The Remake of Resident Evil 3Â is scheduled to release in just a little over a month from now, and the excitement for the game keeps growing as the release date approaches. Last week, Capcom revealed an extended preview of Resident Evil 3's gameplay, which confirmed the return of some original RE3 features such as the dodge mechanic and the explosive objects scattered around Raccoon City.
Moreover, the Japanese developer and publisher also unveiled a playable demo for the upcoming RE3 remake, but details about it are still being kept under wraps. Now, throughout Resident Evil's 23 years in existence, the series has produced a wide variety of terrifying and memorable monsters that haunted the nightmares of its players.
Although Capcom has provided Resident Evil 3 fans with an in-depth look at Nemesis, the recent gameplay preview also gave fans a glimpse of the Hunter Gamma. Capcom showed that the monster will receive a major overhaul in the upcoming game, but how was the Hunter Gamma created? Which games featured the monster? And how is Resident Evil 3 remake's version different from the rest?
Hunter Gamma Origins
It is without a doubt that the Hunter is one of the most popular monsters in Resident Evil's history. Of course, when talking about the Hunter, most Resident Evil fans would probably think of the Hunter Alpha, which is the most recognizable variant of the B.O.W and is the first to make an appearance in Resident Evil games.
The Hunter Gamma, on the other hand, was created by the Umbrella Corporation in Europe as part of a re-investigation into amphibian-based B.O.W.s after an earlier prototype created by Dr. James Marcus, one of Umbrella's founders, failed to materialize ten years earlier. After the successful creation of the Hunter Alpha by the American division of the company, Umbrella Europe developed the Hunter Gamma with the information synthesized by the American branch.
However, unlike the Hunter Alpha which will also appear in Resident Evil 3 remake, the Hunter Gamma involved human DNA that is bonded with a fertilized amphibian egg, with the t-Virus acting as the bonding agent. The result is the frog-like creature that we know today that has no eyes, no teeth, and would primarily kill their targets by swallowing them whole. The creature would sometimes have claws on its webbed hands as its primary way to kill its targets. One of the main weaknesses of the Hunter Gamma is that it is only able to survive in wet environments, making them difficult to maintain. All existing Hunter Gamma models were experimental and they were not mass-produced by the Umbrella Corporation.
However, the Hunter Gamma proved to be an inferior variant to the Hunter Alpha, given that the latter was created with a reptilian DNA injected into a human embryo and is bonded by the t-Virus. This resulted in a more intelligent and stronger bioweapon sporting a thicker skin that forms a tough armor and is able to thrive in most environments. Given the superiority of the Hunter Alpha, it became the Hunter variant that was cloned by other Umbrella facilities and was delivered and sold all over the world.
Appearances in Other Resident Evil Games
During the Raccoon City Incident where Resident Evil 3 takes place, a number of Hunter Gamma models were delivered to the city. A couple of them were sedated and kept in the Raccoon General Hospital where they were accidentally released by Carlos Oliveria, who is trying to find a vaccine to cure Jill's infection. By October 1st, a pack of Hunter Gammas established their hunting ground in a pond at Raccoon Park, given that the creatures would only thrive in wet areas. After recovering from the infection, Jill Valentine would encounter these creatures in the park but was able to deal with them easily due to her past experience battling the Hunter Alpha in the Spencer Mansion.
The creature also made an appearance in Resident Evil Outbreak and Outbreak File 2 and featured a slight variant than the creatures present in Resident Evil 3. This particular version of the Hunter Gamma lacked claws and is slightly more human in appearance, walking on two legs. Although the Hunter Gamma featured in the Outbreak series lacked claws, this version appears to be stronger given that it can pick up a grown man and swallow it whole easily. After the destruction of Raccoon City, there were no records that indicated the return of the Hunter Gamma, given that Umbrella most likely terminated the project due to its various weaknesses and its poor performance during the Raccoon City Incident.
Major Redesign in Resident Evil 3 Remake
Now, Resident Evil fans will once again encounter the Hunter Gamma in the highly-anticipated remake of Resident Evil 3. In recent gameplay previews of the upcoming game, the Hunter Gamma has been massively overhauled by Capcom and is now significantly larger in size, probably to make its primary attack of swallowing people whole more realistic.
Furthermore, the creature sports a white appearance and appears to have softer skin than its predecessors. The Hunter Gamma still has no eyes and teeth, but just like the Lickers in Resident Evil 2, it will probably rely on sounds to hunt its prey. Overall, the Hunter Gamma appears to be more menacing in Resident Evil 3 remake, and it would be interesting to see how difficult it will be to battle these creatures in the upcoming game.
Resident Evil 3Â remake is scheduled to release on April 3, 2020, for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
