Supporting characters are, in video games as in movies, the often unseen heroes. With the term "supporting characters", I refer to those who are less prominent, in terms of plot and screen time, than the secondary characters or the deuteragonists, but they still may play an important role in the development of the leads, albeit this may not be always obvious on first look. Many times, such characters are friends or allies of the protagonists, but the weight of the presence in their lives varies. Usually supporting characters are not offered the chance to unfold their personality in full, which is why they may be equally underrated or overrated. Their interactions with the protagonists, however, can tell us a lot of things about them if explored carefully. They sometimes affect, directly or indirectly, the emotional and intellectual development of the lead characters, although on a first level their conduct may be misleading. In this article, I will focus on interesting supporting characters from five video games that deal with different themes and the protagonists of which follow completely different paths in their individual stories, therefore the influences that they may receive are also varied.

Lyla Park in Life Is Strange 2

In spite of being a fan favorite, Lyla is, in fact, a rather dark character. Lyla appears in the first episode and her role is overall quite brief, yet you can see, even from that limited appearance, that her influence in Sean's life is not exactly a good one. Lyla is introduced as one of Sean's best friends at school and although she seems to genuinely care for him, her attitude, surprisingly, has several layers. Taking advantage, albeit subconsciously to a degree, of Sean's mild and shy temperament, she has the tendency to always push him towards doing things the way that only she thinks is the best. Lyla obviously suffers from mood swings, and can easily fall into depression, but tries to hide her insecurities behind a supposedly confident facade. In reality, though, she is authoritative, manipulative and lacks self-esteem, but puts forward a loud, seemingly careless persona in order to be able to survive. On top of that, her biggest problem seems to be the crush that she clearly has on Sean, which makes her obsession to hook him up with Jenn, his initial love interest, marginally creepy. Lyla is an extremely toxic person, and her presence in the first episode sort of represents Sean's stagnant life in the dull and depressing suburb where he lives. Sean is obviously a lot more close to his Latin heritage than the much younger Daniel; and he has an artistic side that always wants to find expression. Daniel is the one with the "obvious" diversity (his superpower), but it is in fact Sean who is the real "rebel". Lyla is, for Sean, the balancing power that keeps him collected, but at the same time she is also the chain that holds him tied down to a life that is clearly not made for him. Breaking away from this life (albeit in a tragic way), and from Lyla as well, gives him the chance to claim his freedom and find himself, no matter the cost.

Cor Leonis in Final Fantasy XV

Cor may not have a direct impact on Noctis's development but his influence is clearly defining. He has an imposing personality and an impressive (to say the least) background story. When he was just fifteen years old, he fought against a ferocious warrior and managed to come out of the battle alive, an achievement that won him the moniker "The Immortal"; yet he never ceases being down to earth, thus being the perfect mentor and instructor for Noctis and his friends. He used to be a trusted companion of Noctis's father, and he remains close to the boy as well, offering his valuable expertise and advice when needed. Noctis has grown up somewhat isolated, having only his three close friends by his side, but his rebellious character often makes him appear cold and distant towards them, although he loves them so much. However he treats Cor with respect and always listens to him and his advice. Cor is tough and brave but he is also gentle and wise. His presence in Noctis's life has only positive things to offer, especially after Noctis's father is killed. Not so much a father figure, but more like an older brother, Cor guides Noctis to face difficulties and take responsibilities, gradually making him grow into a kind and caring man, even when he is not there to openly support him. It is not random that when Noctis wakes after his long sleep inside the crystal, Cor is among the very few people from Noctis's past, along with his three friends, who is physically there to help him fight the monsters.

Sofia in Rise Of The Tomb Raider

When Lara first meets Sofia, it is not under the best circumstances; and their second meeting is also eventful. However their relationship gradually gets better and they become good friends after a while. Although Lara's character is more or less already formed and she is confident enough to not need any particular influence, still Sofia's faith and her genuine struggle to help her people offer our heroine an extra boost of inspiration to keep going. Through Sofia's bond with her father, Lara subconsciously "sees" her own relationship with the late Lord Croft, and in that sense she kind of identifies with Sofia, becoming herself, for Jacob, a daughter that will be equally willing to help him unconditionally, somehow making up for all the time that she has lost, and will be losing, after her own father died and she missed every chance to live her life by his side. In Sofia, Lara partly sees her own self and in Sofia's relationship with Jacob she sees reflected how herself and Lord Croft could have grown together, had he not lost his life so unjustly. It is more of a personal development for Lara, but it unavoidably affects her attitude as well, and her decisions that define her connections with other people.

Luis Sera in Resident Evil 4

Luis is, in the essence, more than just a supporting character, since he plays a major role in the development of the story, although his appearance is quite limited. Initially a mysterious man, obviously keeping many secrets, Luis is revealed to hold the key to Leon's infection. Leon seems to be fond of Luis right from the start, in spite of his inexplicable attitude. But Leon is known for his unerring instinct, which means that when he likes someone, it is for a good reason. Luis is a native, and his family has a long story connected to the case of the Plagas. His knowledge of the the subject and his involvement in Saddler's plan cost him his life in the end, and he literally dies in Leon's hands, but not before he manages to give him the pills with which Leon will be able to keep his infection under control until he has access to the antidote. Luis becomes a very close friend of Leon's despite the very short time that they know each other, and he functions both as Leon's life-saver, and as the cause that gives him an additional motive to want to stop Saddler, since he was obviously devastated by Luis's death. Luis kind of stands for all the partners, friends and comrades that Leon has lost, and would keep on losing in the future, during his life as an agent, and by swearing to avenge his death, Leon claims justice not only for Luis and all those lost friends, but for himself as well. 

