The Resident Evil series was a pioneer in bringing spookiness to video games. The first title in the series trapped the player within a mansion that was filled with all kinds of monstrous zombies, which they had to fight using their limited supplies. This meant that the player had to decide on the spot whether to save their dwindling ammo and run or take a chance at removing an obstacle in their path, at the risk of leaving themselves undefended at a later date.
All of the games in the Resident Evil series spent a long time in development, with some games (namely Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4) being scrapped and built again from the ground up.
It is due to these lengthy and troubled development times that the Resident Evil games have secrets buried within their files. The developers lacked the time to implement some of the ideas that they had at the beginning and were forced to leave them unfinished. These ideas would remain undiscovered until the fans found them, with the aid of cheat devices.
We are here today to uncover the lost secrets hidden within the files of the Resident Evil series; from the photo that can only be found by the craziest of player, to the mysterious ghost that still hasn't been explained.
Here is Twenty Hidden Things In The Resident Evil Series Only Super Fans Found!
20 The Mystery Of Wesker's Desk
There are some game companies that have been accused of adding impossible to find secrets in video games for the sole purpose of selling strategy guides. This practice died out over time, thanks to players being able to freely share information across the Internet.
One of the most difficult to find secrets in video game history happened in Resident Evil 2.
There is a special roll of film that can only be found by visiting the S.T.A.R.S. office in the Racoon City Police Department. The player has to click on Wesker's desk fifty times in order to find the film.
Once the film is developed, it shows a photo of Rebecca Chambers wearing a basketball outfit.
19 Tofu In Resident Evil 3
Those who are able to complete Resident Evil 2 under some tight restrictions are able to unlock modes where you get to play as two other characters; an Umbrella mercenary named Hunk and a giant block of tofu, named Tofu.
Tofu was created in order to test the hit detection in Resident Evil 2, but the developers liked him so much that they kept him as a secret character.
It seems that Tofu was planned to appear in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, but he was scrapped at a late point in development. It's possible to use his character model with the aid of a Gameshark device.
18 The Flamethrower & Spark Gun Ammo
In Resident Evil 2, Claire and Leon will each receive unique weapons during their playthrough. Leon will find the Flamethrower at one point during his journey, while Claire will find the Spark Shot.
The Flamethrower and Spark Shot have to be used sparingly, as you never find any spare ammunition for either weapon: you only have access to the ammo within the weapon when you find it.
It seems that the Flamethrower and Spark Shot were originally going to be treated as regular weapons, as ammo for both weapons can be found within the files of the game.
17 Trevor's Diary
One of the creepiest aspects of the original Resident Evil was the notes found scattered around the house. These notes offered insight into what was happening in the mansion before the outbreak began, which include anecdotes about the horrors of transforming into a zombie.
There was a set of notes planned for the original Resident Evil that was cut at a late stage in development. These are known as "Trevor's Memoirs" and they are the personal account of a man who was captured by the Umbrella scientists and attempted to escape.
Trevor's Memoirs were later reworked into Trevor's Diary and were included in the remake of Resident Evil.
16 The Alternate Magnum Rounds
The Resident Evil series has featured several different kinds of magnum pistol, each with different names and capabilities. The magnum tends to be the most powerful handgun in the game, which comes at the cost of a slow firing and reloading speed. The magnum tends to be a weapon that you cannot find until later in the game and is saved for boss battles.
Resident Evil featured the Colt Python magnum as a weapon. There was originally going to be two different kinds of ammo for the Colt Python, but one of them was removed from the game.
The Colt Python was originally going to be able to use "DumDum" rounds, which were described as being more powerful than the standard ammunition for the weapon.
15 The Lost Outtakes
The Resident Evil series was a pioneer in terms of how many voiced lines of dialogue were in the game, which was rare at the game. The PlayStation had plenty of memory to call on, thanks to the CD: ROMs that held the games, but they still had limits on how much audio could be fit on each disc.
The early Japanese prototypes of Resident Evil 2 feature unused lines of dialogue that were buried in the game's files.
The unused lines contain bloopers and screwed-up line readings from the cast, alternate takes of lines that appeared in the game, and unused screams from both Claire and Leon.
14 The Resident Evil 5 Monsters In Revelations
When Resident Evil: Revelations was in the early stage of development, the game was planned to use the conventional zombies that had appeared throughout the series up until this point. When the decision was made to set most of the game on a ship, the monsters were changed from zombies into mutated sea life.
Resident Evil: Revelations was built using the same engine as Resident Evil 5. As such, there are several boss enemies and zombie creatures from that game that can be found hidden within the files of Revelations.
13 The Demon Coins
It must be a nightmare to go anywhere in the world of Resident Evil. This is due to the ridiculous puzzles that are required to enter certain areas. It makes sense to need certain keys in order to open specific doors, but there are also some areas that require you to play games of chess or enter medals into a wall in a certain order.
It seems that Resident Evil 3: Nemesis was planned to have another obnoxious puzzle, as there are three unused "Demon Coins" within the files of the game. The three coins each depict a screaming demonic face. It's unknown where they would have appeared in the game.
12 The Unused Diamonds
Speaking of obnoxious items that were cut from the game...
One of the main gimmicks of Resident Evil 0 was the ability to switch between two different characters, which meant that you had to maintain the health and weapons of separate characters throughout all of the game.
There are two items cut from Resident Evil 0 that would likely have been part of a joint puzzle. There is a Blue Diamond and a Red Diamond hidden within the files of the game, which may have been intended for a puzzle where the two characters had to use them at separate locations at the same time.
