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One Resident Evil Village modder has solved the problem of the allegedly copyright-infringing Sturm boss design by turning the monster into a giant standing fan.
The aptly titled "Copyright free Sturm" mod was created by Nexus Mods contributor Pumpkinhook (first spotted by IGN). It's a simple model swap that "replaces Sturm with a brand new fan," in Pumpkinhook's words. "No copyright infringement here!"
If you really squint your eyes, Pumpkinhook's fan does kind of resemble the original Sturm model, though you'd probably need to be hopped up on whatever chemicals Ethan Winters uses to repeatedly heal critical injuries in order to call them twins. Still, we've got the most important shape down. I mean, what is a propeller if not a really big and powerful fan?
The most amusing part of this mod is the idea of Ethan running away from, and indeed emptying countless magazines of bullets into, an oscillating fan, like some sort of heavily armed house pet disturbed by a new appliance. IGN shared a clip of the mod in action, and for how different the fan model is, it moves remarkably cleanly.
To bring you up to speed, back in May, Dutch film director Richard Raaphorst accused Capcom of lifting the design for Sturm from his 2013 horror film Frankenstein's Army. Both creatures are essentially whirling propellers on legs, and put side-by-side, the resemblance is noticeable. In an interview with Eurogamer, Raaphorst described Sturm as a "one-to-one" copy of the film's propeller monster, and said that the entire boss fight itself "looks like an animatic for my movie."
Capcom has never publicly addressed Raaphorst's accusations of "creative abuse." Last we heard, the director said he hadn't received any contact or royalties from the studio, and that he would be exploring ways to be somehow credited in the game, but we've yet to see any major changes to Sturm or the Resident Evil Village credits.
Many of the best Resident Evil Village mods are just as amusing as our new oscillating friend, from baby Chris Redfield to Thomas the Tank Engine's inevitable cameo.
