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Interview: Producer Michiteru Okabe on Resident Evil: Revelations 2

With the release of the first episode of Resident Evil: Revelations 2 fast approaching, Stevivor sat down with Producer Michiteru Okabe to discuss the game and the franchise as a whole.

Steve Wright, Stevivor: Claire has been absent from Resident Evil for a couple games now – how has she changed in the years between Code: Veronica and Revelations 2? Is it comparable to her development from a slightly naïve woman in RE2 to the fighter she was in C:V?

Michiteru Okabe: Yes. Claire has matured a lot since we last saw her. As a woman in her thirties, she commands a more calm and collected presence than when she was a university student.

Stevivor: Can you get into why franchise mainstay Alyson Court isn’t voicing Claire this time around?

Okabe: As I said, Claire has grown older and matured, so we simply wanted to make sure the voice acting matched up with our intended vision of the woman Claire has become in the intervening years.

Stevivor: Barry’s been a player in the franchise since the beginning but hasn’t had much to do since the original mansion. What kind of role does he play in this game?

Okabe: Barry is a favourite character of Resident Evil fans, so I’m sure you’ll agree it’s great to see him back in action! When we catch up with Barry in Resident Evil: Revelations 2, he is working as an advisor to the BSAA. While he hasn’t been on the frontlines for some time, the abduction of his daughter spurs him into action and he puts his survival skills to use to search for her.

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Stevivor: Can you give us a little background on Moira and the role she’ll play in the game?

Okabe: Moira is the daughter of Barry Burton, and at the beginning of the game she has just joined Terra Save, an NGO which works to eradicate bioterrorism, and which Claire Redfield also works for. Without getting into too much detail and spoiling the game for players, Claire and Moira are spirited away to a remote island and have to work together to find a way to escape.

Stevivor: What prompted the episodic nature of Revelations 2 as compared to other games in the Resident Evil franchise?

Okabe: The goal with making the game episodic was to develop upon the episodic chapter structure of the original title, and allow an interactive conversation to develop between players, just like the fun of watching a weekly TV show and talking about it around the proverbial water cooler the next day. Fans can play each episode and enjoy speculating about the plot twists and developments, almost like a shared multiplayer experience.

Stevivor: Co-op has become a standard feature of Resident Evil since RE5 but many fans believe it doesn’t fit with the series history and atmosphere. What can you say to those fans to convince them that revelations is still very much a RE game even with co-op?

Okabe: We have had lots of feedback from people who really enjoy playing Resident Evil in co-op, so we have tried our best with Revelations 2 to implement it in a way that will satisfy all players without spoiling the horror atmosphere and gameplay. Our assistive partner system is built into the story and the gameplay and I’m confident we’ve struck a great balance.

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Stevivor: We’ve recently had a chance to check out several new enemies in the game. Can you explain how those grotesque creatures are developed?

Okabe: We start off considering how the enemies in the game will fit into the scenario – in this case, Claire and Barry and the remote island setting. The art director designed the look of the island and the mysterious person controlling events, and the theme of madness ended up influencing the direction of the game as a whole, including the enemy designs.

Stevivor: With Resident Evil HD recently released, I’ve been wondering if there will ever be new Resident Evil game with the old tank-style controls and pre-rendered backgrounds?

Okabe: Personally that’s something I would love to tackle, but it would be a huge challenge as it would have the task of improving on the classic Resident Evil masterpieces.

Stevivor: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Okabe: With our weekly episodic release schedule, I’m really looking forward to seeing player feedback with each week’s episode. I’m going to try and respond to player feedback directly, so all you players out there can fire up your keyboards and get talking about the game online, and this new kind of communication between developer and player is something I hope we can all enjoy together!

The first episode of Resident Evil: Revelations 2 will be available from 25 February on Windows PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3 and PS4. Episodes follow weekly, finishing on 18 March. All episodes will then be released as a bundle from 20 March.


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About the author

Steve Wright

Steve's the owner of this very site and an active games journalist nearing twenty (TWENTY!?!) years. He's a Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, ice hockey player and fan. Husband to Matt and cat dad to Wally and Quinn.