A new set of concept art for Resident Evil Village recently came to light, together with an interview with the game’s director Morisama Sato and art director Tomonori Takano. The new art pieces give us a better look at Lady Alcina Dimitrescus, a.k.a. Our Dear Tall Vampire Lady, as the game directors explain the character’s creation.
In the upcoming game, Lady Dimitrescu is the leader of a coven and the mother of three other vampires, which are also showcased in the new concept art. The choice to use a family of villains, according to Sato, came from the desire to create an opposition with the game’s hero Ethan, a man in search of his kidnapped child. As Sato puts it, “Ethan has a family he is trying to protect, so we wanted to have a family for Lady Dimitrescu as well, to provide a contrast.”
This idea was first explored with a castle inhabited by hundreds of women, but as development progressed, the game set on a smaller family core, even if all the other enemies players will find of this level will also be female. As Takano explains, “with Lady Dimitrescu as the cult’s guru, we have created this hierarchy of women. Men have their blood drained by these women, so you could say it’s the opposite of Dracula.”
The concept of Lady Dimitrescu also changed over time, while the team tried to get to a result that was both intimidating and memorable. As Sato recalls, “we [the team] tried a lot of different things in order to make the Countess scary and feel like a boss character. There were ideas to make her more creature-like as well, but in the end, we felt that a towering woman was the most simple yet powerful thing we could do.” Powerful indeed, as we cannot forget the Vampire Lady ever since she was first presented to us.
It’s funny to notice that the art piece showing Lady Dimitrescu’s color palette has indications for the character’s underwear, so it’s a little hard to believe in early reactions from Takano, in which the director seemed surprised by all the attention the Vampire Lady got. This was clearly a character design to grab fans’ attention, and indeed it did. We can’t wait for the opportunity of being chased by a coven of witches and vampires next month.
Check out the new concept art, courtesy of IGN:
Resident Evil Village will come to PlayStation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on May 7.