‘Resident Evil: Revelations’ developers reveal what makes the subseries unique

By Gabe Gurwin May 18, 2016

The Resident Evil series has been in a bit of a slump lately. Resident Evil 5, while a solid action game, was a huge departure from the horror of the earlier entries, and both Resident Evil 6 and Operation Raccoon City were both annihilated by critics, with our review calling the former game a “hydra whose three heads are weighed down by a lack of focus.”

In the midst of the disappointment, however, was Resident Evil: Revelations, originally a 3DS exclusive that took the series back to its atmospheric, creepy roots. It was followed by a sequel last year, which continued to put horror front and center while focusing on a different cast of characters.

In a video diary celebrating two decades of Resident Evil, developers Michiteru Okabe and Yasuhiro Anpo discuss their design philosophy for the Revelations subseries, which includes a significant focus on the titular “revelations.”

“Starting with the first title, this series focuses on telling stories and revealing truths that aren’t shown in the main Resident Evil games,” Anpo says.

For the first game, this was further enhanced by the “previously on Resident Evil: Revelations” cinematics that were sandwiched between chapters. These were emphasized further in the sequel, which was initially released episodically before getting a full retail release after the series had concluded.

“We had two timelines with separate main characters, so we needed to come up with cliffhangers for both,” Anpo adds.

Revelations 2 also added abilities that bleed into the supernatural, which the developers say were “right at the limits” of Capcom’s universe, with the young girl Natalia capable of tracking enemies she shouldn’t be able to see.

Even though the developers clearly love working on the Revelatiosn games, it appears that a third installment will not be the next in the series. Resident Evil 7 is rumored for an E3 announcement, with industry consultant Serkan Toto claiming that the team is working with Jordan Amaro, formerly of Kojima Productions, to design the game. It will reportedly return to the horror gameplay of the original titles.

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Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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