One of the most iconic scenes in the entireResident Evilseries occurred in the original game when a zombie slowly turned its head to look at you. This served as the first meeting players had with a Resident Evil creature of any kind.
At that point, nobody had any idea that you would encounter so many other types of beasts throughout the series. Lickers are among the most deadly and terrifying types. These long-tongued monstrosities feature in plenty of Resident Evil games. And they’re never an easy enemy to get past. Here is everything you need to know about them.
How Lickers Are Made
Like plenty of the horrible creatures you face in the early Resident Evil games,Lickers are the result of the T-virus. Yet, the virus doesn’t directly turn people into Lickers. Instead,they become zombies first.
Then,a second metamorphosis happens, which strips a zombie of even more of its humanity as it transforms into a Licker. This doesn’t occur regularly, as it’s a fairly rare mutation.
It’s never made clear why the transformation happens to some zombies and not others.
When Lickers First Appeared In The Series
Thefirst game to feature Lickers was Resident Evil 2.You encounter the original one while heading through the southwest corridor on the first floor of the Racoon City Police Station.
There’s a bit of a build-up to the first encounter as you find a body and a pool of blood before the Licker drops from the ceiling. So, you’re able to’t say the game didn’t give you a warning that you’d be facing a dangerous beast.
A Licker’s Strengths And Weaknesses
Lickers are generallydeadly creatures due to their sharp claws, long tounges, and general durability.They’re also pretty fast, which allows them to quickly dart at you and slash you with their claws. For more range-based attacks, they’re able to fling their tongue forward to attack you.
However,they do have weaknesses.For starters, most versions of the creature have part of their brain exposed, which serves as a major weak point. Plus, they’re blind, meaning you can sometimes sneak past the creatures. Yet, this is easier said than done because their hearing is really good. In fact, for their sake, it may be too good since they’re sensitive to loud noises, which you can use to your advantage.
Licker Variants
The series doesn’t just contain one type of Licker. This is Resident Evil, after all, sothere are multiple variants of the original.This is all of them:
Evolved Licker
They appear in the Underground Lab during Resident Evil 2.
The Evolved Lickers aren’t too much different from the original ones. They’re a different color as they’re more grey and green. Plus, they’re more durable and have longer claws. So, they’re a bit more deadly than the standard version.
Suspended
One drops out of a vent in Resident Evil: Outbreak.
Only one Suspended creature has appeared in the series so far. She looks like a Licker that hasn’t fully transformed, as she still has some human features. However, she has the red skin and long tongue of a Licker.
Licker Beta
These appear regularly during Chapter 5 of Resident Evil 5.
The Beta variant is very similar to the original in both looks and skills. Yet, the Betas can reproduce, which is why there are a lot more of them, and you often fight them in hordes.
Amphibian Licker
They feature in the Resident Evil: Death Island movie.
As the name suggests, Amphibian Lickers are water-based as they’re capable of living and swimming around in any pool of water. As such, they have tails, webbing, and seemingly some gills to help them survive and move around underwater. They also can be used as incubators to create bio-drones. When on land, they’re very similar to the Licker Beta variant.
