Ivy Zombie

The Ivy Zombie is an Irregular Mutant that appears in the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2. Encountered in the NEST laboratory beneath Raccoon City, this creature replaces the Ivy B.O.W.'s that appeared in the original 1998 version of the game.

Biology
When the T-Virus was released into the Raccoon City sewer system, many Umbrella employees in the NEST research complex were infected. This resulted in one of NEST's ongoing experiments - Plant 43 - to grow out of control as there were no living staff left to monitor or control its growth. The mutant plant rapidly grew a series of spore pods that were scattered around the greenhouse section of the lab, infecting what few workers remained. The virus killed the workers and reanimated them as zombies, but the seed pods caused the creatures to mutate further. Drawing sustenance from their hosts' blood, the seed pods grew numerous vines and tendrils that spread both within and without the host bodies.

The Ivy Zombie appears as a dessicated, skeletal husk of a human being covered in mutant seed pods with vines extending through and out of its body. Its skin has completely deteriorated, replaced by a mossy film spreading out from the seed pods located across the body. The seed pods appear as large, orange bulbs and control the Ivy Zombie's movements with their interwoven vines. Finally, the creature's skull has been restructured, reshaped into a vertically-opening mouth surrounded by tiny fangs.

Behaviour
Ivy Zombies will stagger about slowly in search of living prey. If prey is nearby, they will suddenly pick up speed with their arms outstretched in an attempt to grab the victim. If an Ivy Zombie manages to grab a victim, it will feed on them by enveloping the victim's head with its warped mouth, instantly killing the victim by crushing their skull with its powerful mandibles.

Combat
Killing an Ivy Zombie is no easy feat. It is largely immune to small firearms, though the seedlings covering its body can be exploited in this manner. Shooting all of the seed pods on an Ivy Zombie's body will disable it for a time, but eventually they will grow back and the creature will get up again. The only way to kill an Ivy Zombie completely is with incendiary weapons such as a flamethrower or flame grenade rounds. Only once the Ivy Zombie's body has been reduced to a blackened cinder will it be guaranteed dead.