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The Zombie Problem: A Quest for its Solution
Have you ever been in bed and fully awake for no other thorough reason than to ask the question – Are Resident Evil Zombies Undead? Well, fasten your seatbelts, because it’s about to get real as we take on this fascinating puzzle that has been viral in the RE community for some years now.
As a diehard T’virus infected and T’virus experienced for more T’virus outbreaks than I should have, I have spent considerate hours dealing with this specific question. And so, take your green herbs and we are going to enjoy this adventure of unraveling the mystery if in fact these horrible walking monsters are not just stories.
Are Resident Evil Zombies Undead?
Now we want to answer the question which has been at the Centre of this article and that is about whether Resident Evil zombies belong to the living undead or not, lets us first be reminded of what makes these human flesh eating monsters work.
A. T-Virus Infection
Every Resident Evil zombie has, at its base, the horrid T-virus. This carnage inducing virus is more or less the mastermind behind the carnage induced, where ordinary people become savage killers. But does it mean that if one is infected with the virus, he or she is now a zombie? That is something very critical, isn’t it?
B. Вehavioral Characteristics
What else do extremists seek for? Or rather, I was just about to say the controversial common features include: loss of locomotor skills, a shambling gait, active search for preys calling for human tissue and such other activities that give some consideration for cleanliness. But are such behaviors characteristic of the dead measure, the undead’ Of vice indeed, this takes a turn.
C. Physical Changes
The transformation from cadaveric decomposition to applications of animatronics provides Resident Evil zombies with grit otherwise some great physical change. And here comes the twist – do this series of changes imply that they have been zombies? Now let us entertain the idea.
Are Resident Evil Zombies Undead Conceptually?
Well, well, guess it is time to do my favorite thing and ponder upon the enigma. Are the Resident Evil zombies the walking dead? Or is there more to it than assists bet on the gout of palms themselves?
A. Early Games (RE1-RE3)
In the earlier sections of Resident Evil, playable areas meant more as these were two-fold contributed, no place of the dead and prejudice where one stood even in dead. The sickness of the B.O. plague is often referred to as ‘I have the florets zombie or itches based on how obsessive-compulsive one is in one a day.
Tasty.” diary from REmake – more likely this is a process instead of depicting an instant eternal death followed by resurrection. So, are Resident Evil zombies dead or undead during these early installments? Not so straight forward!
B. Later Installments (Code Veronica and Beyond)
As the series continued, well, things got worse. Are Resident Evil Zombies Undead in the later games? Well, Code Veronica had the notion that t-virus could revive already dead cells. Wow, way to raise the stakes!
C. Conflicting Lore and Interpretations
This is where it gets interesting. Zombies don’t get their dead lore easily in any of the resident evil games. At one point we are made to understand that the infection is only sustained in the only live hosts. Then we go battle zombies that have emerged from the depths of the ancient earth. So, are Resident Evil’s Zombies merely creatures that fell ill, oh pardon the pun, to the T-Virus? The answer would seem to depend on what game you seemed to be playing at that time!
The Zombie Spectrum: From “Living” to Undead
Strangely enough, in the resident evil universe there is actually a so say Living PDR the such thing as a reversal of the zombie culture. In terms of taxonomy let’s start with them head up: Media Coverage PDR sith’s sitcom booth Halloween breaks out zombies within Borderpoles virulently environments:
A. Freshly Infected
These unfortunate individuals are still in the first stages of infection. They are in a mode that can be termed semi-circular as they can still consider themselves and contain the living T-virus but with some other dangers cramping them.
Are Resident Evil zombies undead at this stage in the game? Not quite, but they are almost there!
B. Fully Turned
Now things become a little difficult. This time there are zombies that have fully transformed, however are they familiars bones to everyone? Several apocryphas claim that their hearts have been neutralized, others state they are in a state of “obvious death”. The controversy continues!
C. Resurrected Corpses
Moving on now to the true definition of undead. The next developments of the series gave us zombies that can easily be referred to as the ones who have come back from the grave. But does this mean retroactively every single Resident Evil zombie present in the series can be termed as undead? Not so fast!
How Capcom Shaped the Undead Narrative
There is no denying that capcom has been making it up as they go along when it comes to the periphery zombie story. Sure. That too is in frustration, isn’t it?
A. Technological advancements in the RE universe
With the advancement of technology in the resident evil world, the traits of those annoying viruses also advanced. What commenced as a mere plague to living organisms metamorphosized into the ability to reignite dead persons. Wow, that is really something.
B. Story progression and retcons
Elements of last-minute surprises and dramatic revelations are also a big part of the storyline and capcom is not shying away from bringing some of that.
This continuous progress keeps us agile, although it complicates the issue of whether or not, ‘Are Resident Evil Zombies undead?’. Therefore a moving target!
Why It Matters: Undead Status and Player Experience
Out of curiosity, one may ask, “Why should we careless if Resident evil zombies are alive or at least undead?” Well, let me tell you – it is serious business! The very construction of these enemies affects everything, starting from the gameplay mechanics and all the way to the emotional background of the plotline.
Imagine if you will that an opponent you want to dispossess is an undead creature while a would be infection is very much alive. It changes how we see the threat posed, who and when we relate to the threats and even the ways in which battles are approached.
And not to sugar-coat this – half of the fun in being a fan of Resident Evil is indulging in dive into these minutiae of things and sparring over them with other likeminded fans. It is what excites the fandom (alive or undead depending AMA on the angle wielded)!
Finally, after all this inquiry, are we even closer to the answer about the very vexing question of whether Resident Evil Zombies are really undead? In typical Resident Evil style, the answer is ‘Yes’ and ‘No’. It depends on a particular game, a part of the series and even a singular zombie in question.
One of the things that we can say for certain about Capcom is that they have created a densely layered and richly detailed universe in which the terms ‘living’ and ’dead’ cannot be more confusing. Regardless if one would subscribe to the belief that the Resident Evil zombies are in fact the undead or not, it is one fact that everyone completely agrees upon – they are a kick ass, terrifying and endlessly intriguing adversary that never fails to make us want more.
Well, I’d rather not be so formal right now. I must conclude this part of my “research” for today. Those pathetic zombies will not slay themselves again! Be safe in the virtual world, and do not forget – next time you are asked “Are Resident Evil zombies undead?” you will be ready and will have much to say!
Frequently asked questions
Q: Are there any methods to reverse Resident Evil zombies back to their human state?
A: There were some cases of the infection being reversed while still on the victim, but by the time the person has completely turned into a zombie, it is very unlikely anything can be done about them in the Resident Evil world.
Q: How do the zombies in Resident Evil compare with the dead in the classical horror movie?
A: They do not arise from the dead in a voodoo ritual as classical zombies do: Resident Evil zombies are due to a viral infection instead of a necromancy. Unlike older versions, they can also transform into different forms, in addition to zombies.
Q: Are all enemies in the Resident Evil series belong to the category of the undead asking for shelter?
A: No. The series features a wide range of enemies. These include zombies, bio organic weapons, mutated monsters, monsters, bioweapons, viruses, footprints, inhuman dolls and many more. Not all are defined as zombies.
Q: Do zombies in Resident Evil feel any pain?
A: It is difficult to say, but many of those who have suffered serious injury and it was not in the head region or above the neck region as the zombies perhaps have a limited or no pain and will continue to hunt and attack their enemies.
Q: How do zombies get portrayed in the Resident Evil series over time?
A: The earliest games contained the slow moving classic zombies while the later games developed the faster more vicious varieties of zombies and elaborated on how they came to be.
