According to a Capcom leaker, the Moreau section in Resident Evil Village received extensive cuts throughout development, so much so that mermaid-like enemies landed on the cutting room floor. The titular village in RE Village plays host to four lords spread across four distinct territories. Fan-favorite character Lady Dimitrescu lords over a grand castle, Donna Beneviento rules the creepy, doll-filled House Beneviento, the mutated Salvatore Moreau runs the Reservoir, and, finally, Karl Heisenberg owns the factory on the village's outskirts.
Resident Evil Village players must explore each of these locales in-depth, solving puzzles and dispatching enemies in an effort to access that which is necessary to save Rose, protagonist Ethan Winter's infant daughter. Some areas prove far more terrifying than others, with House Beneviento, or the Dollhouse, being considered the most unsettling part of the experience. The Moreau-operated Reservoir is plenty scary in its own right, too, and new information suggests Capcom developers once boasted even loftier ambitions for the waterlogged area.
Reputable Capcom leaker AestheticGamer, who previously leaked Resident Evil Village details ahead of its reveal, claims the latest RE title's Moreau segment once featured extra content that fell by the wayside. According to the insider (via Eurogamer), Capcom extensively "trimmed" the Moreau area because it demanded a restructuring, these efforts - due to budget and time constraints - instead went to reworking Castle Dimitrescu and the Heisenberg factory. The pre-trimmed version of Moreau's place boasted an open swamp area whose generally linear design allowed for "several paths through." Apparently, mermaid-like beings resided in one watery area; AestheticGamer says they'd swim after Ethan on sight, forcing players to kill them quickly. The mermaid creatures even proved threatening on land and came equipped with a screeching ability capable of stunning and slowing down Ethan, leaving him open for further attack. AestheticGamer doesn't know the specifics but adds that the mermaid screech additionally called forth a "stalker enemy" - presumably Moreau.
It sounds as if Resident Evil Village's Moreau originally had a lot more on offer from a gameplay perspective. Perhaps this particular area of the game would've become as memorable as Castle Dimitrescu or the Dollhouse had Capcom decided to rework its alleged initial plans. But, as always, all of the above should be taken with a grain of salt.
The most recent Resident Evil entry takes place not long after the events of Resident Evil 7. As such, Ethan Winter reenters the driver's seat. But instead of rescuing his wife from an isolated Lousiana parish, Ethan finds himself on a mission to save his daughter from bizarre Easter European overlords in a remote village.
Resident Evil Village is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: AestheticGamer/Twitter (via Eurogamer)