The Resident Evil franchise is rife with brutish beasts and malevolent monsters. Hideous bastardizations of nature roam the hallways and streets and paths of each Resident Evil location. However, while these are quite iconic indeed, they are often overshadowed by more powerful enemies. Players are given a limited cache of ammunition, and the player must learn to conserve ammunition wisely for more powerful threats. There are enemies in the game that are nigh-invulnerable, relentlessly pursuing the player characters to issue their demise. These, we’ll call ‘pursuers.’
Pursuer
The pursuer is a category for certain Bosses in the series that chase the player through various locations, usually in stalking their prey. With the original games having only scarce ammunition and recovery items, usually the game employs a decision: fight or flight when players encounter these devilish creatures.
Resident Evil 1, Remake
Yawn
You might remember this huge gigantic “Anaconda”-length snake from the first Resident Evil game. It inhabits the Arklay mountains Mansion. Retaining its animal behavior, it slithers into vents, and creates holes in the Mansion’s walls just like a regular snake.
Monster Behavior
Fending it off during the first encounter would only lead to its escape, and it was only a matter of time before it could rear its ugly head again. Bear in mind that unlike regular zombies, fighting this Pursuer requires more careful legwork.
Tyrant (T-002)
The main antagonist’s trump card, Tyrant or Codename “T-002,” Albert Wesker’s prized possession. It had immense abilities: quick movement, a huge reach, and superhuman strength.
Monster Behavior
It was a formidable Pursuer against the remaining S.T.A.R.S. Alpha and Bravo Team members due to its programming being a product of acquiring several combat data from the S.T.A.R.S. that fought the T-virus infected monsters.
Remake
Lisa
Lisa was one of the human test subjects of the Progenitor virus. She was only fourteen when the Umbrella researchers injected her with the “type-B” variation of the Progenitor virus, which was the variable strain of her mother’s (type-A). Her mother planned for their escape but the two of them were caught. She gradually mutated as a result of the virus, while her mother was eliminated since she didn’t exhibit any traits of the virus.
Monster Behavior
She still retains her childish traits as she seeks for her mother even after she has already mutated. Lisa is first encountered in an isolated cabin outside the Arklay Mansion. She later pursues the remaining S.T.A.R.S. members at the altar.
Resident Evil 2
William Birkin
As a human, he was one of Wesker’s trusted fellows. However, during the September 1998 incident, a group of Umbrella Soldiers led by HUNK (Human Unit not Killed) stormed his underground laboratory to retrieve the G-Virus sample. Being one of his creations, Birkin’s resistance led him to his final moments, and in hopes of preventing his research from being stolen, injected the Virus into his own body and went on a killing spree.
Monster Behavior
Borrowing traits from the monster in John Carpenter’s “The Thing,” Birkin’s mutation is a grotesque creature that has been a product of his own creation the “G-Virus.” Its attempts to reproduce share several similarities to the “Alien’s” “Face huggers” since it explodes out of its human host when fully developed. It goes after the protagonist throughout the game, guarding the underground laboratory and gradually transforming into various forms eventually becoming less human and more beast-like.
Tyrant (T-103 mass produced)
Better referred to as “Codename: T-103” or the next Tyrant, is a Biological Weapon dispatched by Umbrella during the Raccoon City Incident in 1998. T-103 is one of the many creations of Umbrella in order to take out anyone who dared to uncover the Organization’s secrets.
Monster Behavior
Unlike its predecessor that inhabited the Arklay Mountains, T-102 sustained a fall into a lava pool and maintained its super-human strength in spite of burning. Even worse, it managed to move and unleash faster attacks during its new form.
Resident Evil 3
Nemesis
A product of Umbrella Europe and named after the Greek goddess of divine vengeance, “Nemesis” attempted to hunt all living S.T.A.R.S. members that were present during the September 1998 incident.
Monster Behavior
During the course of the game, “Nemesis” intends to chase the player through various areas and won’t think twice in striking any T-virus infected Zombie that blocked its way. At some points in the game, it equips a huge Bazooka in an attempt to make quick work of its target.
In addition, as a left-handed, it could punish its victim by grabbing them and unleashing a vicious tentacle-like appendage to impale them.
Resident Evil Code Veronica
T-103 (Mass Produced Type)
Apparently, this is the same mass produced variant of the Tyrant (T-103) that was deployed during the 1998 Raccoon City t-Virus Outbreak. However, its Rockfort Island counterpart sports a much smaller arm which it uses to swing at its target.
Monster Behavior
It is quite difficult to handle the same T-103 given that it infiltrates tight spaces with little space for maneuver. It usually approaches you slowly like its Raccoon City counterpart, however it is capable of dashing when given the opportunity, thus be careful when going against it.