Francis Pritchard in Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Francis is, at the beginning of the game, rather bitter towards Adam, tending to degrade and underestimate him, but as the story progresses there is a big change in their relationship. A programming and hacking expert, Francis seems to think low of Adam at first, but as Adam proves that, apart from being physically powerful, he is also very smart, he manages to gain Francis's respect and, progressively, his friendship, although Francis is too proud to openly express it with words. Francis is, in reality, probably the only absolutely clean and sincere person in Adam's environment, and he is the one to secretly guide him towards important revelations regarding either himself or Sarif on more than one occasions. While Adam is out in the world investigating or dealing with criminals, Francis is like his eyes inside the Sarif corporation. This may also have a dual interpretation since Adam has enhanced sight, which may help him see farther, but it may prevent him from identifying what is close to him. Francis has only had one optional augmentation to better his programming skills, and in that sense he can maintain his technically enhanced side and his human one in a relative balance, since his human self is almost intact. Adam's humanity is at a very high level in spite of the many augmentations that he has received, which makes him also highly perceptive of the people he interacts with, but his intimidating appearance prevents him from forming close relationships with them. Francis sort of connects him to the world, albeit discreetly and from the shadows, and his pointed, often sarcastic input acts as a reminder for Adam of human interactions that are not based almost entirely on enhanced means.

Doors As Passages In Video Games

If we examine video games as a contemporary and unique form of artistic expression - which they actually are - we could classify them as modern fairy tales. While many of them carry a good amount of realism in their plots, their stories are usually based in elements of fantasy, science fiction or post-apocalyptic theories. In the Devil May Cry universe, we may have a modern-day environment as a setting, but there are demons hiding in every corner. Or take, for example, Lara Croft's adventures: although rich with historical facts, the games of the Tomb Raider series feature a good deal of fantastic elements that are in perfect balance with their realistic aspect.

The main characters in Action games are brave heroes who fight their way through hordes of enemies and obstacles, while they must also solve several tricky puzzles. Puzzles and riddles in video games are among the strongest references to fairy tales, especially those which result in opening doors. Just like in fairy tales, doors several times open with magic means or keys - either literal keys or objects used as keys - that need to be obtained by going through generally difficult trials. Similarly, in video games doors are passages: they lead the heroes one step further, to another part of the world, where, usually, a revelation or a fight awaits.

Resident Evil HD Remaster takes place in a huge villa, the Spencer Mansion. The main characters, Chris and Jill, together with their team, seek refuge inside the house at the start of the game and it is impossible for them to get back out, as there are ominous threats awaiting. Early on, they discover an imposing metal gate at the back of the main hall, which seems to be their only way out of there. The gate is locked and requires two key items in order to open. The biggest part of the game consists in exploring the mansion, which is full of zombies, monsters and traps, so as to find said items. The door needs two identical objects made of stone and metal which can be placed on two receptacles on the metal bars, serving as keys. The first object is found in a crypt in the back yard of the mansion, but actually opening the crypt and being able to unlock the coffin that contains the object requires a lot of searching and solving more riddles. Interestingly enough, they are only able to look for the second object once they have found the first, as they have to unlock another door with it, gaining access to another huge area at the back of the mansion, which has to be explored. The second object is made of two separate components: the metal object, which is found in a locked office of the mansion, and the stone ring, which is hidden in the secret cabin of Lisa Trevor, a girl who is now roaming the grounds of the mansion in the form of a hideous monster. Once both stone and metal objects are found, they can be placed on the metal gate and now Chris and Jill are able to proceed to the eerie undergrounds of the mansion.

Opening this gate and stepping out marks the transition to a world where all the horrors that they have already met in the mansion, are now intensified. The fact alone that the keys to open this door are so hard to find is a strong indication that what lies beyond it is extremely dangerous. The powers that dominate those grounds are inconceivable, and Chris and Jill have to use both their physical and mental strength in order to survive.

In Resident Evil 2 Remake, the main characters, Leon and Claire, are trapped in a similar situation. They find themselves in the imposing and mazey Police Department of Raccoon City and, as they cannot get out on the streets that are filled with zombies, they have to look for another way. Following the notes of a deceased police officer, they find out about the existence of a secret passage that is located just beneath the huge goddess statue that decorates the main hall of the station. They need to find three medallions and place them on the pedestal of the statue so as to reveal the passage. The three medallions are locked in their receptacles on three statues that are found in equal areas of the station. The Lion statue, which holds the Lion Medallion, is on the balcony overlooking the main hall, the Unicorn statue, which holds the Unicorn Medallion, is on a lone gallery outside the Library, and the Maiden statue, which holds the Maiden Medallion, is in a secluded section of a storeroom, also next to the Library.

Finding the medallions is not a very hard task per se, but it becomes quite tough due to the several zombies and monsters that wander in the corridors of the station. Every time that a medallion is placed on the pedestal, one part of the secret opening is revealed. Once all three medallions take their place, Leon and Claire discover a small metal gate that leads to a secret round room, just beneath the statue.

What is ironic is that although this passage is supposed to lead to a way out, there are more riddles lying ahead, the danger becomes even bigger and our heroes will have to struggle a lot more before they are able to leave the station. The underground however becomes the place where both Leon ad Claire meet their allies, Ada and Sherry respectively, and from that point and on they will not be completely alone in their quest.

