready to fight, with his Assassin blades, his pistol and sword, and wearing fancy leather brown boots with gaiters of the same color. Ramón does not carry any weapons and he prefers to show off his tiny calves covered with white stockings and wearing his favorite dress slippers.

They both have long hair, tied in queues with red ribbons. A style that was common in Haytham's era (mid-18th century) but not in Salazar's contemporary years. But we know how Ramón likes to dress like a nobleman of the old times.

Haytham Kenway's historical time is placed two centuries before Salazar's (Assassin's Creed III takes place in the mid-18th century, while the story of Resident Evil 4 unfolds in 2004), but his creation as a character follows that of Salazar by a nearly a quindecennium. Ramón may have influenced Haytham with his dressing style, but Haytham made that style grand and left the original bearer miles behind. Noticeably, the outfit that little Haytham is wearing in the epilogue of Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag (2013) where Edward is holding him in his arms at the theater loge, looks even more like Salazar's costume (minus the hat).

It is also worth-noting that there is a striking similarity between Ramón's outfit in the Resident Evil 4 Remake (2023) and the one that Edward Kenway can be seen wearing in the very same epilogue of Black Flag, with all details matching as well: the deep purple colour (it may not be evident from the screenshot, but Edward's jacket is the exact same color as that of the revamped Salazar's), the decorative motifs made of golden thread and the voluminous white cravat. Edward has his golden hair tied back in his classic, trademark style, and Ramón has what looks like a wig set in a similar hairdo.

Just like his son, Edward as well leaves Ramón miles and miles behind with his unmatched style. Then again the Kenways are such a gorgeous bunch, that even if you dress them in rags they will still look dashing. Poor Ramón can never win. 

The Magic of Bugs in the Resident Evil Series

In the vast mythology of hostile creatures in the Resident Evil game series, bugs are probably the most popular and prominent species. From their humble beginnings as just wasps, spiders or moths in the first games to their horrifying versions as lethal and super-powerful mutations of bosses in later installments, insects and other bugs of the creepy environments that shape the Resident Evil universe are always there to spice up the gameplay and the plots with their peculiar magic. Originating from classic stories of fiction, like Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis (1915), or iconic horror films like Bernard Rose's Candyman (1992), the use of bugs in the Resident Evil games is impressively extensive, and not randomly so: as creatures in their essence, insects are unique and fascinating; the way they function, their distinctive intelligence and their stealthiness differentiate them from other species, mainly because at the same time they are very small, sometimes almost invisible, and they have their own secret codes with which they communicate. Nearly all of their appearances in the series are associated with lab experiments, due to which the bugs are transformed into mutated versions of their original kinds, almost always extremely dangerous or even lethal bio-organic weapons. 

The insect hive in Salazar's castle from the original Resident Evil 4

As early as in the very first Resident Evil game, bees, wasps and spiders were featured in the plot, either as enemies or as gameplay elements. Items associated with or depicting insects have also been very common in the series' world, further highlighting the importance of the species in the Resident Evil universe. In the first game, one of the many puzzles that you have to solve early in the story is in the Specimen room, which hosts several glass cases with bug specimen. It involves two identical panels with fishing lures; you have to remove a lure of a bee from the first panel, combine it with a fishhook to create a golden bee specimen, and then place it on the second panel after removing from that one a plain bee specimen; then you have to place the plain bee specimen on the first panel.

The lure of a bee

This is a very important puzzle as it unlocks an item that is necessary, along with three more similar objects, to access a very strong weapon later on. After the puzzle is solved, the bee specimen will come to life and attack you.

The giant bee attacks Chris in the Specimen room

This puzzle is quite representative of the insect-themed sections of the game, as later on in the Residence (the smaller house with the vintage lab in the Spencer Mansion's spooky garden) you will need to go through a trial which involves real insects: there is a live wasp hive in a back corridor that you have to destroy, as there is no way to go anywhere near it without getting severely injured. Your task is to find an insecticide - in a retro container to match the overall vintage environment of the house - and use it on the hive so as to melt it down and kill the wasps. 

