Resident Evil is bigger than its ever been, with the critically-acclaimed reimagining in Resident Evil 7, and the huge commercial success of the Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes. Despite this, Resident Evil 8 looks like it's taking a boldly different approach, at least in terms of tone and themes.
Resident Evil 8 follows RE7 protagonist Ethan Winters, as he travels to a remote European village to try and find answers to why his wife, Mia, was killed. The reveal trailer showed a location steeped in a Medieval look, occult elements, and possibly even magic.
One of the more shocking moments of the trailer reveals an enemy that looks exactly like a Werewolf, and most likely is in some way. While it might seem like this is a big surprise addition, a Werewolf has actually appeared in the series before, although it takes a bit of digging to find it.
A Werewolf Has Appeared in Resident Evil One Time Before
Technically, Resident Evil 8 is the first time a Werewolf has popped up in the main series of games. Comics, however, is a different story. In 1998-99 there was an anthology series of Resident Evil comics published by Wildstorm. The third issue, released in September 1998, featured a story called "Wolf Hunt," which saw a terrifyingly powerful Werewolf stalk the streets of Raccoon City. The Wildstorm comics aren't part of the continuity of the main game series, but it was officially licensed by Capcom, meaning it's an official Resident Evil product.
Wolf Hunt takes place one week before the Mansion Incident and sees a wolf-like creature stalking the campus of Raccoon City College. The recently-formed STARS team was sent to investigate, and Jill Valentine went undercover as a student to draw the creature out. Unfortunately, the comic doesn't really explain what the Werewolf really was, but when it's killed it reverts back to the form of a normal human. Resident Evil 8 will, of course, get more involved with its Werewolves, but it's interesting to see how the series did it over two decades ago.
Resident Evil 8 releases in 2021 for PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC.