Back when Resident Evil 3 Remake was officially announced, many fans noticed how different Nemesis looked from his original version. Even after the game released, fans saw his unusual attire and the ability to infect zombies with his tentacles. Now, Capcom has explained why it decided to incorporate these changes.
While speaking with the PSN Blog on Nemesis’ debut in Resident Evil Resistance, Capcom took the time to talk about him in more detail and explain the lore about the creature. As it turns out, the development team had Resident Evil 4 and the Ganado enemies firmly in mind while redesigning Nemesis.
According to Capcom, Umbrella Corporation’s bioweapon research was split between America and Europe with each branch racing against one another in order to create a more powerful bioweapon. As such, the American branch was working on the Tyrant bioweapon utilizing the T-virus (Mr. X) while the European branch was focusing on the Plagas Parasite, NE-α, and Nemesis. However, there were complications with NE-α because the virus needed a live host and had to be regulated extensively which was difficult to accomplish. On top of that, because Mr. X turned out to be far more successful, the European branch felt pressured enough to push Nemesis aggressively forward.
As previously stated, the NE-α was very difficult to control which is why it had to be regulated through a special chest piece on Nemesis, along with a restraining gear to stop it from reaching critical levels. Additionally, since Nemesis was still a prototype, restrictive encasement was created quickly in order to contain him, which essentially explains the body bag clothing he has on during the events in Resident Evil 3 Remake.
Finally, Capcom explained the purpose of the tentacle and the ability to infect zombies with it. According to the company, once a human is infected with the Plagas parasite, the parasite activates and spawns from the host’s neck in the form of a tentacle. As such, NE-α was created to imitate the quality of the parasite and make NE-α similar to the Ganado enemies from Resident Evil 4.
Considering how there are rumors circulating around the internet about Resident Evil 4 Remake, Capcom choosing to reference the game and have Nemesis relate to it in the entire explanation certainly hints at the possibility.
Source: PSN Blog
