Resident Evil Revelations 2

Information has been trickling out on Resident Evil Revelations 2 ever since its announcement was leaked. We found even more when we went hands-on for a TGS demo and spoke to producer Michiteru Okabe. Get ready for some fan service and jump scares! These are the things we found most interesting.

It Has Deeper Story

As it was revealed earlier, Resident Evil Revelations 2 is episodic. This means the story must be compelling to keep the audience coming back for new episodes. Capcom saw Telltale's success with The Walking Dead and all the conversations that happened in between episodes and hope to create a similar reaction with Revelations 2. "It gives users the opportunity to take the conversation out of the game and into their actual life," Okabe says. The first game was already serialized, so they wanted to take it a step further and have really compelling cliffhangers. We won't spoil anything, but the ending of our demo episode had a woman echoing some pretty cryptic and deep philosophies. Just who the heck is on that island with them?

We also found out Moira Burton (daughter of Barry Burton) is afraid of firearms due to a tragedy in her past. Okabe says this would be a "huge" and "important part" of the story. He also hinted that this Revelations 2 would focus a lot on the characters' inner turmoil. "If you're into that character-based personal drama, there's going to be plenty of that here," Okabe says. Capcom also wanted to explore insanity and craziness, and this would play into the story's bigger themes and motifs. You're trapped on an island and all this torture is happening around you. Okabe called it, "The kind of place that sticks with you." He wasn't kidding. In our demo, bodies were hanging from ceilings, blood was splattered against walls, and screams in the distance sent chills. This was only one area of the island: a prison where Moira Burton and Claire Redfield begin their journey together. The whole game takes place on the island, but there's many different sections to keep you on edge.

Fan Service Galore A.K.A. Getting To Know The Burton Family

Capcom is aware of what characters are fan favorites, and it's no coincidence that some are returning. In fact, the developers at Capcom also have their favorites. One of the scenario writers named Sato is a huge fan of Claire, which made him compelled to bring her back in Revelations 2. "He had some really good ideas about how to bring her in as an existing character into the world of Revelations," Okabe says. "We were eager to do that because we like her as well and she's a fan favorite," Okabe says.

When it came time to choose a second character, Capcom took into consideration what it felt the fans would want. "We know that the fans that played the original Resident Evil know who is Moira is," Okabe says. "We know fans like Barry and his family." The team thought it would be cool not just to see Moira, but to also play as her. Even more intriguing? Exploring Moira's relationship with Barry. How does she feel about him? Fans may also remember Barry having two daughters, so we wondered if we'd see the other. "I don't want to get too much into that, but clearly that would be something interesting to explore," Okabe says. In addition, fans have also been longing to play as Barry for quite some time now, so will Revelations 2 finally grant their wish? "Let me answer it this way: This is a game for the fans. We will make sure the fans enjoy the game. Draw whatever conclusion from that, that you will," Okabe teases.

It Hosts A Promising Female Duo

From the on-set of the demo, I was really taken with the relationship between Claire and Moira. Clare is older and now in her thirties and Moira is much younger. Their age and experience difference shows. Although the game begins with them getting kidnapped and thrown into a prisoner, Claire remains calm and collected. Moira reacts like a true newbie to these circumstances; she often freaks out and her potty mouth is hilarious. The Raccoon Incident links Claire and Moira together, but their relationship is interesting in its own right. "Claire is working for an NGO group called Terra Save. Moira, who idolizes Claire also, joins that group more than likely to follow her friend there," Okabe says. The two's relationship grows throughout the game. "Claire comes into her own role as protector of Moira," Okabe says. "Moira, the last thing she wants to do is a be burden to her friend, so she's forced to grow up a little and to get stronger in order to help her friend and not be a burden."

Jump Scares And Surviving Are Still Front And Center

I wasn't expecting to jump in the middle of a demo with the lights on and people around me, but a well-placed jump scare while moving a shelf got me. I like when games can still do this well. Part of what was so enjoyable about the first Revelations was its return to more survival horror, from the atmosphere to the limited ammo. This is all still intact in Revelations 2. You can attack or dodge enemy, but there's also more opportunities to get around them stealthily. Find a way to stay our their sight, and you could avoid a sticky situation. Claire and Moira have different personalities and skill levels and this also extends to what they bring to battle. When you're playing as Claire, you're a skilled shooter. Moira won't go near a firearm as mentioned previously. She has a crossbar that she can use to hit enemies from behind. She also uses a flashlight and can find objects in the environment. Sometimes it's healing items or ammo, other times it will play into the mission objective, like finding a key. You can switch between the two characters on the fly to change up your strategy if you're not tackling co-op with another player.

What do you think of Resident Evil Revelations 2 so far?