Producer Michiteru Okabe explains how Resident Evil Revelations 2 ties in with its prequel

Announced back in September, Resident Evil Revelations 2 is the second entry into the Revelations series, which began in 2012. Few people knew that this was actually going to be a separate series until Sony made the announcement and even so, we still don’t know all the details regarding this title’s connection to the first installment. Luckily, game producer Michiteru Okabe shed some light on the matter in a recent interview. Several topics were touched up during the discussions, including the relation and continuity between the two titles. Okabe says that although Resident Evil Revelations 2 isn’t a direct sequel, the core concepts will still be present and you’ll likely run into some familiar faces from the first game along the way.

“Resident Evil Revelations 2 (RER2) isn’t a direct sequel in terms of storyline, rather, it is a completely new game, which continues the key concepts of the first game, namely game design focused on realizing an engaging survival horror experience, and a story structure inspired by TV serial dramas. As a completely new title, players new to the series can enjoy it without having played Resident Evil Revelations 1 (RER1), although of course gamers who played RER1 and other Resident Evil titles will enjoy the many connections and homages to the series that we’ve included all the more.” During the interview, Okabe also added that “Gameplay wise, the game follows the popular design of RER1, but with new additions and tweaks to the mechanics that ensure Revelations 2 feels like its own unique experience. For example, there are some new stealth-based gameplay elements, a character switching mechanic and more.”

The game producer also went on to discuss about the difference between the Revelations series and the main numbered series. Okabe says that the latter is solely responsible for taking Resident Evil as a whole in a new direction, while the spin-offs are there to add “an additional piece in a larger puzzle”. In the case of Resident Evil Revelations 2, the puzzle comes in the form of the events that occurred between Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6, of which we know very little about. However, we will find out all about them and directly witness how they unfold when the game launches. Resident Evil Revelations 2 will launch in early 2015 for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Steam.