The development of The Darkside Chronicles as an on-rails shooter was decided because Kawata considered it the best way to retell the scenarios that could not be included in the previous game.[1] With this title, he wanted to put a much bigger emphasis on horror, employing a camera system that will try to convey a sense of actually being in the game.[2][3] To research realistic camera shaking in hectic situations, one of the team members went out in town for a day to make motion tests with a camcorder.[4] Another important aspect to create the game's atmosphere was achieving high-quality graphics, which cavia used all their resources for.[1] Kawata was very satisfied with the result and went on to say that the only thing really setting the visuals apart from next-generation consoles is the lack of HD display.[1] He also mentioned that there is a plethora of attractive content to use for more games in the Chronicles series and the decision of their development would largely depend on cavia's future involvement.[1]
As the game's development began before the production of Degeneration and because of the different timeframe, Kawata ruled out connections to the CG film and Resident Evil 5, though he hinted at the appearance of new characters and the exploration of the Birkins' and the Ashfords' family ties.[1]
For the music of The Darkside Chronicles, series veterans Shusaku Uchiyama and Takeshi Miura have been brought back to compose and arrange tracks for the retelling of the games they originally worked on, with Uchiyama being responsible for Resident Evil 2 and Miura in charge of Code: Veronica.[5][6] Part of the soundtrack has been recorded with a group of over 40 musicians known as the Tokyo Chamber Music Association and a chorus of 30 singers.[5] The orchestral arrangements were done by game and anime composer Yoshihisa Hirano who is also highly experienced with classical music.[5]
