Resident Evil is a series that has spanned many different consoles across many different generations. It has undergone a wide variety of changes over the years going from the original survival horror style of Resident Evil 1 and making the biggest change in it’s history in Resident Evil 4. Resident Evil: Revelations is the newest title in the series that aims to bring a decent horror experience to the Nintendo 3DS. It utilizes the same playing style as Resident Evil 5 and throws some other goodies into the mix to try and hold your attention.
Can Resident Evil: Revelations stand up to the challenge and bring a fun and terrifying experience to Nintendo’s 3D handheld? Or does it just become another mindless, shambling zombie of an entry in the series? Here are the Hots and Nots of Resident Evil: Revelations.
Hots
Gameplay Is Solid
The gameplay in Resident Evil: Revelations is typical to what you would find in a recent Resident Evil title, and that works just fine for this entry as well. The camera is once again put over your shoulder and you will use the stop and shoot tactics to eliminate any threat that comes your way. The controls are similar to what was found in The Mercenaries entry last year as well as some of the mechanics that were found in that game. You now have the ability to strafe and move forward while you are aiming should an unfriendly get a bit too close for comfort as well as the opportunity to aim and fire from the ground should you be knocked down by a powerful enemy. The game also allows you to reload on the move rather than having to be cemented to the floor until you finish up with the reload animation. You will also get to use a wide variety of different firearms in order to accomplish your goal of survival, ranging from the standard handgun to a fully automatic assault rifle.
Another great change made to the formula is the removal of babysitting your partner like we had to do in Resident Evil 5. At various points in Revelations, you will have a partner who will assist you in the forceful removal of all things infected and you won’t have to share a single herb. This is quite helpful when you are up against a big group of infected or a boss an you don’t have to worry about your buddy taking an immense beating. I’ll take some of whatever they are smoking please. While there are quite a few parts where you are playing with a partner, there is no co-op through the main story. That is where the immensely awesome Raid Mode comes in…
Raid mode is a new addition to the Resident Evil series that works like a mini-mission Mercenaries mode. This mode can be played either alone or with a friend online or locally. Raid mode tasks the player with simply going from point A to B without being massacred by the various enemies thrown in your path. The catch? These enemies that are in your way vary in power and ability. You may find yourself fighting a few standard enemies for awhile and then suddenly you have a pint sized speedy enemy sprinting your way ready to chew your knee caps off. Upon completion of a level, players are rewarded with points that they can use to buy a new weapon or upgrade. This mode is a great addition and can be highly addicting, especially when it is played with a friend.
Creepy And Tense Atmosphere
Revelations does an excellent job in creating a horror-type atmosphere that has been missing from the series for quite some time. You will find yourself questioning every sound you hear and inching around corners praying that nothing is on the other side ready to tear your face off. The game takes place on a run-down cruise ship which gives the player plenty of narrow, tight corridors to wander down and hope they don’t become a meal for one of the undead inhabitants of the ship. The game also pulls a Dead Space and litters the ship with vents so that you will never know when something is going to jump out at you and make you need a new change of pants.
The sound and music in Revelations mix well and put out that horror vibe that is guaranteed to send a chill down your spine with every odd sound a creepy tune that you hear. Whether it is something crawling in the vents, footsteps that give you the feeling you are being followed, or the sound of one of the scariest sounds ever heard in Resident Evil 4, Revelations does its job in keeping you tense. There is one reoccurring enemy in particular that gives off human-like sounds and giggles even though she is clearly infected. It sent a chill down my spine every time I encountered her and heard those sounds.
Graphics Set The Bar On 3DS
Resident Evil: Revelations is probably the best looking game that has been released on the Nintendo 3DS to this day. The character models, enemies and environments all look amazing and the 3D does a decent job of giving it depth and not making your head spin. The graphics also do a good job of bringing even more unease into the atmosphere. You will see mangled bodies and blood running out of the ventilation systems while you travel across the Queen Zenobia. Capcom really has done an excellent job in raising the bar and showing what the Nintendo 3DS can bring to gamers.
Tons Of Content
Resident Evil: Revelations offers oodles of content to keep the player coming back for more. There are plenty of different secrets to find during your travels on the Queen Zenobia and there are certain challenges you can complete for both the main story and Raid mode that offer various rewards such as more currency or new weapons. Raid mode is also a good incentive to keep diving into this game due to its size and depth. It is like its own little game inside of the main game. You may even find that you want to go back into the story via New Game Plus and attempt it on a harder difficulty setting so that you can get all of the various goodies this game has to offer. You can definitely spend quite a bit of time with Revelations and not find yourself bored in the least bit.
Nots
The Story Falls Short Of Greatness
The story starts off really well and gives you a good first half, but starts to fall short in its closing moments. The story follows Jill Valentine and Parker Luciani, 2 agents in the BSAA tasked with finding the whereabouts of Chris Redfield aboard the Queen Zenobia. Once they are aboard the ship they find out that all isn’t as it seems and that they are in a fight for survival on a ship full of infected creatures trying to find out the truth behind it all. The game is broken up into chapters and tends to put you into the shoes of different characters after each one. This is a change of pace and nice at first, but will get old after awhile seeing as some of the characters are an annoyance. It all goes downhill once the game abandons the survival horror vibe and goes back to its all out western shootout tendencies.
Some of the characters in Revelations have some of the worst dialogue ever and tend to be an annoyance to play as (I’m looking at you Quint and Keith). Jessica spits cheesy one-liners and Quint never shuts up and keeps babbling on in his high pitched mousey voice. More than once did I want to steal his weapons and throw him in front of a pack of Hunters. Apparently Capcom frowns upon that so I was forced to either listen to his banter or turn off the sound on my 3DS which makes it difficult when you are being surrounded by B.O.Ws.
Verdict
Resident Evil: Revelations is an excellent game and a must own if you have a Nintendo 3DS. The gameplay fits the 3DS and there is plenty in that tiny game card to keep you occupied for hours on end. Capcom really pushed the envelope with the graphics and while the story hold the game back from its true potential, it is still one of the best Resident Evil games in the series. Fans of Resident Evil should definitely pick this copy up as you will not be disappointed by what it has to offer you. Hopefully Capcom can continue to bring this type of depth and fun to the future portable Resident Evil Titles.