In Resident Evil: Code Veronica, there are several doors that need a special key or item in order to open, however it is two of them that are particularly interesting. The first is the elaborately decorated door in the Secretary's room that leads to an isolated area of the Ashford mansion. Its upper section is a huge receptacle where two identical guns, the Gold Lugers, need to be placed for it to unlock. The quest for these guns is rather complicated, and it will be a long time before Claire, the main protagonist, is able to use them on the door after she finds them. Even from their first appearance, the Gold Lugers are connected to trouble. They are found in the back room of the Armory in the mansion, and as soon as Claire takes them down, a trap activates and the room fills with poison. Being forced to place them back, she seems to have no way of retrieving them so as to open that door. A bit later, Steve, her partner for this story, finds himself in the Armory and, being attracted by the shiney pistols, takes them off the wall. The room again fills with poison but Steve panics and does not consider placing them back. Claire arrives just in time to unlock the trap from the outside, and so Steve runs out safely with the guns, which he refuses to give over to Claire. It will not be very long however before Claire offers him a pair of loaded Submachine guns in exchange with his Gold Lugers. Steve gladly makes the trade and so Claire is able to finally place the Lugers on the door and get it to open.

This door stands for a major passage in the story, as it opens to a secret office which, in turn, leads to a hidden palace where Alfred, the game's minor villain, lives a life of paranoia and illusion, playing the roles of both himself and his deceased twin sister, whom he adored. Thus it is not random that Claire needs a pair of twin guns to open the door. The world beyond the Luger door is that of a sadistic madman who impersonates his dead sister and finds extreme pleasure in making innocent people suffer. In connection to this comes the second door that stands out, which is located in the Morgue. Technically not a door, but a secret passage that is revealed beyond a raised wall, it opens by placing a glass eye on a life-size anatomy model. Claire has to kill a doctor who has become a zombie, take his glass eye and place it on the model, thus gaining access to the basement of the Morgue, where she comes across a horrifying room with torture machines.

In Resident Evil: Revelations 2, Claire finds herself before yet one more puzzle that involves a locked door and an eyeball. This time, things are more complex and the door in question has a retinal scanner which needs a specific artificial eye in order to unlock. Claire finds the eye in a trapped room inside a factory but she first needs to replace it with a glass eye so as to be able to take it without activating the trap. She must then use the eye on the retinal scanner outside the locked door so as to gain access to the nearby slaughterhouse.

What is interesting about this puzzle is that it opens the way and is connected to another puzzle that also has to do with a locked door that requires a special kind of key item. The same artificial eye has to be used on another retinal scanner outside an office, where Claire finds a liver replica. Later, in the slaughterhouse, she has to find another liver replica and use them both to open another door. While the first liver replica is in plain sight inside a corpse in the factory, the second is stuck in a bucket of blood in the gory slaughterhouse. Some kind of mincing machine above it has to be operated a few times, so that enough quantity of blood fills the bucket, allowing the liver replica to be released. The two liver replicas have to be placed then on a statue of Prometheus that blocks a door in the yard of the factory and the slaughterhouse. Doing so, causes the statue to explode, thus revealing the door that leads to another part of the factory where a tense timed event takes place.

Apart from being a passage leading closer to Alex, the story's villain, the Prometheus door has yet one more major significance. Alex uses both Prometheus and the livers as symbols, to hint at the fate of a man who turned out to be a traitor, both to her and Claire. Neil, Claire's boss and friend, secretly worked with Alex, aiding her in her evil plans, but at some point attempted to betray her, so she punished him, injecting him with a virus that turned him into a monster. In the myth, Prometheus was punished for stealing divine power, by being bound to a rock while an eagle would come every day and feed on his liver, which would grow back overnight and this torment would go on eternally. Alex identifies herself as a God and Neil as Prometheus; and the liver parts being replicas signify Neil's false faith to both Claire and Alex. Given that, soon after going through that door, Claire finally faces Neil in his monster form and has to fight with him, the passage revealed by it gains a very important symbolism, at the same time serving as a foreshadowing of what is about to happen.

In Deus Ex: Human Revolution, a door opening with a retinal scanner reveals a hidden elevator which leads straight to the lab where Burke, a very dangerous and twisted man, uses prisoners as lab rats. Adam, the protagonist, watches Burke using his augmented artificial eye on the scanner and then, following instructions, he steals a new replacement eye from Burke's office, all the while hiding from the guards who are looking for him. He then visits a technician who fits the eye on him, so that he is then able to use the retinal scanner himself and subsequently open the door.

While the passage that the door reveals brings forward a terrifying truth about the man involved, at the same time it becomes a means of salvation, as Adam then has the option to save the prisoners and the doctor who was forced by Burke to carry out the experiments on his behalf. In that sense, opening that door affects positively the lives of several people, including Adam, as he was himself a prisoner of Burke and possibly one of his potential victims.

In Resident Evil 4, Leon, the main protagonist, uses the false eye of Bitores Mendez, a minor villain, to open the gate that leads to Salazar's castle. He first must fight with Mendez in a barn and defeat him, so as to be able to take his eye and unlock the door with it. Although there are several doors in the game that open with impressive puzzles, this specific one is of a very high importance because it marks a passage from on world to another. Up to that point, Leon was wandering in the country, and the enemies he had to face were ignorant victims that had been turned into puppets in the hands of the evil Lord Saddler. By opening the castle gate and getting inside, he finds himself in a place where time seems to have stopped and from where there seems to be no obvious way out. Everything inside the castle looks like it belongs to past times, and even Salazar himself is dressed in a style that goes quite a few centuries back. Additionally the enemies, although of the same kind as the villagers, seem to have a certain level of intelligence and they are much more dangerous and bloodthirsty. The castle is full of traps and monsters and the trials become tougher in every new area.

