Resident Evil has seemingly lost its way. Resident Evil 4 started the move away from true survival horror, but the next two installments pretty much did away with it entirely. A side story in the series got it right, however, and the developers are now discussing why that is.

In a developer diary released today, the developers of Resident Evil: Revelations discuss the horror elements of the title and how the game is thematically similar to the older titles in the franchise. Capcom has said that Revelations’ reception will decide the future of the series, but the team seems confident that it can create a horror experience that will satisfy longtime fans without sacrificing the action set pieces that newer fans want.

It will be interesting to see if Capcom returns to more horror-themed Resident Evil titles, especially after the series creator, Shinji Mikami, has announced that he’s returning to survival horror with Bethesda’s The Evil Within.

Resident Evil: Revelations will launch across the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U and PC on May 21.