The hive in the Residence

In later games, bee mutations became more elaborate, as bio-weapon technology in the in-game universe also evolved. In Resident Evil 6, one somewhat rare human mutation is the Glava-dim, which causes the subject's head to split in two halves that are essentially the bodies of bees. This specific mutation is not directly dangerous, as the mutant does not attack, but it flaps its bee wings releasing a red mist which blinds the view for a short time, subsequently making fighting sequences much more difficult.

The Glava-dim getting ready to release its red mist

In the same game, a related human mutation is the Gnezdo: it consists of a giant bee body which floats about releasing a bug swarm that attacks from time to time. After being shot with a strong virus strain, the subject dies and is entrapped in a cocoon, and after a few seconds the cocoon breaks letting out the Gnezdo and its bugs. This mutation can be seen often in the game's story, but the first time that we see it happen is the most memorable, as well as emotionally loaded: Carla Radames shoots Marco, one of Chris's soldiers, with a powerful dose of the virus strain in order to show the BSAA leader what she is capable of. Soon Marco turns into a Gnezdo and attacks Chris and Piers, forcing a devastated Chris to put him down.

Chris shooting at his mutated soldier

Bug swarms are also seen regularly in the Resident Evil games, as it is the large numbers that make them dangerous and, sometimes, fearsome, rather than their attributes. Ethan in Resident Evil 7, while exploring the chilling - and ruined - grounds of the creepily charming old house of the Baker residence, is continuously being attacked by swarms of flies that are controlled by Marguerite Baker. The flies are almost harmless when they stand still on the walls, but once they form a group they can cause a lot of damage. In a few places in the house's grounds, they have also formed hives blocking passages or the access to important objects, and Ethan must use a flamethrower to burn those down, to Marguerite's great dismay.

Marguerite leading her flies to attack Ethan

Marguerite's connection with her flies is also very interesting, as she seems to be quite obsessed with them, talking about them as if they were her children. Also the victim of a bad mutation, Marguerite has become almost invulnerable and she strolls around the old house carrying an old lit lantern. As an object, the lantern has great importance, since its light attracts the flies which sort of protect Marguerite during her patrols, making Ethan's exploration of the place quite a pain. Sometimes he needs to find an alternative route after noticing the light of the lantern by the turn of a dark corridor; or he may need to quickly destroy a hive barrier in order to escape the raging attacks of Marguerite and her flies. After Ethan wounds her significantly at some point, she hides in the greenhouse where he then has to fight with her and steal her lantern. In her final mutation, she grows extremely long legs and arms which allow her to climb on the walls and the ceiling, mimicking the movements of a cockroach or a giant bug. From time to time, swarms of flies spawn from her mutated abdomen and fly over to bite Ethan, making way for her own, much more dangerous attacks.

Marguerite displaying some impressive fly acrobatics

Derek Simmons in Resident Evil 6 undergoes a fly mutation during the final stages of the boss fight in Leon's campaign. After transforming into a Centaur-like creature and then a Giganotosaurus in the stages before the last one, he finally mutates into a Mega Fly which also switches to one more variant during the actual battle. This version of Simmons is one of the most impressive insect mutations, also due to the fact that he requires a cunning strategy to be defeated, which involves taking advantage of the weather conditions and using a lightning rod to electrocute him, as there does not seem to be a direct way to put him down.

Mega Fly Simmons nearly covers the skyline

Fly swarms make an appearance, albeit limited, in Resident Evil Village, as an attack method of the vampiric Alcina Dimitrescu's daughters; while hitting Ethan with their sickles and daggers, they also release fly swarms that bite and sting, rendering their victim extremely vulnerable for a few seconds, thus making their attacks far more dangerous and effective. The interesting fact about these specific flies is that they were infused in the girls's bodies during experiments, then taking their forms. So in reality the daughters have nothing truly human any more, as their bodies are made of these swarms of flies.

Alcina's daughters can control the flies in Marguerite's style

Spider swarms, also seen in Resident Evil 7, have appeared in earlier games as well. In the Resident Evil 2 story, as it was depicted in the Darkside Chronicles version in the chapters of Memory Of A Lost City, several small spiders attack Leon and Claire as they make their way towards the boiler room of the RPD, where the mutated William Birkin is lurking. The underground of the police station, now inhabited by zombies, rabid dogs and lickers, is the ideal environment for spiders to crawl about.