In Resident Evil 7, Ethan, the protagonist, finds himself trapped in the house of Jack Baker's family whose members became deranged, following their infection by a degenerative virus. The exit door, which will temporarily offer him some freedom, is of course locked and needs three special items in order to open: three dog heads that are hidden in certain areas of the house. The blue head is hidden inside a book and it is the easiest to find. The white head is hidden in a grandfather clock and requires another brief puzzle to get it. The red head involves a long and dangerous exploration of several areas of the house, resulting in a terrifying boss fight with Jack Baker himself. Once all three dog heads are placed on the door, it is unlocked and Ethan can get out, although he has a long way to go before he is finally free.

The creature with the three dog heads that is depicted on the door is Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guarded the gate of Hades in ancient Greek mythology. While the Baker house is no less than Hades itself, the real nightmare begins once Ethan steps outside. Cerberus in this case is not guarding the entrance, but the exit; and in that sense, the passage that is offered to Ethan after he unlocks the exit door is one that is set up in such a way so as to lead him to his death.

In The Evil Within, Sebastian, the lead character, gets trapped inside the mind of Ruvik, a genious madman with a painful past, and finds himself wandering in places connected to his memories. The most prominent one is Ruvik's family home, where the dark secrets of his past are gradually revealed. There is a huge door in the main hall, that Sebastian has to open so as to proceed deeper inside Ruvik's mind, and to do so he has to carry out three simple Phrenology tasks. There are three Phrenology tables in the house and on each one there is a human head with the brain exposed. Sebastian has to hit a specific part of the brain with each probe, and if done correctly, blood flows away from a tube above each table, filling a similar tube on the locked gate. Once all three tubes fill with blood, the door opens.

As the story of the game has to do with mind games, it is not random that this specific gate is like a simulation of the brain: during the Phrenology tasks, Sebastian hits the sections of fear, hope and consent, which send the blood flowing in the tubes on the door. The gears on the door then start moving all together, unlocking it, just like the human emotions keep the brain's gears working. It is a concept that is as complicated as it is ingenious. The passage that is revealed beyond the door is literal: it is a long passage, a hallway, where Ruvik awaits to lure Sebastian even deeper in his memories, leading him to the root of his life's tragedy.

In The Evil Within 2, the gate that dominates as a major point of transition is not an actual door but more like an artificial barrier, made up of barbed wire and two framed photos depicting two girls in a macabre setting, that seem to be surrounded by an aura of black magic: they have flaming blood around them and they are impossible to touch. This peculiar installation is the morbid work of Stefano, a twisted photographer who is able to control Union, a virtual environment made especially for the people taking part in STEM, a nightmarish experiment aiming at controlling minds. Sebastian has to find a way to destroy the gate, in order to enter the Theater, where Stefano is hiding, and fight with him.

Stefano is like a magician; and as such, he creates illusions. Sebastian has to apply reverse magic in order to make the illusions disappear. In reality, or at least in the twisted reality of STEM, there is no tangible barrier in front of the theater. The two framed photos that block the way forming a makeshift gate are not really there. The first one is in the back room of a bar and the second is at the end of the upper corridor of a hotel. Sebastian has to locate them, literally get in their interior and destroy them from the inside. By doing this, their illusions in front of the theater shatter and disappear. The "magic" that Sebastian performs so as to fight Stefano's evil tricks is basically the opposite of what Stefano did. Simply put, Stefano made the photo artworks and Sebastian destroys them. What Sebastian does is like a voodoo process: he "kills" the essence of the photos, stabbing the frozen corpses that form them, just like a voodoo magician sticks pins on his dolls, resulting in hurting the person that those represent.

Mythological Symbols in Resident Evil 4

There are three instances where mythological symbols become prominent in the Resident Evil 4 story, something that is, by default, an extremely interesting element that is worth exploring; moreso since, not randomly, I would guess, those symbols are borrowed from three different mythologies around the world. While they can be all viewed simply as aesthetic additions and, in the two of the three cases as the puzzles that they essentially are, their literary and factual interpretation is equally important, in relation to the game's characters and their (back)stories.

The most obvious symbol is the Chimera mural in Salazar's castle. Coming from the ancient Greek mythology, the Chimera was a monstrous-looking, fire-breathing lion with a goat head emerging from its back and a tail with a serpent's head at its end, which was killed by Bellerophon, a hero and slayer of monsters.

The impressive relief shows Bellerophon attacking the Chimera

The mural in Resident Evil 4 appears in chapter 3-1, when Leon enters the main section of the castle with Ashley. The wall that it decorates drops down, blocking the passage leading forward, and upon seeing the impressive relief, Leon mentions that it is 'a beautiful decoration'. After taking a few seconds to admire our fearless hero for being an art-loving and cultivated zombie killer, we realize that what we actually see is half the mural: Bellerophon is there, but the three pieces of which the Chimera is comprised, are missing; so we need to find the three respective ornaments: the Lion, the Goat and the Serpent.

All those three aforementioned animals carry some major and essential symbolisms on their own. The Lion, referring to the beautiful feline that is considered the King of the Jungle, represents grandeur, bravery, beauty and leadership. Considering that Leon's name also means 'lion', it becomes rather obvious that, from an allegorical / metaphorical point of view, the Lion symbol is related to him. He too, like the king of the jungle, is beautiful and brave; he is also a charismatic leader whom all the others respect.

Leon is a particularly dominant character throughout the whole Resident Evil series. Having appeared in six games as a main character (I also count Operation Raccoon City and the upcoming Resident Evil 2 remake among those) and all three CGI movies as a protagonist, he has clearly established his status as one of the most popular heroes not only among the fans of the saga, but also among the game's developers. The combination of high intelligence, excellent survival skills, good heart and great looks, quickly turned him into a hero that could be loved as easily as breathing the air. Leon's charisma is something that could never pass unnoticed, inevitably being also admired by his enemies.