11 The Outbreak Tyrant
The Tyrant class of monster has been the end boss of several different Resident Evil games. The Tyrant is an almost unstoppable engine of destruction that can only be slowed down with conventional weapons. If you want to take down a Tyrant, then you need to hit it with a missile or better.
There is a fourth unused Tyrant monster in the original Resident Evil Outbreak, which combines elements from several different Tyrants that appeared throughout the series. It's unknown where this creature would have appeared.
10 The Hunk Scenario
There was intended to be a third entry in the Resident Evil Outbreak series, which would have connected to the first two games and unlocked new material that could have been used by the player.
There were several player scenarios that were shown off during the early stage of development that remain unfinished. One of these scenarios allowed the player to select HUNK.
There are two different unused models for HUNK in the files of Resident Evil Outbreak, one of which has high stats, while the other has average stats. This would have been used as part of a scenario where HUNK leads a team through Raccoon City.
9 The Lost Soldier Scenario
There was another planned scenario for the Resident Evil Outbreak series that would have tied into the events of Resdient Evil 3: Nemesis.
The unused scenario was going to revolve around one of the survivors of HUNK's team: a soldier named Miguel.
Miguel's scenario would have united several different characters in areas from Resident Evil 3: Nemesis.
It seems that Miguel was destined to meet his fate in Raccoon City, as there is an unused character model that shows Miguel missing a piece of his chest as if it had been torn away by a monster.
8 Hand Grenades
Resident Evil 0 acted as the precursor to the later games in the series that allowed for co-op play between two different players. Resident Evil 5 was the most famous example of this, as a lot of reviewers had a problem with the clunky menu used to switch items and weapons between the two characters.
There was a weapon planned to appear in Resident Evil 0 that would have made the game far easier. Hand grenades were once planned to appear in the game and menu icons can still be found within certain versions of Resident Evil 0. The hand grenades weren't finished, so you cannot use them, even with the aid of cheating devices.
7 The Outbreak Dog
The most iconic enemies in the Resident Evil series are the zombie humans that you battle in a desperate bid for survival.
The Resident Evil series also features zombie dogs that are even scarier. The scene where they smash through the window in the original Resident Evil is considered by many to be the first true jump scare moment in video game history.
Resident Evil Outbreak was once planned to feature a furless two-headed zombie dog as an enemy that you would have battled in several different scenarios in the game. These are known as "G-Dogs" and they can be found within the files of the game.
6 The Unused Parking Garage Save Room
The PlayStation was praised for its groundbreaking 3D graphics, but many of the best games on the system used a hybrid of 2D game worlds with 3D character models.
The first three Resident Evil games used static backgrounds which depicted the game world, with the player character and the monsters using 3D models.
If you use a walk-through-walls cheat in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis that allows you to access unused rooms. You can use this method to find an unused variant of the parking garage, which appears to have been trashed by one of the creatures in the game. This version of the room is also missing the item box and the typewriter.
5 The Suspended Zombie
In Resident Evil Outbreak, the survivors have to fight off a unique boss monster that is referred to as the Suspended. The player has to battle it within the Apple Inn.
The Suspended is a more feminine version of the Licker enemy, which has appeared throughout the Resident Evil series.
It seems that the Suspended was once planned to appear in Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, as its 3D model appears within the files of the game. This is due to the fact that the Apple Inn appeared as a location within the game and the Suspended was once planned to be a boss monster in this area, in the same way that it did in Resident Evil Outbreak.
4 The Morgue Zombie
One of the complaints of the original Resident Evil was the uniform appearance of the zombies that appeared in the game. This was something that Capcom improved upon almost immediately, with Resident Evil 2 featuring numerous different character models for the zombies that appear throughout Raccoon City.
Resident Evil Outbreak was once planned to feature an obese zombie that has several deep incisions, which suggests that the victim had perished and been brought in for examination before turning into a zombie.
The way in which the unused zombie has cuts in its body suggests that it would have been found within a morgue.
3 The Purple Herb
Herbs are some of the most iconic items in the Resident Evil series. It seems that Raccoon City is home to some of the most powerful restorative plants in the world, as all it takes to heal a gunshot or bite wound is to rub on some green paste that is made from a herb.
In the Resident Evil series, there are green herbs that can heal wounds and blue herbs that can cure poison. It's usually possible to mix these two herbs together, in order to make an item that will heal wounds and cure poison at the same time.
It seems that Resident Evil 0 was going to cut out the middle man and give the player a purple herb which acted as both a green and blue herb.
2 The Laser Cannon
The Resident Evil games will often reward the player with powerful weapons that they can use in New Game+ runs so that they can annihilate all of the foes that gave them trouble the first time around. These weapons usually take the form of machine guns and rocket launchers that come with infinite ammo.
It seems that the remake of Resident Evil on the GameCube was once planned to provide the player with some futuristic firepower, as a powerful laser weapon can be found within the files of the game.
The laser uses the same model as the flamethrower, except that it fires a dangerous beam of energy. It's unknown why this weapon was scrapped.
1 The Ghost Image
Resident Evil 4 had one of the most tumultuous development cycles of any game in the series. We're thankful that Capcom stuck with Resident Evil 4, as it turned out to be the best game in the series and one of the greatest video games of all time, but it almost never made it.
One of the earliest forms that Resident Evil 4 took involved encounters with supernatural creatures, which would have been a huge departure for the series.
It seems that the developers wanted to give a shoutout to the earlier version of Resident Evil 4, as a ghostly image of an unknown person exists near the final boss arena of the game. No one is sure exactly who this person is, but the current leading theory is that it was someone involved with the development team of the game.