Developer: CAPCOM
Publisher: CAPCOM
Platform: 360, PC, PS3, Wii U, 3DS
Resident Evil: Revelations (Console) – Review
Resident Evil: Revelations, the once 3DS exclusive has made its way on to the consoles and the PC. A game originally designed isn’t really an easy task for a developer to port to another platform. Luckily the game has been put in a brand new (dark) coat for us to enjoy.
Story
Resident Evil: Revelations will present you with the story of a bio-terrorist group named Veltro. The group has been known to destroy a once prospering city named Terragrigia and seems to be plotting even more evil deeds.
The game will take place on the ‘Queen Zenobia’ a ghostship that seems to have affiliations with the terrorist organization. Recently after several years of silence, the ship and several other events seem to be the start of a new plan of Veltro, which might endanger yet another city, or even the world. Of course this title would not be dubbed as a Resident Evil title if the game did not have any viral infection in it. Again another strain of the original virus has been released and you will encounter plenty of infected creatures that are out to get you.
The game consists out of 4 chapters, each divided in 3 episodes which are divided once again in 2 or 3 portions. During these parts you will not always control the same character which gives you a chance to see the story through other characters’ perspectives. You will be able to control the already known duo, Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine. Several other cast members who are new to the series, namely: Parker Luciano, Jessica Sherawat, Keith Lumley, Quint Cetcham and so on, will either be playable characters or ones that partner up with the ones you’re controlling.
Resident Evil 5 and 6 were games that received comments of not being scary enough or having lost its ‘roots’ of the original survival-horror genre. Resident Evil: Revelations is a game which might restore the faith of many of those who made these comments about the last few games. The game does its best to get a darker and scarier mood going instead of focusing more on the action portion of the game. Of course, some episodes of the game will present you with scenes in which action is the most important factor.
Graphics
We all know the graphical capacities of the 3DS can’t really be compared with the PC or the current generation of consoles. This means the developers had to do some graphical tweaks in order to make this game presentable on the big screen. When playing through the game it’s easy to say this game is a lot more than a simple port to the big screen. The game will present you with a decent amount of detailed looking environments which only contribute to an authentic Resident Evil feel. The only minor part that can be said about the overall graphical quality is the facial expressions of the characters. Whilst it is clear they also received a mayor update, they seem a little more fitting for wooden puppets than the quality we’re getting used to of games nowadays.
Sound
For a game that thrives on its mood settings and the overall acting quality of its cast, Resident Evil: Revelations earns an easy pass. The game will draw you in the game with pretty much silencing the music when scary background noises need to be heard and will bombard you with action-movie-type music when disaster has struck. Decent, if not great voice acting is something the Resident Evil series always vouched for and for this game it isn’t any different.
Gameplay
Resident Evil: Revelations seems to be a little in the direction of ‘going back to basics’ in the sense of creating a more ‘spooky’ environment to explore and play through. As usual the game is a third person survival-horror shooter with a decent amount of small but well appreciated puzzles. When trying to make your way through these areas you will encounter a fair amount of infected people, monsters and what not.
Unlike its predecessors in the main series this game has a decent amount of backtracking you will have to do. Backtracking in this game often goes hand in hand with the small puzzles you will have to do, namely find a key or activate something to open a specific location and so on. Simple but appreciated gestures towards the older games.
The controls feel smooth and the menus are easy accessible, even if they are also a tad different than the conventional Resident Evil menus. Combining items to create new ones isn’t an option in this game as well as actually having a decent inventory you can fill with all the things you prefer. This means you will only be able to have 3 weapons on you at all times and a limited amount of ammo for them. The ammo limit for each weapon can be upgraded by finding ammo pouches that increase the overall capacity. The weapons themselves can be upgraded by custom parts you will find across the map. These parts will often contain damage, stun or ammo upgrades as well. This is also a first for the series and is a fun, yet basic system to mess around with. Sadly compared to the 3DS some of the ‘puzzle’ mini games have been removed due to the lack of a touch screen.
A new feature the game throws at us is the Genesis Device which you can use to analyze your environment or even the monsters you’re fighting. This will allow you to find yourself a decent supply of ammo, health items or even special goodies.
As mentioned earlier, the game consists out of 4 chapters which are divided in 12 episodes. When playing through Revelations it’s clear this game used to be a handheld title. Each episode isn’t much longer than thirty minutes which makes this title a fairly short game. Of course the game offers you the chance to start a new game+ on higher difficulties with the weapons and gear you’ve already collected on your previous playthrough. This makes it easier to collect some of the missing stuff you still need or to simply create an even stronger arsenal of weapons to fight the evil that awaits you.
When looking for a bit more action you will be able to play the Raid mode, in which you can reply (unlocked) areas of the campaign but without the actual story revolving around it. Also extra monsters and rewards have been added to the equation as well. Raid mode can be played co-op bud sadly only through online means. The mode was a variation on the mercenary mode the games in the main series have but ends up to be a lot more expansive and addictive than just that. Completing levels you will earn experience, battle points (which are also earned in the campaign for clearing episodes), weapons and parts for you to mess around with. Before each level you will be able to edit your fighting set up, customize weapons or even purchase new items and upgrades with your hard earned points. This creates a system that will allow more diversity amongst different players and a way to play like you really want to play. You will also have the possibility to choose a character amongst the cast that appears in the campaign and each of those will have their perks in which they excel. Unlocking costumes for characters will once again offer that character different perks.
Conclusion
Resident Evil: Revelations proves to be more than just a simple port of the original game. Having the opportunity to play this game on the big screen will surely be worth it for those who haven’t had the chance to play the 3DS title. Even those who already have will surely be able to find a decent amount of fun playing this ‘ported’ version.
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