Leon is as charismatic as a hero should be

The Goat, which generally and commonly symbolizes vitality and energy, is nonetheless associated with the dark powers of evil in several myths, folklore and religions. From that specific aspect, in its secondary but no less important allegorical depiction, the Goat is related to all the evil that dominates in the story of Resident Evil 4: Lord Saddler, Salazar, Bitores Mendez and last but not least Wesker, are the powers of evil that destroy, kill and spread infections wherever they go.

Set in the middle of the Chimera, the Goat has a very prominent role in the symbol, just like the villains of the story affect everybody with their actions and decisions. Hidden somewhere in the backstage, Wesker pulls the strings, attempting to turn the outcome of the events to his own benefit. Saddler, the typical egomaniac psychopath with the Messiah syndrom, has no moral barriers and is the definition of Evil in full. Bitores Mendez is his second-in-command, but no less lethal and determined to exterminate whomever he believes to be a threat. As for Salazar, he is more like a pawn in Saddler's game, but his inflated ego - in contrast with his diminutive stature - cannot let him see things for what they are, and he is doomed to follow the path of Evil for the rest of his short and miserable life.

Salazar is a miniature dictator with zero perception of reality

The Serpent may allude to Evil on several levels, with the most prominent being its connection to the Devil and the original sin, but in the case of the Resident Evil 4 story it acts as a much more specific and direct symbol, being obviously related to the game's most memorable villain, Jack Krauser. From his notable mischievous gaze, which looks exactly like a snake's, to his trademark combat knife that has a serpent carved at the bottom part of its blade, Krauser seems to be no less than the human manifestation of what is, apparently, his spirit animal.

Jack's connection with snakes goes even further, however. If we trace his story back to his jungle adventure with Leon in The Darkside Chronicles, we will recall how during the first meeting with his future partner he immediately sensed the presence of a snake that was about to attack Leon, and instantly stabbed it on the head. Later on, one of the first things that he noticed when the zombified soldiers attacked them at the village, was the snake tattoo that they had on them. Jack had always been fascinated by snakes, feeling at the same time attracted and compelled by them. By embracing them as his symbol / spirit animal, he was able to tame them and subsequently gain several of their traits and qualities. Thus he appears as a cunning, villainous and sly, but at the same time extremely intelligent and highly perceptive man who has a very strong instinct and relies heavily on it.

Krauser is a lethal and complex character

Leon as part of the Chimera symbol is an inseparable part of the story, leading to its conclusion which is the elimination of all the evil that the Goat and the Serpent represent from the hand of Bellerophon who, in turn, as a monster killer, is another manifestation of Leon, the zombie killer. This means that Leon is represented by two symbols here (Bellerophon and the Lion), which brings us back to the duality of Leon's character as it is illustrated in the symbolism of the Golden Lynx puzzle.

Much later, in Chapter 5-3, we come across another mythological symbol which may pass unnoticed as it is not part of any puzzle and it is located on a spot that can be easily missed. Above the huge double doors that separate the rest of the island from the ruins, there is a depiction of Melusine, the two-tailed mermaid of the Celtic folklore.

Melusine watches from high up

Melusine is a spirit of the water and is usually depicted with a dual tail, either of a fish or of a snake. According to her legend, she was able to change forms, and thus could also appear with the normal body of a woman. The pattern of transformation is very familiar to Jack Krauser's story, as we see him change forms during Leon's final fight with him, which takes place just beyond that specific gate. Melusine as a symbol of Krauser's imminent shapeshifting acts as a minor allegory that kind of brings together his two appearances - the one that belongs to the Earth element (the Snake) and the one that belongs to the Air element (his final mutation which will grant him the wing-like arm).

In the same chapter, we come across the final important mythological symbol of the story. The Holy Beast that can be seen as a relief at the end of Chapter 5-3 is a variation of a triptych of the Incan mythology with the original sacred animals being the Puma, the Snake and the Condor. In the Resident Evil 4 story, we have a mural that depicts a Panther, a Serpent and an Eagle. Just like the Chimera mural in the castle, this here too is missing its three pieces, which in this case are three insignias with the three animals carved on them. Two of them, the Panther and the Eagle, are found laying on the ground in different parts of the ruins, and the last one, the Serpent, can be obtained only after Leon kills Krauser, as he is the one who holds it.

The Holy Beast relief is an exceptional symbol

The Snake here carries a more inclusive role than in its Chimera depiction. Considering that it is an animal that has the ability to change its skin, it represents transformation and rebirth. The Panther as a spirit animal symbolizes courage and power, but also aggression and fierceness. The Eagle symbolizes immortality and connection to the divine, as it can fly higher than any other bird.

The three animals depicted in the relief are interconnected, and the two of them are symbols of the same person, that is Krauser. Both the Serpent and the Eagle relate to him - the Serpent as a constant allegory of his inner self, which probably also explains why he decided to keep that specific piece with him, and the Eagle as the manifestation of his final mutation in which he appeared with a graceful but extremely lethal arm with blades that look like wings (as if foreshadowing this, the Eagle insignia is found on the ground, just below the pedestal where Jack's aformentioned mutation takes place). Because of the Eagle's allegory of immortality, it also hints at Krauser's desire to possess superhuman power, as well as at the possibility that he might not have really died in the end.

