PixlBit

Featuring an interview with Capcom’s Mike Lunn.

I really enjoyed Resident Evil Revelations on the Nintendo 3DS. It carried over the tight shooter gameplay from Resident Evil 4 and brought back the scares that seemed to have been forgotten about in the main-line series. Revelations 2 plans on continuing that tradition.

During my fifteen minute demo, I jumped. Once. I admit it. But I feel it’s important to mention because it is something that should happen when playing a horror game. Granted, I can be a bit jumpy at times, but I still appreciated the fact that I was able to be that immersed in the short time I had with it.

Revelations 2 places you in the shoes of Resident Evil veteran Claire Redfield and Moira Burton, daughter of Resident Evil 1’s Barry Burton. The two have their own distinct functions. Claire takes care of the majority of the action, while Moira uses her flashlight to point out important objects, and also wields a crowbar, which can be used to help Claire get out of a pinch, or even open locked doors.

Like the first game, Revelations 2 seems to emphasize the horror aspects of the series. If used irresponsibly, ammo can be pretty scarce. Even playing smart, there were situations where I felt like I was close to losing ammo, though finding it wasn’t necessarily difficult, especially during the latter half of my hands-on.

Much of my experience with previous entries translated well to the new game. My strategy of shoot to stagger, then knife to kill was effective though it still created tension during some segments. I did notice that the controls were refined from the previous game. The dodge mechanic is now mapped to the Circle button (or B button on Xbox platforms) and it makes getting out of sticky situations less about luck and more about strategy. The healing has also been reworked. Using herbs is still mapped to a button, but now the player has to wait for a meter to fill, meaning that there is a short amount of time before it actually works. This will also help to create situations where you need to earn your safety, as opposed to having a quick fix.

Before my hands-on with the game, I had the opportunity to interview Capcom’s Associate Brand Manager Mike Lunn about Revelations 2.

PixlBit: Let me start off by saying I was a huge fan of Revelations on the Nintendo 3DS. Can you tell me a little about the premise of Revelations 2?

Lunn: Yeah, so we’re not really doing a direct sequel. It’s more of a spiritual successor to the story of Revelations 1. There are some references obviously from Revelations 1 in Revelations 2, but it is a completely new story. Why we call it Revelations 2 is because it follows the same themes with slower paced gameplay, dark corridors, more atmosphere and that was our main reason why we are calling it Revelations 2.

PixlBit: So one of the things I liked most about Revelations 1 was the amount of atmosphere and how much scarier it was than other recent games. Can we expect those kinds of scares in Revelations 2, or will it be more action-packed like RE5 and 6?

Lunn: It’s going to be more jump scares, and there are going to be tons of puzzles a la the old school Resident Evils. We’re really trying to reduce what was awesome about the first one and bring it into this game.  Not so much action - there will be guns - but don’t expect a Michael Bay movie or anything like that.

PixlBit: That’s great to hear!

Lunn: We’re bringing it more down to earth.

PixlBit: Revelations 2 is going to be an episodic series, somewhat like the first game. Since that is the case, can we expect more playable characters other than Claire and Moira? In the first game, some episodes featured different characters. So, based on the structure of this one, it makes sense.

Lunn: Right now, we’re focused on Claire and Moira. We still have a lot of new stuff to show. The game comes out in early 2015 so we’ll have a lot to show before then. For now, we are focusing on just Claire and Moira.

PixlBit: Gameplay-wise, can we expect a lot of the same features like the dodge mechanic from the first Revelations? Will the shooting be similar to Resident Evil 4, or will it be more of a hybrid of other games?

Lunn: If you’ve played RE4, this game will feel like riding a bicycle. It’s a very familiar feeling. The dodge mechanic in Revelations 1 was interesting, but many found it to be pretty difficult because you had to press forward and put yourself at risk. We now mapped that to the circle button on PlayStation platforms or B button on Xbox platforms.

PixlBit: I’m very happy to hear that. I liked having the ability to dodge but it was pretty difficult on the circle pad.

Lunn: Yeah. Thing is, in the first one - if you nailed it - you were completely invincible. This one, you’re not completely invincible but people will be able to use it more frequently because it’s in their control.

PixlBit: Alright, one last question. I remember the ending of Revelations 1 had a little hint of something involving the antagonists of that game. Does that carry into Revelations 2 at any point?

Lunn: As I said before, this story is going to be a little separated from that. There are references and throwbacks to other characters but for now it’s more its own story about Claire and Moira. It does tie a bit into the Degeneration movie. It features Claire and Moira who work for Terra Save which is from that movie. They’re at a company party and all of the sudden abducted by mysterious guys in black clothing, and thrown onto a prison island in the middle of nowhere. You’re not always going to be stuck on that island though, there’s going to be a variety of environments.

PixlBit: Cool. I’m definitely looking forward to it. As I said I was a big fan of the first game, and I can’t wait to get my hands on this one! Thank you very much!

Lunn: Thank You!