When it comes to survival horror franchises, few other games hold as much dominance over the genre like Resident Evil. Ever since the original game launched in 1996, new installments have introduced players to all kinds of unspeakable terrors over the years. From the relentless Ganados in Resident Evil 4 to Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil: Village, the franchise has been packed with thrills from the beginning. This also rings true for the numerous spin-offs, including the Resident Evil: Revelations games.
This side series found its start as a 3DS exclusive, but both it and the sequel have since made their way to numerous other platforms in recent years. Resident Evil: Revelations 2 hit shelves in early 2015, which means that it will soon be 7 years without a proper follow-up. With upcoming entries like Resident Evil 9 and the rumored Resident Evil 4 remake likely to still be years away, it may be worthwhile for Capcom to revisit this fan-favorite spin-off in the meantime.
Resident Evil's Renewed Popularity
While not necessarily bad by any means, the Resident Evil franchise was on somewhat rocky waters during the time when Resident Evil: Revelations and its sequel were first released. The games were polished and showed high production values, but many critics and fans felt that the series had strayed too far from its roots. Resident Evil 6 is often criticized for emphasizing action over horror, something which the developers clearly took note of and went back to the drawing board.
Resident Evil: Revelations and its sequel both made a stronger effort to delve back into the atmosphere and dread that the Resident Evil series was known for, but it was 2017's Resident Evil 7: Biohazard that truly put the franchise back on the map. Since then, the franchise has been riding high with a number of hugely successful new entries and remakes of older games.
To capitalize on this, Capcom should revisit the smaller scale, yet equally enjoyable thrills in a third entry to the Resident Evil: Revelations series. Fans have embraced the side franchise just as strongly as the main series, so there is an interest within the community to see what's next for Jill Valentine and company in future adventures.
Revelations 3 Can Hold Fans Over Until The "Bigger" Games
Resident Evil 9 and the rumored Resident Evil 4 remake have yet to be officially confirmed by Capcom, yet have already created a great deal of excitement and interest within the gaming community. These two projects are likely to be hugely ambitious and take a significant amount of time to produce, making it worth Capcom's while to fast-track Resident Evil: Revelations 3. These games were smaller projects, but no less engaging as gameplay experiences.
Furthermore, the past two titles serve as side stories to the main Resident Evil timeline, and often reference and fill in the gaps of certain plot threads. This interwoven storytelling can be pushed even further in a potential third game, as there remains so much mystery for Resident Evil 9 to wrap up all on its own. Resident Evil: Revelations 3 could be used to bridge the gap between titles and fill add crucial context for information setup in prior games, such as who the mysterious organization was that Lucas Baker was in contact with.
Another factor that would make a new Resident Evil: Revelations game appealing is the episodic nature of the series. The plot of each game is split up into self-contained episodes. Resident Evil: Revelations 2 specifically spread out each episode into a different release, keeping fans eager for new information just like waiting for the latest episode of a TV show.
A similar technique could be used for Resident Evil: Revelations 3, but this time, with the episodes leading into the launch of Resident Evil 9. This can help build hype for that game while gauging interest in each respective chapter as players try to piece together the larger mystery at hand.