The early designs for the new courses were made in a 'free run' programme, and used to see how fast the cars went. The team wanted players to enjoy a more in-depth game than the original, so rather than develop a port of Ridge Racer 2, as many features as possible were added.
Each member had worked on other console games, and they commented that the graphics detail showed the improvements in skill and technique. The biggest difficulties were the link-up mode, rear-view mirror, and running the game at high speeds. Ridge Racer Revolution was developed over eight months by a team of more than twenty people, most of whom joined just for Ridge Racer Revolution. Unlike the first game, only the last course played is loaded into the PlayStation's memory to switch, the game disc needs to be reinserted before loading. Like the first game, a music CD can be inserted and listened to instead of the soundtrack. Mirrored tracks that function identically to the original game are accessible. Ridge Racer Revolution features two hidden modes 'Drift Contest', where points are earned according to how well spins are performed on certain corners, and 'Pretty Racer' (also known as 'Buggy mode'), in which the cars size appears with deformed body sizes, similar to Choro-Q cars, which led to the arcade game Pocket Racer.
These cars are unlocked upon winning the respective course's Time Trial race. There are three secret cars the '13th Racing' (from the first Ridge Racer) of the Novice course, and the new '13th Racing Kid' (of the Intermediate course) and 'White Angel' (of the Expert course). After the player wins the first three circuits, reversed versions are unlocked, and Time Trial features an additional opponent driving a secret car. They are mostly unchanged their names (certain cars are named after other Namco titles) and specifications are similar to the first game. The remaining eight are selectable on winning the mini game before the title screen (the mini game is Galaga '88 instead of the original game's Galaxian). Like the first Ridge Racer, the player normally starts with four cars. Versus features a handicap option, increasing the speed of the trailing car. There are two modes in two-player link-up: Race, identical to its single-player counterpart, and Versus, where only the players race against each other. Ridge Racer Revolution features a two-player link-up mode which allows the players access to the original Ridge Racer's courses known as 'Special 1' and 'Special 2'. A new feature is the option to select the time of day in which the race takes place, although this is not available at the start of the game.
How fast the cars run depends on which speed grade is used, selectable in Free Run, and can be unlocked for Race. Ridge Racer Revolution adds a mode: Free Run, in which there are no other cars and the player practises driving. The game consists of three courses: 'Novice', 'Intermediate' (also called 'Advanced'), and 'Expert', each having different sections opened, and incorporates modes from the original game Race, against eleven opponents, and Time Trial, against one. Ridge Racer Revolution supports Namco's NeGcon controller, and adds a rear-view mirror when using the in-car view.
The player drives using automatic transmission or manual transmission. The gameplay system remains unchanged from Ridge Racer, the checkpoint and time limit system remain the same running out of time ends the race and passing through checkpoints grants additional time, although the car drifting is more like Ridge Racer 2. Ridge Racer Revolution was followed by a sequel, Rage Racer, in 1996. The game received generally positive reviews, although some criticised its similarity to the original. Ridge Racer Revolution was re-released in Japan for the PlayStation The Best range in June 1997, and for the Platinum Range in PAL regions the following year. The game borrows most of its soundtrack from Ridge Racer 2. The intention was to increase the depth and add features. Ridge Racer Revolution adds two hidden cars, and two-player support via the PlayStation Link cable, and took roughly the same time to develop as the first.
Like the original Ridge Racer, the player races computer-controlled cars with the objective of winning a series of races, and supports Namco's NeGcon controller. It is the PlayStation sequel of Ridge Racer (the arcade sequel is Ridge Racer 2). Ridge Racer Revolution is an arcade racing game developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation in 1995.