The baby spiders are highly toxic

In the same game, giant spiders were also featured in the RPD underground and the sewers section. They appear in the first games too, as well as in more recent releases, albeit in not such large numbers as their baby counterparts. The first Resident Evil game, the Outbreak series, Resident Evil Zero, the original Nemesis, Code Veronica and Revelations 2 featured various species of giant spiders, includung the Black Widow and the Whip Spider, and they can also be seen in the Operation Javier episodes of the Darkside Chronicles.

Giant versions of the Jumping Spider in Operation Javier

Spider mutations of humans are also very common in the Resident Evil world. The earliest one can be tracked down in the original Resident Evil 4, during the final boss fight with Osmund Saddler where the paranoid, power-hungry arch-villain of the story mutates into a horrifying and gigantic spider-like creature with eye pods on the joints of its legs. The mutation stems from his head while he is floating about with tentacle-like legs under his robe.

Saddler's final mutation is unforgettable

Saddler's spider mutation is connected to the Plaga parasite growing in the mines below the Salazar Castle, an arthropod that pre-existed in the mountainous region where Salazar's ancestors resided. A variation of this species can be seen in both the original Resident Evil 4 and its recent remake in the form of the araña, a spider-like creature which is able to instantly merge itself with an infected human, creating a highly dangerous and toxic hybrid which, in the remake's version, is additionally extremely hard to kill. A similar mutant, the bui kichwa, can be seen in Resident Evil 5.

The original araña of Resident Evil 4

A different spider mutation of humans appears in Resident Evil 6, in the form of the the Noga-Trchanje. Contrary to Saddler's mutation, this one affects the lower body of the infected humans, developing spider-like legs which allow them to crawl on walls and ceilings and hide under low objects.

Human spider mutants can attack in groups

Another spider mutant is the Drain Deimos species that appear in Nemesis and its remake, Resident Evil 3. The original Drain Deimos look a bit different than the revamped ones, but they both have spider attributes and are equally dangerous, as they can cause serious injuries and even extreme poisoning. They are fast and can show up and attack as fast as they can then disappear inside the walls of the molded areas that they inhabit.

The Drain Deimos are able to camouflage themselves perfectly

Giant mutated scorpions have also made an appearance in the series, albeit they are not as common as other bugs or arthropods. The Stinger in Resident Evil Zero is "just" a huge scorpion, without any other obvious physical change. It appears in the sitting room wagon of the train and it is the first boss that you have to fight in the game, also foreshadowing the rest of the giant mutated animals that will show up later.

Just a simple, next-door giant scorpion

The U-3 in the original Resident Evil 4 is a human-insect-reptile hybrid, that partly simulates the movements and attacks of a scorpion, albeit it is a very unique species with no other mutant even remotely similar to it. Its human part makes it extremely cunning and smart; its insect material allows it to attack in a variety of ways and its reptile components result in it being very fast and swift and cover long distances in seconds. Killing it is a long and stressing process that takes place in one of the most creepy and unfriendly environments of the game.

The U-3 is one of the most horrifying creatures in the Resident Evil universe

The U-8 in Resident Evil 5 is an evolution of this monster, but notably the U-8, although being way bigger and looking quite intimidating, is not half as creepy, because it is the human element - namely, the terrifying face - that makes the U-3's presence so spine-chilling.

The U-8 is a gigantic arthropod-looking mutant

An insect-themed puzzle in Resident Evil 7 involves turning an object around following the shapes it changes in the shadow, so as to unlock a passage. The picture on the puzzle's panel depicts a spider attacking a butterfly; the butterfly is part of the picture, but only the spider's inset is there, so you need to turn the object around and form the shape of the spider in order to complete the picture and open a secret passage. In a more symbolic level, we could say that as long as the puzzle remains unsolved, the butterfly is safe; the puzzle is solved when the spider appears on the panel, at which point it is in an attacking position, sealing the butterfly's sad fate. Something that could very well work as an allegory for the story itself.

