Resident Evil: Revelations 2, and Capcom's Approach to Horror

Resident Evil is fresh on everyone's minds thanks to the recent release of Resident Evil HD Remaster, an updated version of the game that basically rewrote the book on horror in video games. It's not unusual for a game to lose its edge over the course of a few decades, especially if it sprang from the early days of 3D console gaming, but Resident Evil seems immune to this sort of decay. It's perhaps partially due to the updated visuals, which mask the game's primitive 3D origins, but there's undoubtedly more to Resident Evil's appeal, because implementing better lighting and 3D models can't magically fix a poor gameplay experience.

People mock the older game's rigid controls and the campy storytelling, but there's also a lot of respect out there for the way it delivered dread and tension in a pure and effective manner. It makes you loathe to open a newly discovered door, because your fear of the unknown sends the darkest facets of your imagination running wild. There could be a zombie on the other side of the door, you're teetering on the brink of death with only two bullets to your name, and this one move could be your last. Ultimately, there may not even be a zombie in the next room, it may be an oasis of ammo and life-giving herbs, but in that moment, as far as you're concerned, there's a zombie behind that door and you're nervous as hell about it. Resident Evil isn't about what you see, it's about what you can't see.

That kind of experience is what fans are looking for when they yearn for the classic Resident Evil experience, I think. Though Capcom has experimented within the Resident Evil series over the years, it's purposefully channeling the past for the upcoming Resident Evil: Revelations 2, according to producer Michiteru Okabe. As he puts it: "one of our pillars for Revelations, and therefore also for this game, was a return to horror, the classic horror that people love about Resident Evil, for instance. The idea for this game was very much: let's take what people loved about Resident Evil and update that for modern times."

The original Resident Evil survives the test of time and repetition, but it can't be easy to replicate that kind of success in game design. Though Capcom wants to deliver a similar experience to the one that's locked away in Spencer Mansion, the developers that are working on Revelations 2 aren't taking good source material for granted. They know it like the back of their hand, but they're also aware of the follies of resting on your laurels, according to Okabe.

Resident Evil isn't about what you see, it's about what you can't see.

"The devs that have worked on the Resident Evil franchise, especially the ones that keep coming back to it, like Ampo-san (Yasuhiro Ampo), the director of this game, he was actually a programmer on the original Resident Evil, so this guy's been around for a long time. These guys, they always go back and try to relearn what horror is. What they found is that the base doesn't change. The base idea of 'what's lurking behind that door' is scary whether it's the original Resident Evil or the HD-remaster, or Revelations 2. That said, they're very passionate about going in and trying to figure something out. We have these base feelings, but how can we make that fresh and how can we make that so that it fits within the scenario."

As important as it is to scare your audience when making a horror game, you're liable to deter some people if it's too scary. Therein lies the challenge for a team in charge of a series that's known for horror, but also one that's gained mainstream popularity. You don't want to alienate anyone, but you also don't want to piss off horror purists. While Okabe is aiming to recreate the magic of the original Resident Evil in some ways, he's not explicitly trying to make the scariest game he can. The opposite is true.

"We've had feedback on past Resident Evil games, on past horror games, where people have said that they enjoyed it but eventually it was so scary that I couldn't take it anymore," says Okabe. "It's very much about trying to find that balance of what's the right amount of horror so that it's going to be scary and they're going to enjoy that tension, but also not so scary that they feel it's just so stressful and they can't take it anymore. Honestly, as far as future games go, we can't really say, but as far as this game goes, the focus was on giving people horror but not too much tension. We want to give them enough that they enjoy that but they can also enjoy the story of the game. We wanted to give people these different cliffhanger endings and the anticipation of what's going to happen in the next episode."

Resident Evil Revelations 2 will be released as six episodes over the course of a few months. Given Okabe's dedication to delivering a good plot, he hopes that the game's story, if not the gameplay, will keep people coming back for more. It's also a potential opportunity to coax bravery out of people by gradually escalating the amount of horror and tension they're facing, but this doesn't seem to be on the books. According to Okabe, "Episode One sets the pace for the horror and the atmosphere, but what really escalates is the story."

After hearing Okabe's thoughts on Revelations 2 and playing some of the game, I'm torn. From the little I've played, the balance of storytelling and tension fits Okabe's description, but I'm not sure that's what I and other old-school Resident Evil fans want. The demos I've played took place at the beginning of episode one, from the perspective of Claire Redfield and Moira Burton, but also Barry Burton, who's searching for his daughter with the help of a mysterious young girl named Natasha Korda. There's a lot of chatter between each pair, and the buddy system lessons the tension considerably. You don't have much of a chance to let the environment soak in and the fear of the unknown crawl up your back. It looks like a Resident Evil game, with tormented humans nipping at your heals, but it doesn't feel like a classic Resident Evil game. I enjoyed roaming around the game's creepy looking environments and solving a few puzzles, but I never felt alone, scared, or hopeless. If Okabe and his team are trying to harken back to the Resident Evils of old, they have to inspire these kind of emotions in Revelations 2.

I look at revered horror games and great plots aren't the first criteria that comes to mind. Games like Resident Evil, Silent Hill 2, and P.T. scare you first and tell a story second. Admittedly, I've only seen a few slices of the first episode, and Revelations 2 may eventually echo the rhyme and rhythm of the original Resident Evil to great effect, but I haven't seen enough evidence of that yet. Does that mean it won't be a fulfilling and occasionally scary adventure? Of course not, but when you're looking for a specific type of game, such as one that mimics the greatest qualities of the original Resident Evil, sometimes there's nothing better than the real thing.