Resident Evil: Revelations review

by Paul on Mar 23rd, 2012

Resident Evil is always a tricky one. On the one hand I just love the whole ‘survival horror against rampaging zombies’ shtick. It’s a constantly thrilling escapade into a world where I’m the only thing stopping a raging zombie apocalypse. However, apart from the flawless Resi 4, there’s always something in each new iteration in the series that claws defeat from the hands of victory. And so it comes to pass again in an all-new handheld adventure that, whilst being very good in some areas, just doesn’t do the job in others.

The first surprise in this 3DS exclusive is just how much content there is. The on-rails shooting of the ambitious but ultimately shallow Resident Evil: Mercenaries has been replaced with a fully functioning single player game akin to Resi 4. In moving back to that style of game there’s a definite tonal shift back towards horror. It’s a wise move for me because, as exciting as the Mercenaries quick-fire shooting was, it just wasn’t in keeping with what I expect from a Resident Evil title. So, we move back to the familiar structure of slowly moving from room to room, solving puzzles and tackling zombies as we go and this switch in emphasis back to exploration rather than running and gunning is welcome.

The controls work really nicely on the 3DS, everything is intuitive and easy to use. However, I have to admit that the enemies in this instalment are a bit disappointing. I can see that in the great scheme of things the designers have plumped for the exploration side of things, with enemies intended to be a minor diversionary tactic to keep you engaged, and some players will be just fine with that; get the bad guys out of the way and get back to the adventuring. For me, as great as it is in essence to be able to take care of enemies with ease, the sense of danger and fear is reduced. This time round the bad guys are infected by a water-based variant of the T virus and are called the ooze. In Resi 4 you could aim for specific limbs or headshots to take out the ganados and slow them down as they made their way towards you but here the ooze just keep on shambling forward with limb-specific targeting not counting for anything. A few shots to the head is no different to pegging them in their knee caps and this is a shame. Ultimately you can’t help but reminisce back to the ganados of Resi 4 and wish you were facing them instead of these bloated water-based corpses.

Set onboard a vast ocean liner with infected bodies running rampant within, we play as either Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield as we try to uncover what’s been going on. The ship itself plays host to a variety of different locales within its rooms; labs, locker rooms, engineering sections, ballrooms and it even apes a certain mansion you’ll know and love at different points. All of the different areas look gorgeous and I was left very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the graphics more than once as I played through. It’s truly amazing to see just how capable the 3DS is and it bodes very well for the future if this first batch of titles are so graphically accomplished so early in the console’s life. We also get the odd mission set on land as various anonymous agents investigate incidents on land that help to reveal more of the mystery.

I’m pleased to report that the game has more than its fair share of scares and it even has the good sense to shock you in ways you don’t always expect. Often you’ll be led to believe that a scare is on its way, only for nothing to materialise. Once you’ve dropped your guard and the anticipation has dimmed, the game will scare the daylights out of you. The bosses are all very good (which is odd when considering the ooze aren’t much cop), although a few display a bit of limited imagination which is a shame as I know that Capcom can do better. All in all, this is a welcome return to form for Resi and all I keep thinking is that this is all the more remarkable for a 3DS title that is far better than any of the recent console offerings.

Once you are done with the main campaign (I reckon eight to ten hours is a fair estimate) there is also the excellent Raid mode to keep you going. Raid mode offers up a series of A to B missions based on levels featured in the main game and it is great fun. The real joy is that the mode offers up both solo and local and online co-op play so that you can tackle the missions with a friend. As you complete each mission you’re rewarded with loot that will allow you to unlock and purchase extra stuff and there’s a whole load of content in here! It’s a real surprise to find such a fully-featured bonus mode that effectively doubles your play time with the game. It offers a decent challenge, unlike the main campaign which is a bit on the easy side, and the further you progress and the more you unlock, the more you want to keep on going to see what is lying in wait for you.

You could argue that Raid mode pretty much justifies the purchase on its own, but with a very good (albeit easy) main campaign to boot, Resident Evil: Revelations takes the series back to what it does best and I have no problem in recommending this to most people. Anyone who hasn’t really got on with the Resi games in the past is not going to be suddenly converted by Revelations but for those of you who, like me, have grown up with the Resi games then this is a welcome addition to your collection.

4/5

Our review policy

Categories: Reviews