The insect-themed puzzle

Real butterflies but in stuffed form can be found in Code Veronica, in the secret attic above the carousel room at the Ashford Palace. There is a small office up there, and on one wall we can see several butterflies in glass cases, the most impressive and prominent being a giant blue Morpho in a separate frame. Several stuffed butterflies can be seen also in the first Resident Evil game and in Resident Evil 2 Remake, in the taxidermy lab of Chief Irons (see the related article here). The stuffed insects and bugs as part of the environment add to the overall vintage atmosphere of the earlier games. The big, mazey houses that are featured in the plots, like the Ashford Mansion with its private palace, the Spencer Mansion and the structurally retro Racoon Police Department with its leftover museum collections, all seem to belong to a past time and place. This element is almost always prominent in the Resident Evil games, and it is highlighted with the inclusion of such settings as well as their vintage and sometimes eccentric decorations and objects in their spaces. Collecting stuffed bugs used to be a popular hobby a long time ago, and such collections can be still seen in real-life historical houses or museums.

The stuffed butterflies in Code Veronica are part of Alfred Ashford's collection

Butterflies are strongly associated with Ada Wong, being her trademark symbol in the original Resident Evil 4. They can be seen as a design on her iconic red dress and on the sleeve of her Assignment Ada blouse, and much later in Resident Evil 6, a carved butterfly decorates her powder case. In the Separate Ways version of the Resident Evil 4 Remake, while in the Salazar Castle, Ada finds herself in a specimen room that looks like it once belonged to a collector of such items. There is a glass case with stuffed butterflies, and Ada has to turn the correct symbols on its lock so as to open it and take the Blue Butterfly specimen.

Another Morpho in the Resident Evil world

Much earlier, however, in the Operation Javier intro of the Darkside Chronicles, we see Leon arriving in the hostile South American jungle, and moments before his unforgettable meeting with Jack Krauser, a butterfly flies and sits on his shoulder. Being distracted with gazing at the beautiful insect, Leon does not take notice of a snake about to attack him, but Jack shows up at just the right moment to stab the snake in place and save Leon's life. Although there has been speculation that the butterfly may symbolize Ada, since at the time of Operation Javier Leon had already met her in Raccoon City years earlier and still considers her dead, taking into account however that this butterfly is a different species from the ones associated with Ada and also that the snake in this scene and, from that point and on, in the series' lore, symbolizes Krauser as far as Leon's story is concerned, we could say that in this specific instance the allegory deviates from its original theme and the butterfly symbolizes Leon. In this context, and given the traits of each character, the symbolism becomes even stronger, as the butterfly stands for Leon's innocence, his good heart and clarity of mind, while the snake foreshadows Krauser's subsequent slyness and metaphorical venom.

The Darkside butterfly matches Leon's colours

The butterfly is one of the most common symbols that is featured in fiction and poetry to represent the psyche, the human soul; and this is not the only time that it is used as a symbol in Operation Javier. At the end of the story, if you get the bad ending where Manuela dies in the helicopter on the way back from the jungle, she then dissolves into what looks like a swarm of tiny butterflies. This element of the plot works again as a symbol which, this time, represents Manuela's pure spirit that remained unaffected in spite of her severe physical and mental infection, and also stands for the lost lives of all the girls that Javier had sacrificed in a desperate attempt to cure his daughter. 

Leon with Manuela's remains

Butterfly mutations appear in Resident Evil 6, in the form of the Telo-Magla mutants. After being shot, the lower body of the infected soldiers grows a pair of beautiful butterfly wings, resulting in them flying in the air in vertical, upside-down position. They can still use weapons with their arms, and sometimes they emit a suffocating dust from their flapping wings.

Jake shooting at a Telo-Magla

These butterfly mutations seem to have their origins in the mutated giant moths that first appeared in the original Resident Evil 2 and were also featured in Memory Of A Lost City from the Darkside Chronicles, as well as in the Outbreak stories. Beautiful and majestic, they are however extremely dangerous; in Code Veronica, they can potentially become lethal, as they are poisonous as well. Most of the times they can be seen with baby moths around them, which are equally dangerous in spite of their small size (although they can be killed far easier).

The giant moths in Memory Of A Lost City are beautiful but lethal

One of the creepiest insect mutations is undoubtedly the Novistador, the hideous human-insect hybrid first encountered in the original Resident Evil 4, which can fly, float eerily in the air, run extremely fast while making chilling noises with its legs, and can cause instant death by decapitating its victims. The Novistador looks like a giant mosquito, although the creepiness of its appearance and the effect that it has on those who see it, match those of a cockroach. They can appear and disappear (in the original game) or camouflage themselves in their environment, slyly waiting for their victims to approach them innocuous so as to make their attack (in the game's remake).