Resident Evil 4
Verdugo
Known in Spanish as the “Executioner,” these were products of gene splicing involving the human, and the insect’s DNA with the Plagas. They serve as guardians of the Eigth Castellan, Ramon Salazar.
Monster Behavior
The red cloaked one was sent by its master to pursue the agent, where it was encountered in the sewers. It resists gunshots but was susceptible to damage through Nitrogen tanks. It employs stealth and quick movements, which required the agent to dodge it using a number of acrobatics.
Resident Evil 5
Chainsaw Majini
It is a variant of the Las Plagas Chainsaw Ganado since it walks similar and shouts when it charges in for an attack. It also does not suffer quickly from gunshots nor headshots even though it lacks a protective armor.
Monster Behavior
Although it has several similarities to its predecessor, it has a slower reaction time and won’t attempt to decapitate the player immediately when it sees the player is confronting other Majinis. However, be on guard since it doesn’t stop going after the player after it has fallen for the first time. Watch out for its devastating chainsaw once it gets back up though.
Executioner Majini
A huge Majini whose duty is to decapitate infidels, it was first seen by the BSAA using its make-shift axe as a guillotine to execute one of the BSAA agents.
Monster Behavior
Don’t be fooled by its slow movements since it will usually spawn with a mob of Majinis that could capture you in preparation for its lethal slice coming from the massive make-shift axe. At times, it attempts to deliver several brutal swings that are as equally life threatening as its slow charging attacks. Although it is usually seen wielding its axe in combat, it might also attempt to grab you by the throat similar to Nemesis, as it tries to prepare for a killing blow.
Blob (Lost in Nightmares DLC)
As a product of an ‘unidentified strain’ of the virus, the “Blobs” were remains of the prisoners of the Spencer Estate. Upon transformation, they’ve become the guardians of the hidden rooms in the Mansion.
Monster Behavior
It emulates the movements of the Executioner Majini, thus it requires coordination and teamwork to take down.
Resident Evil 6
Ustanak
A huge B.O.W. that was a product of the C-Virus. It made an appearance in Edonia in pursuit of Jake Muller. Similar to other Pursuer B.O.W.’s, it has an extendable arm however it is made of metal unlike its predecessors which have extended appendages.
Monster Behavior
Don’t be fooled by its huge size as it could also go after the player rather quickly due to its superhuman strength. It attempts to grab its victim with its claw-like arm. It has been recorded to have chased Jake Muller from Edonia up to China, however it was finally defeated by the Jake and Sherry where it perished in the inferno.
Honorable Mentions:
It is interesting to note that these titles also happened during the 1998 Racoon City incident. This section shall describe the other mutations that fit the Pursuer category.
Spin-Offs
Resident Evil Outbreak
Leech Zombie (“Leech Man”)
It is a Pursuer in the spin-off titles.
A product of leeches exposed to the t-Virus, when it successfully captured a human, it makes it a reanimated host. As a “Leech Zombie” however it haunts the halls of the Raccoon City Hospital and chases after survivors in search of blood. If it captures one, the victim will also become another Leech Zombie.
Thanatos
Created by Greg Mueller, the Thanatos is similar to the Tyrant as it possesses superhuman strength. It retains most of its human features at first but it acquired an elastic arm which it uses to swing against the survivors.
How the Pursuer breaks free
With massive force, the Pursuer chases after the player in many different heart-pounding ways: breaking glass through the windows, or a huge hole in the wall or floor etc, we could evaluate how well the Pursuer element was used in the game.
It shows the persistence of the Pursuer, who might be akin to a vicious killer, not completely immobilized in most of the initial parts of the game but only subdued for some time. Resident Evil 3’s Nemesis takes the cake as ultimate “Pursuer” in the franchise as a result of its persistence, however Resident Evil 4’s Verdugo seems menacing given how it managed to pursue its prey using a combination of cunning movements and stealth.
The Player’s Perspective
For the survivor, the feeling of being pursued, added by the constant feeling of being trapped in a labyrinth, or going in circles like a rat in the cage, fills him with dread. In addition, the save point mechanic tries to tie a dangerous room with another, providing temporary respite amidst the tension. One of the traditional titles’ highlights when spawning in a save room was the typewriter, which gave a “diary” effect.
How it All ties up
Since Resident Evil 7 is fast approaching, we will finally witness how well Capcom attempts to deliver the recurring element of the Pursuer in the new games. It might be easy to view the new Pursuers (Jack and Marguerite Baker) based on how well they compare to the installment’s “Nemesis.” However, the Pursuer should only be like an “actor” in the big picture, thus we must judge according to how well it adapts to the “stage.”
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