Jack's final mutation is as impressive as it is terrifying

The Panther, on the other hand, represents mainly Leon, but also Krauser on a sublevel: as a powerful and brave feline, it is Leon's symbol; but as an aggressive protector, it is more like Krauser. Somewhere deep inside him, Krauser had several things in common with Leon - he even mentions in The Darkside Chronicles that Leon and himself are two sides of the same coin - but at some point he decided to bury them and let the darkness inside him prevail. In the mural, the Panther subdues the Snake from which an Eagle rises. In other words, Leon defeated Krauser as well as his mutated form, and while Krauser was apparently exterminated, that original part of him that was the good soldier whom Leon met in the jungle, presumably still exists in Leon's memories, given the comment that he makes concerning his opponent at the end of the fight. Which, in turn, signifies that, under that light, the two characters are united in their common symbol of the Panther.

The Colours As Magical Elements of Puzzles: The Golden Lynx Puzzle in Resident Evil 4

In spite of being a survival horror game based on action, Resident Evil 4 has several puzzles that its protagonist, Leon Kennedy, has to solve, which are either part of the main plot or that he can simply put together to get items that he can sell and buy weapons in exchange. Several of these puzzles include colored items or precious gems. The Insignia puzzle in the church with the three colored disks that you have to turn so as to open the prison door, the butterfly lamp, which needs a red eye, a green eye and a blue eye so as to be a complete artifact, the elegant mask, which requires a red gem, a purple gem and a green gem to be attached to it so as to gain its full value, are just a few of such examples.

There is one specific color puzzle however that stands out and is different from the others; it is the puzzle involving the statuette of a golden lynx that you have to make complete with finding a red stone, a green stone and a blue stone. Although this puzzle is not necessary to solve for progessing in the game and its use is mainly practical (Leon can get lots of money by selling the resulting complete artifact), it seems to carry some interesting symolism as a whole, and also as far as its individual parts are concerned, as its three stones are not simple ones; they all represent something.

Leon finds the golden lynx statuette near the start of Chapter 5-1. This section takes place in the isolated island that Lord Saddler has made his base, and where Leon goes with Ada's help after defeating the mutated Ramon Salazar in the castle. The precious statuette is hidden in a treasure chest that is sitting on a rock, deep inside a cave that is guarded by three soldiers. To get to it, you have to shoot a barrel causing an explosion that will shatter the rock behind it, revealing the secret area with the lynx.

Leon finds the beautiful statuette

First Leon finds the red stone, which is called 'the red stone of faith' and is located in Chapter 5-1 as well, inside Saddler's headquarters, in a basement room where the kitchen is, hidden in a metal case.

The red stone is in an aluminium case in a dirty basement

The second stone to be found is the green one, called 'the green stone of judgement' and it is inside yet one more aluminium case in the room where Chapter 5-2 ends and Chapter 5-3 begins, just a few areas away from the place where Leon and Krauser meet and have their knife fight.

The green stone is in another aluminium case

The last stone that Leon finds is the blue one, located again in Chapter 5-3, close to the end; specifically it is in a side room in the underground cave that leads to the ruins where the final fight between Leon and Krauser takes place. This stone is not hidden in a case, and it has a special name too, it is 'the blue stone of treason'.

The blue stone is in plain sight, in a cave

From her very first appearance in the Resident Evil series, Ada Wong was almost always wearing red. The only time when she can be seen sporting a different color is in her Assignment Ada mission, where her outfit is grey, but even then there is a red butterfly stitched on one of her top's sleeves. In the main Resident Evil 4 game she is wearing a long red dress, in Resident Evil 2 she has a mini red dress on and in Resident Evil 6 she is wearing a bright red shirt. There is no doubt that red is her associated color and therefore the red stone of faith seems to be connected to her.

Ada in her red dress

Despite the mystery that surrounds her, Ada is a constant value in the Resident Evil world. Although she avoids to open herself up to Leon, she is always there to help him and back him up. Leon may be fond of her but he does not trust her completely; he even doubts her from time to time, and Ada is unable to show him that he is wrong because that would mean exposing her real identity as well as her mission each time. But the truth is that she is a reliable person and faith is a value that describes her very well, although it may not always be so clear.

Jack Krauser, as the mercenary and soldier that he is, is associated with the green color as he is seen wearing camo-based outfits, both in Resident Evil 4 and in The Darkside Chronicles: Operation Javier. In Resident Evil 4, Jack views himself as Leon's nemesis, having returned after his fake death and seeing Saddler's orders as the perfect chance to cross paths with his ex-partner again and take revenge. In his own mind, Jack has always been right, so facing Leon and even killing him looks like a way for him to be vindicated at last.

Jack Krauser is always seen wearing green camo pants

This makes the green stone of judgement his own personal symbol, although he is not really in a position to judge anyone, having a distorted aspect of reality in his mind. However he does see himself as someone who has been misjudged and treated unfairly, therefore his judgement will put everyone (specifically, Leon) in the state where they deserve to be.

The blue color is connected with Leon, as almost all his outfits are in the blue/grey shades, the only exception being his appearance in the Tall Oaks episodes of Resident Evil 6. In Resident Evil 2 he has his blue RPD uniform on, in Resident Evil 4 his outfit is blue/grey and in the China episodes of Resident Evil 6 he is wearing a blue shirt.