The original Novistador is a sight for sore eyes (not)

The hybrids seem to have a very strong connection with Osmund Saddler, who seems to be able to control them directly and even order them to do murderous work for him. Like in the case of the U-3, those too owe much of their ability to respond to orders to their human element, which apparently constitutes a part of their brain. In the Resident Evil 4 Remake, they even appear alongside Saddler during the final boss fight after he summons them from time to time, making the battle even more hellish than it already is.

The RE4 Remake's Saddler is accompanied by his bugs

The Reaper, another terrifying hybrid that appears in Resident Evil 5, looks similar to the Novistador but although equally (or even more) lethal, it has a different biology. Created accidentally from infected cockroaches, it is much bigger than the Novistador and, unlike the latter, each one is hatched in an individual nest which breaks unexpectedly releasing its creepy inhabitant.

The Reaper gets even more blood-curdling if you know its origin

But the king of all cockroach hybrids is definitely the Verdugo, Salazar's horrifying "right hand" from Resident Evil 4, who also makes his appearance in the game's remake. The Verdugo, whose name means "executioner" in Spanish, once was a human, working for the Salazar family; probably a personal butler or a bodyguard for Ramon, something that is also hinted by the treasures left behind by the monster in both games in case Leon kills him (in the original game he drops the Salazar Crown Jewel and in the remake he drops the Gold Monocle). His DNA was fused with that of insects, and the result was the creation of a monstrous cockroach-looking creature, whose exoskeleton made him extremely hard to kill. Even in his mutated form, the Verdugo remains devoted to his master, patrolling the sewers under the castle to protect them from invaders.

The Verdugo is a moving nightmare

A hybrid of several insect species, the Plague Crawler that appears in Resident Evil Zero is a giant arthropod-looking creature which makes a characteristic clicking noise when it is close. Visually it is like an insect with claws, and its attacks are swift and very dangerous. 

The long body is probably what makes the Plague Crawler so creepy

Regular, non-mutated cockroaches also appear in large numbers in several Resident Evil games. Needless to say that those are far more terrifying than their mutated counterparts or any other extravagant mutants. The centuries-old, atavistic fear that most people automatically feel when they see a cockroach could not have been depicted more realistically. Among the most unforgettable instances of encountering cockroaches are the sequences in Code Veronica, Resident Evil 2, Memory Of A Lost City from the Darkside Chronicles and Resident Evil 2 Remake.

Give me zombies anytime!

In the Outbreak series, the Mega Bites make an unforgettable appearance, as they do not show up again in other games. They are mutated fleas and they live in colonies in the tunnels of Raccoon City. In spite of their size, they are bugs of minor importance and, like the Reapers, were the product of an accidental infection. The Giga Bite, however, is a gigantic version of these already big mutants and, unlike the Mega Bites, is a unique specimen, even serving as a boss.

The Raccoon City survivors fighting the Mega Bites

Another unique bug that appears in only one game and within this in only one story, is the Oko which is encountered solely in Jake's campaign from Resident Evil 6. The Okos are very small insects which however behave like bats; they show up alongside the Ustanak in the snowy mountains of Edonia and they serve as his eyes since he can only hear sounds but not see. The Okos spawn from an organ on the Ustanak's back, which is why they can communicate with him so directly. They fly around in patrolling patterns and their radius covers a specific space. If they see anything suspicious within this space, they alarm the Ustanak who seems to know instantly where to go and attack.

Jake watching the Oko's patrol

In Revelations 2, there are standard Insect Larvae in the forest in Barry's campaign, that can be spotted only by Natalia, who seems able to somehow sense their presence and locate them by seeing their aura. The Larvae are harmless, and they only serve as a collectible for Natalia, who can hit them with bricks and take them with her as souvenirs.

