Capcom developers made a huge nod to its long-forgotten horror-themed fighting series, Darkstalkers, in a Resident Evil 3 easter egg that some players are only just now noticing. The clever reference to a beloved retro franchise and its possible future implications are creating the same buzz among dedicated fans that all in-game allusions of this type should aspire to.
Best known for its fighting and horror game hits, Capcom has been going all-in on its modern overhauls of Resident Evil 2 and 3, leaving some older players who are still passionate about the originals feeling a little left in the dust. That goes doubly for an even more niche group among them that clings to the hope that the Japanese developer gives other early franchises similar remake treatment, if not proper sequels with up-to-date visuals and design sensibilities. One such game that Capcom devotees are still rooting for is Darkstalkers, a 2D fighting game series that tends to sit in the Street Fighter‘s massive esports shadow that hasn’t gotten an original release since 1997, only one year before the original Resident Evil 2 reinvented the survival horror genre.
As rediscovered by Event Hubs, a physically enormous statue of what can be none other than Darkstalkers‘ Victor towers over players in the “Abandoned Park Ride stage on the second level” in Resident Evil Resistance, Resident Evil 3‘s asymmetrical multiplayer component. YouTubers JustAddMonsters’ and VesperArcade’s video dissections of the appearance of Victor’s familiar face and unmistakably beefy frame have and continue to raise Darkstalkers‘ fans hopes, as the statue is self-evident of Capcom’s willingness to produce all-new 3D models for the game’s fighters, which may potentially point to the developer’s intention to do something with Victor’s meticulously rendered model beyond this acknowledgement of the defunct series’ existence.
It may be a bit of a long shot, but it wouldn’t be the first instance of Resident Evil 3 being used to set up other titles in development at Capcom. Though it’s possible it was just the work of the Resident Evil Resistance team in a payment of homage to one of the company’s bygone eras, there’s always the possibility that the Victor statue’s almost unmissable placement was placed in the multiplayer level to gauge player enthusiasm for new Darkstalkers content, tease something already green-lit at Capcom, or perhaps both.
With the commercially and critically successful reinvention of Resident Evil‘s past and future, Capcom has proven that it can give fans yearning for yesteryear what they want without compromising on where it wants to take its IP moving forward. Such an obvious nod to Darkstalkers in Resident Evil 3 could point to the uniquely themed fighting game being a piece of the developer’s ambitious next-gen plans.
Sources: Event Hubs, Just Add Monsters, VesperArcade