Leon with his gray/blue outfit

Leon is undoubtedly a bright, good-hearted and honest man, but Jack Krauser, who obviously aknowledged and appreciated his ex-partner's qualities in the past, has stopped seeing him as such ever since he found out about Leon being in fact a government agent and not a simple soldier like himself in Operation Javier. Jack, who always sought a high rank in his career but kept struggling for it to no avail despite his intelligence and ability, got extremely disappointed when Leon revealed to him that he was literally blackmailed into accepting such a position, because in reality he didn't want it. Although this clearly was not Leon's fault, Krauser blamed him for it, although he never actually told Leon, because he saw it as some sort of treason from his partner's part. Which was a very stupid thought, since Leon didn't know Jack back then and even if he did, he wouldn't have much other choice than accepting the position of the government agent that was offered to him. From that point of view, Leon is a traitor in Krauser's eyes, which associates the blue stone of treason with him.

The golden lynx artifact with its three precious stones

These three individual stones are all attached to the golden lynx statuette, which in turn carries a major symbolism. The lynx has always been considered a powerful spirit animal with second sight, able to see what is happening in other dimensions, as well as things that other creatures are unable to see. It represents qualities such as honesty, patience, caution, reliability and great charm. All these elements seem to describe Leon perfectly; moreover, the 'golden' element matches his blond hair, his name comes from the feline realm and considering his facial features do resemble those of a lynx, we could say that the lynx statuette is associated with Leon's real self.

The lynx could be Leon's spirit animal

This means that Leon has two symbols to represent him: the golden lynx artifact, which is his own symbol, and the blue stone of treason which is the symbol that is associated with him in relation to Jack Krauser and his altered view of Leon. Nonetheless, Leon has a strong connection with him, as he does with Ada; both Jack and Ada are integral parts of Leon's life and memories, no matter how well or bad his relationship with them turned out, which is why the symbolism of the three stones being attached to the lynx becomes even more powerful and emblematic.

Connections between Leon Kennedy and Sebastian Castellanos

Coming from the imagination of the same mastermind, Resident Evil's Leon Kennedy and The Evil Within's Sebastian Castellanos have naturally several things in common. At times, the impression that I was getting while playing The Evil Within was that Shinji Mikami shaped Sebastian with using traits and attributes that he maybe had wanted to add to Leon but for some reason didn't back then. It is interesting to see some of these things and analyze them a bit, since both Leon and Sebastian are wonderful characters, put to life with great detail and being among the finest elements of the games in which they appear.

Wherever Leon is, there are always zombies somewhere nearby. I guess this drops dramatically his chances for a successful romantic date: one can never know when a zombie will suddenly pop up from around a corner or from the back of a car or from inside a dumpster.

As early as in his first day as a cop in Raccoon City (Resident Evil 2), Leon had to deal with hordes of zombies while struggling to survive in the infested town.

Things didn't become any better in his other great mission to find and rescue the USA president's daughter in Spain (Resident Evil 4). Although the infected people were not zombies there, they were equally dangerous - lethal even.

And as old loves never die, he bumped onto zombies again in his Tall Oaks adventure (Resident Evil 6), where a whole town got infected again and there were classic zombies everywhere (which appeared again later in China, where he went with Helena to look for Simmons).

Trapped inside STEM, Sebastian has had his very fair share of zombie encounters so far. Although truth is that the zombies that Leon had to deal with were a joke compared to what awaited for Sebastian. While tangled in Ruvik's twisted web of memories (The Evil Within), Sebastian came across several terrifying and extremely strong zombie-looking people, called The Haunted.

Years later, while exploring Union inside STEM (The Evil Within 2) he had to face a whole town full of aggressive and persisting monsters called The Lost.

Almost from the beginning of his adventures, Leon had a guardian although he never actually realized it. There was always a mystery surrounding the spy Ada Wong, and it was not so clear whether she was working for the good or the bad guys, but she has always been there to help him through, and her assistance ranged from mild interventions, like shooting a few zombies out of the way to clear the path for him (Resident Evil 6), to major life-saving risky actions, like disobeying orders from above and stopping a hired mercenary from murdering him (Resident Evil 4). Ada's real identity still remains top secret, but it's pretty clear now that she is on the good side.

Sebastian has always had a secret helper, although he was ignorant about it for a long time. Juli Kidman was a rookie whom he was training during his detective days, but she was also a spy working for Mobius. Sebastian found out that she was playing a double role (The Evil Within), but it was not until somewhere midway through his Union adventure (The Evil Within 2) that her true mission was revealed to him. It turned out that Juli was on his side all along, and everything she did was to aid him through those really tough times. She went as far as defying the almighty Administrator and risking her own life to save Sebastian.

While Leon was on his mission in Spain (Resident Evil 4), the diabolical and twisted Lord Saddler infected him with the Plaga virus. Subsequently he started having symptoms of the infection, that were rather severe.

Still inside Ruvik's mind (The Evil Within), Sebastian temporarily became a Haunted himself, with all the consequences that came along. He even had the chance to see how he looked like, through a reflection in a glass.

It is also worth noting that in the beta version of Resident Evil 4 which never saw the light of publicity, the story had Leon wandering in a spooky house while suffering from hallucinations caused by the infection, a situation which resembles the one Sebastian is going through while being connected to STEM in the first Evil Within.

When Leon started his Spanish mission, he was wearing a fancy leather jacket with white fur.

After he is being captured by the villagers, one of them steals his jacket and he goes on the rest of the adventure without it, offering generous eye candy.

Upon visiting the Beacon Mental Hospital to investigate a mysterious massacre (The Evil Within), Sebastian is wearing a long trenchcoat.

Soon he gets attacked by Ruvik, loses his senses and gets captured. After waking up, he has lost his trenchcoat and he proceeds in the adventure without it. This is done for practical reasons, but also for our viewing pleasure.

Very early in the Spanish village (Resident Evil 4), Leon gets captured by the village chief and when he wakes up, he finds himself tied up back to back with Luis Sera, in a rather sexy-looking composition.