The Larvae look a lot like the Mega Bites

Ants appear in abundance in Code Veronica and the Darkside Chronicles version of the story, Game of Oblivion, serving also as key items in their artificial form. In the Ashford mansion replica at the Antarctica base, ants can be seen overflowing the corridors and ceilings, as a grim foreshadowing of what will follow. The disturbing atmosphere that is dominant in that horrifying place can only host evil forces, and the swarms of hostile ants are indicative of this.

The Ashford mansion replica in Game of Oblivion hosts huge flying ants

In Code Veronica, puzzles involving ant jewels are important plot points both on Rockfort Island and Antarctica. As everything in the Ashford private palace is connected to Alfred's twisted perception of reality and his obsession with his twin sister Alexia, every activity in the house is set around stressing puzzles that work in sets of two. The King Ant and Queen Ant jewels are twin items that operate identical music boxes in the siblings' rooms, unlocking doors or revealing secret ladders, and there are several other items in the rooms that depict ants, also having a functional aspect.

The King Ant music box is functional again

In her penultimate mutation as a boss, Alexia transforms into a Queen Ant, also summoning ants during the final battle. This development explains why there were so many ants in the grounds of the mansion, revealing that Alexia was able to control them and use them as auxiliary weapons. In the past, while carrying out her experiments, Alexia would use ants in her researches, resulting in many of them being infected and eventually mutated. Alexia kept them in her lab in Antarctica, where they were able to survive the cold weather thanks to their mutation.

Alexia's Queen Ant mutation in Game of Oblivion

The other most prominent insect in Code Veronica is the dragonfly, which appears in various forms in the game's compelling story. There are dragonfly-shaped items that work as keys when combined with the right set of wings, either golden or silver, and are used to unlock secret passages and important, otherwise inaccessible, areas.

One of the dragonfly keys

Early in the story, when Claire is still unaware of how far gone Alfred is, she unlocks a slide projector that plays a home movie, where Alfred and Alexia, at a very young age, play a most disturbing game in which they rip the wings of a dragonfly and they leave it helpless as ants swarm and devour it. It is notable that the wingless dragonfly looks exactly like the artificial dragonfly object which, similarly, lacks the necessary wings that will turn it into a key. In spite of its depressing content, the video works as a hint, leading Claire (and the player) to figure out how to actually solve the dragonfly key puzzle when the time comes.

Alfred ripping the dragonfly's wings

Notably, there is a puzzle in Code Veronica that combines the two important insects: in the secret attic with the carousel at the private palace, there is a wall painting depicting a huge ant. The ant's mouth has a keyhole where the dragonfly object must be placed so as to operate the carousel and make it turn, to reveal a hidden ladder leading to an upper room.

The ant and the dragonfly combined in another twisted puzzle

Alexia's final mutation as a boss, after the Queen Ant is defeated, transforms her into a dragonfly-like creature that can only be killed with a special launcher weapon. Although it is a straightforward battle, it becomes challenging because of Alexia's fast and confusing flying movements. Being the boss of such an iconic and one-of-a-kind game, which is considered by many the most representative installment of the series, Alexia had to undergo mutations that would be equally emblematic and indicative of the Resident Evil universe. Although the game was released in 2002 and was followed by many subsequent releases, it kind of marked the saga with its insuperable story, its brilliant puzzles and its captivating characters, including its villains and their impressive mutations.

Dragonfly Alexia in Game of Oblivion

The Resident Evil world is full of winged and crawling creatures that appear in extravagant versions of their natural species, forming a fascinating universe where the limits between good and evil eventually become vague and sometimes even cross each other. The insects and the bugs in their natural state can be harmless or they can be extremely dangerous but without evil intentions. The experiments leading to their mutations transform the innocent creatures into potential enemies and the dangerous ones into lethal weapons. Their symbolism, in the cases where it is intentionally highlighted, is not always the same, because the bugs and the insects themselves are versatile, and their overall existence is still a mystery to some degree. There are many other living beings in the Resident Evil games that are encountered in altered enemy forms, either as mutated versions of themselves or as hybrids with humans, but the charm of the winged creatures and the crawling ones is very special, something that explains why the enemies based on those are almost always among the most bizarre and fascinating entities in the games. Their significance as objects in an artificial form is equally important, as most of the times they are associated with the people who use them or to whom they belong, and the emphasis on their symbolic aspect may shed more light to the characters' actions and their evolution in the stories.