Regenerator (Resident Evil)

Regenerator
Resident Evil character
First appearance	Resident Evil 4 (2005)
Created by	Hiroyuki Kobayashi

The Regenerator (リヘナラドール rihenaradōru), also know as Regenerador is a fictional creature from Capcom's Resident Evil series. It first appeared in the video game Resident Evil 4. Regeneradores are named for their artificially-created high metabolism, they were experimental bioweapons created by Los Iluminados, a Spanish militant organization, they were known for their enhanced regenerative abilities, allowing them to regrow large portions of their body if being destroyed. Multiple video game journalists described Regenerator as the scariest and terrifying monster in video games.

Characteristics and design

Being created and designed by Hiroyuki Kobayashi. Kobayashi claimed that the enemies like Regenerator were based in the reality of Resident Evil 4, the Regenerator existed when people accidentally created and made a mistake during the experiment. During the interview of Famitsu, Shinji Mikami lamended the difficulty on the game, and strike the balance of the creature as an enemy. It was attempted made as a byproduct of Los Iluminados' research in Plaga-based bio-weapons. The Regeneradores themselves were created by planting multiple parasites within a human body, causing the body to mutate radically. The Regenerator appears as a large, vaguely, human-shaped creature covered in hairless, seemingly rough, gray skin. Their mouths are large with grasp breathing, taking up most of their otherwise-featureless faces, and are filled with needle-like teeth which force the Regenerator into a grin. They regenerate their limbs after being shot or destroyed. The creature cannot be killed unless the player is able to find the Plagas and destroy them inside their bodies. An evolved version of the Regenerator called Iron Maiden, they impale their prey when attacking them.

Appearances

Regenerator originally appeared in Resident Evil 4. Before spotting the player, Regeneradores stand in place and take distinct heavy breaths, making it easy to tell if they are near. They usually approach the player by walking; however, almost all encounters take place in small spaces as they have fast movement, sometimes they can be seen running. When fired at, their limbs can be blown off, but after a short time, they regenerate back. The attacks Regenerators use depend on which limbs they still have. There are two to five smaller parasites located inside their bodies that can only be seen with the infrared scope; destroying these will cause extra damage to them. It is possible to hit the parasites without the scope and they can still be alive after losing all the parasites or die before hitting any by doing enough damage.

Reception

Ian from Kotaku cited Regenerator at Resident Evil 4 on a game that scared him, stating that "Resident Evil 4 introduces regenerators, one of the most horrific monsters ever to be put into a video game. They’re tall and lanky with impossibly smooth skin, but the worst part is that you hear their difficult, raspy breathing before they come into view. And the only way to kill them for good—they regenerate, you see—is to use an infrared rifle scope to kill a bunch of little parasites inside their bodies before they can get close enough to munch on you. Some even have spikes for close-range impaling! I literally had to stop playing the game for the day after meeting my first regenerator." Sam White of Digital Spy claimed Regenerator as terrifying, by saying that "The cryogenic lab section where I met my first regenerator was beyond terrifying, and I dreaded stumbling across another right until the game's end." Aoife Wilson of Eurogamer said that Regenerator were the only enemies that she feared, by stating that "I was always freaked out by the Regenerators in Resident Evil 4." David Lozada of GameRevolution described Regenerators as the scariest video game enemies, stating that "Their heavy breathing noise only adds to their creepy persona as it reverberates through the walls and follows the player everywhere. And, of course, Leon Kennedy almost always encounters these things in tight, claustrophobic areas. Fun." Aaron Potter of Den of Geek described Regenerator as the best Resident Evil monsters, stating that "the first time you encounter a Regenerator in Resident Evil 4 is easily one of the adventure’s scariest moments." Peter Brown of GameSpot cited Regenerator as the Gaming's Greatest Monsters. Carli Velocci of Paste described Regenerator as the scariest monster in video games, stating that "They pop up when you least expect it, and for the first time in the game, you feel helpless." Andy Kelly of Kotaku described Regenerator as gaming's most stress-inducing sound effects, stating that "The ragged breathing of the fearsome Regenerators is just as scary as actually running into one." Andy Kelly of PC Gamer described Regenerator as the best enemies in PC gaming, stating that "As the name suggests, these shivering freaks can take a lot of damage. You unload your pistol and it doesn’t flinch, inching closer and closer with an eerie grin on its face. And the spiky variety is even worse." Justin Crowe of Screen Rant described Regenerator as the scariest moments in the game series, and stated that "The tall, scaly alien-looking being is first seen lying on a table, and players find a memo explaining that they are experimental beings that can regenerate tissue and limbs. Suddenly, a crash is heard, and the things stumble to life, breathing hoarsely and sniffing for prey. There's a technique to taking them down, but without knowing it, they are literally unstoppable killing machines." Ryan Lambie of Den of Geek cited Regenerator as an example of gaming icon as why horror games are scarier than horror movies. Rock Paper Shotgun cited Regenerator one of the best remembered enemies from the series, stating that "the latest has one of the most frightening creatures ever to grace the series. That monster is separate, too, from Lady Dimitrescu, who become a pop-culture phenomenon (owing mostly to being very tall, among other things) in a way few characters in any medium manage." Venture Beat cited Regenerator as an example as most vivid video game memories, he further said that "the fear of regenerators had been put into me. Even when I got the infra-red scope, and could take them out with ease, I still broke out in Goosebumps every time I heard that glottal, soggy breathing. I still do." K. Delgrego of Engadget talks about how the game isn't quite as scary until encountering Regenerator, and stated that "Everything about these creatures just screams creepy. Their bubble eyes, their slow lurching walk, and especially the heavy breathing they emit. In fact, in the tight corridors you must navigate in order to escape the labs, your only cue to an approaching Regenerator is that awful noise." Kat Bailey of USGamer talks about how "claustrophobic moments is where you would fumble to reload your gun as a Regenerador slouched slowly, inexorably down the hallway.", and cited the creature as "presented it in style that could be described as a creeping sort of terror."