Resident Evil

Beneath the Dormitory on the Spencer estate is the Aqua Ring – an underground aquarium of sorts where Umbrella scientists conducted research on aquatic animals. In particular, great white sharks were used for biological testing, and a few individuals were injected with the t-Virus. This new B.O.W. was codenamed F1-03 Neptune after the God of the Sea in Roman mythology, in recognition of the creature’s incredible underwater prowess.

Although marine bioweapons are generally regarded by Umbrella as having low military effectiveness, the intention behind Neptune was not necessarily to develop a combat weapon, but to determine whether the t-Virus could be adapted to genes other than those of terrestrial organisms. However, during the clinical trial, the virus did not combine well with the sharks. Although the viral application did make the subjects grow larger, minimal changes were observed because the host organism was already a big and ferocious species. The shark’s natural aggressive tendencies increased, and its strength was augmented, but the virus didn’t have a significant effect on its body or intelligence, nor did it enhance its survival functions. With high attack capabilities and considerable durability, the B.O.W. was near-invincible in water, but, since it was still a shark at its core, it was naturally powerless on land.

Since these shark-based B.O.W.s were deemed unsuccessful, the experiment was abandoned, and most of the test subjects were discarded, except for one female for observation purposes. But from this one Neptune, a second generation was born. Perhaps the test subject conceived before being infected with the t-Virus, or maybe she reproduced parthenogenetically. In any case, this female later gave birth to dozens of offspring. Most of them died shortly afterwards, seemingly unable to tolerate the sudden cellular changes in their bodies caused by the inherited virus. But two survived, and the researchers confirmed that the virus had caused changes in their bodies that closely resembled those in the mother. They provided valuable data on the influence of the t-Virus on fetuses via the mother’s body. In general, B.O.W. production is dependent on cloning, but Umbrella considered the possibility that bioweapons capable of self-reproduction could be developed in the future.

During the viral outbreak in the Arklay Laboratory in May 1998, the mother Neptune and her spawn were inadvertently released from their water tanks by a scientist, who, according to a file that you find, had suddenly ‘gone mad’ and destroyed the tanks, badly flooding the entire Aqua Ring. This is where the player will encounter them in Resident Evil Remake.

Neptune isn’t much of a threat in the original game. She might nip a new player once or twice, but she’s relatively easy to manoeuvre around once you get used to her. In the remake, however, not only is Neptune far more aggressive and more powerful, but she’s also part of a scripted boss fight. In fact, she can insta-kill you by eating you whole if you’re not expecting her. In a particularly tense sequence, players have a limited amount of time to solve a puzzle that will ultimately drain the water out of the Aqua Ring. At the same time, Neptune repeatedly smashes into the window in an attempt to get to you, cracking the glass with each hit. And even when you drain the water, Neptune isn’t finished. In the end, you have to push a malfunctioning generator into the water to electrocute the giant shark.

But even when you defeat Neptune, you’re not quite sure that she’s dead. After electrocuting her, you have to clamber back down into the shallow water and get close to her corpse to retrieve a key. I can still remember how tense I felt when I first did this, many years ago. My teenage hands were still sweating as I tentatively climbed into the water, fully expecting Neptune to attack one last time. But she doesn’t, and the fact that she doesn’t only made the moment even more stressful. Even today, knowing full well that the monster shark is well and truly deceased, I still run past her body as quickly as I can.