After Ruvik attacks Sebastian (The Evil Within), Sebastian wakes up in the Sadist's lair only to realize that he is tied and hanging upside down. His situtation is extremely frustrating and, unlike Leon's, not sexy at all.

For a rather long time in Spain (Resident Evil 4), Leon is chased by a disfigured psycho. Ramon Salazar is everything that Leon isn't: short, ugly, stupid and deranged. Most of these traits are a result of his Plaga infection (quite possibly some kind of side-effect), although he doesn't seem to be aware of his situation and apparently thinks too highly of himself.

Trapped in STEM without knowing it (The Evil Within), Sebastian is haunted by a deformed lunatic. Ruben Victoriano (aka Ruvik) was a relatively decent-looking kid, but a painful tragedy that he experienced scarred him for life, both physically and (senti)mentally. Now he is an ugly, frightful and sadistic ghoul who wants to do as he pleases with Sebastian (his own words).

Leon's mission in Spain (Resident Evil 4) was to rescue the USA president's daughter who had been kidnapped. Ashley Graham was a 20-year-old girl who was almost always frightened (with a few surprising exceptions), hiding behind Leon and constantly screaming his name for help.

While trying to make sense out of what was going on after the Beacon mystery (The Evil Within), Sebastian meets Leslie, a 20-year-old boy with a mental health problem who used to be a patient at the hospital. Leslie is constantly terrified and calls Sebastian's name in the most inconvenient situations.

After Leon finds Ashley in the village church (Resident Evil 4), they get ambushed by villagers and are forced to lock themselves up in an isolated cabin. As it turns out, Luis is also hiding there. Seeing that the infected villagers are approaching the shack and are about to burst in, Leon and Luis have no other choice but to defend their temporary shelter by enganging in a fight against the lethal intruders.

At some point during his journey in Union (The Evil Within 2), Sebastian mysteriously finds himself in a hut where he also meets a soldier girl. Esmeralda Torres informs him that the cabin is surrounded by Lost enemies and together they do their best to defend the place and defeat the zombies.

Luis Sera, the ally that Leon finds in Spain (Resident Evil 4) is a scientist who helped Saddler develop the Plagas. Luis is not proud of his creations and will do whatever it takes to make up for what he did. He offers Leon valueable information about the experiments and their results, and his notes prove to be extremely useful.

After Sebastian gets separated with his team (The Evil Within), he arrives at a Haunted-inhabited village where the only other human being is Marcelo Jimenez, a mysterious scientist. Dr Jimenez, who is actually Leslie's doctor, accompanies Sebastian for a brief time, although, unlike the brave Luis Sera, he prefers to remain hidden while Sebastian deals with the zombies.

Although Leon gets to know Luis for a rather short time (Resident Evil 4), the two become very close friends. Unfortunately, Luis gets killed by Lord Saddler just as he is about to hand the Plaga sample over to Leon. But like the good friend that he is, he gives Leon a handful of pills with the antidote just before he dies.

During their attempt to destroy Father Theodore's device with explosives (The Evil Within 2), Sebastian and Esmeralda get seriously hit by the explosion. A heavily wounded Esmeralda carries the unconscious Sebastian out, and subsequently sacrifices her life to protect him from a horde of attacking zombies. It's also worth noting that, just like Luis Sera, Esmeralda is Spanish too (or Latin American maybe, but Latino anyway).

While trying to locate Ashley on Saddler's island (Resident Evil 4), Leon bumps onto an old friend. Jack Krauser, whom he had met and befriended during a mission in South America (The Darkside Chronicles: Operation Javier), is now back and is also a bad guy. Krauser has been ordered by both Wesker and Saddler to murder Leon, and he seems rather enthusiastic about it. When he finds Leon, he greets him with the blade of his knife, leaving him a deep scar on the cheek.

Just like Jack Krauser, the twisted photographer Stefano Valentini (The Evil Within 2) has a weird fascination with knives. After teasing Sebastian long enough, he captures him with his camera, during which time he cuts Sebastian's cheek with his beloved knife.

It is very rare to have a video game hero without a bromance, and Leon is no exception. His legendary bromance with Jack Krauser started back in 2002, when the two first met in the South American jungle (The Darkside Chronicles: Operation Javier).

The two became close friends and were getting along greatly but things got a bit out of hand when Jack was heavily wounded during a fight and realised that his military career was soon going to be over. Feeling jealous about Leon getting a position he was always dreaming of, he succumbed to his dark side and became one of the bad guys. Following Wesker's orders, he chased after Leon (Resident Evil 4) and attempted to kill him.

Sebastian's bromance with his partner Joseph Oda (The Evil Within) is even more prominent, because the two share plenty of on-screen time together and we have the chance to see how much they care for each other. Sebastian is always there to boost Joseph up and support him and at some point, when Joseph is seriously hit, Sebastian even risks going through an extremely dangerous area to get him a blood bag and save his life.

While in Union (The Evil Within 2), Sebastian finds a slide showing himself and Joseph, and it is revealed that all this time he was unable to deal with the fact that Joseph was dead, refusing to come to terms with this painful memory.

Juli however informs him that Joseph is alive, and promises to give all the necessary explanations after all is over.

It may not be obvious on first look, but Resident Evil 6's Leon looks a lot like Sebastian from the first Evil Within. Leon has a fair complexion and light-colored hair and eyes and, aside from the scars and wounds acquired during missions, is rather fresh-faced.

Sebastian is darker, with dark hair and golden eyes and although he is very handsome, the personal tragedies he has been through have left a mark on him.

Despite these differences however, they resemble each other very much, and if you notice their individual features, they are very similar.