vespers spook: Review: Resident Evil: Revelations (3DS)

Posted by Martin Watts on Thursday, February 2, 2012 ? Leave a Comment?

Has Survival Horror Returned to Its Roots?

The Resident Evil series has taken something of a different direction over the past eight years or so. Starting with Resident Evil 4?s gameplay shift towards the action-shooter genre, some core fans may have felt disappointed that they weren?t getting their fair share of survival horror anymore.

Of course, such is the way with games today; technology and tastes change, and new gameplay concepts come along that provide fresh and new experiences. After all, Resident Evil 4 and many of the subsequent titles have been great games. Nevertheless, that?s not to say that aspects from games of days gone by no longer have their uses.

Resident Evil: Revelations is an intriguing m?lange of concepts. It?s certainly closer to its more recent cousins from a gameplay perspective but takes on the eerie ambiance of earlier titles, as well as the exploration elements. And thankfully, Capcom has executed this superbly for the most part. It isn?t by any means perfect, with the biggest flaw being the single-player mode?s constantly shifting narrative and gameplay styles. The exceptional graphics, strong audio and wealth of options, however, make this a title that all Resident Evil fans will want to play with the lights down, and the volume up. Just make sure you?ve got a spare pair of undies.

Resident Evil: Revelations Boat Interior

Some of the game's interior areas are jaw-dropping.

An Atmospheric Journey

Revelations puts us back in control of everyone?s favourite Resident Evil characters, Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, as well as a couple of new ones along the way. Set between Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5, the game takes place, for the most part, on a cruise liner, known as the SS Queen Zenobia, which has been hijacked by a terrorist group known as Veltro. The game explores the game?s narrative in a non-chronological order, exploring both the past events and actions of Veltro and the protagonists, and brings the player up to speed in an interesting way.

The only problem with this is that the game jumps between these different periods too often, meaning that it can be a little hard to follow what?s going on. But the biggest issue here is that it really breaks up the experience. That?s because the parts of the game set aboard the ship are classic Resident Evil through-and-through. The narrow corridors, limited ammo supplies (although not quite to the same extent of earlier titles) and brooding atmosphere all come together to create an intense experience; but?before you know it, you?re whisked off to another location to play as another character, usually in a large, open environment during daylight. Why did Capcom choose to jump between scenes and gameplay styles like this? Revelations was set to make something of a grand revisiting to the core survival-horror genre on behalf of the Resident Evil series. However, before the game even has the chance to fully build up that unsettling feeling, you?re forced back into playing Gears of War: Resident Evil Edition.?And while fighting off hordes of enemies is, in some instances, a fun, frantic affair, it really detracts from the scary?ambience?the boat scenes have.

The story jumps back and forth between characters, which provides variety but confuses the narrative somewhat.

Furthermore, despite the impressive graphical output of the 3DS, there can only be so many enemies on-screen at once ? very rarely do you feel outnumbered (although larger enemies will certainly make you feel outmatched). As a result, the action scenes feel less impressive than they should. It?s a nice idea to add some variety to the game, but it?s poorly executed, mainly because it shifts around so much.

Audio is a key aspect of the game. As stated above, the atmosphere in?Revelations?is often overwhelmingly intense. If you?re only ever going to get to play this game while on the bus or train to work, then at least make sure you invest in a good set of headphones. The creepy, disembodied sounds are really what augment the fear factor. The game itself isn?t particularly scary, unfortunately lacking the same ?jump? factor that earlier managed (like that legendary dog scene in?Resident Evil!), so if you really want to get the most out of it, play this in a quiet place without distractions.

The voice work, on the other hand, is dull and clich?-ridden. Part of this is down to the fact that even after all these years, Chris and Jill just aren?t interesting characters ? Jill overstates the obvious, hardly ever coming across as surprised (although you could forgive her after all these years of zombies and viral outbreaks), whereas Chris is just the gruff soldier type with nothing interesting to say.

Some parts of the game steer more towards the action genre, which may put some hardcore fans off.

Just a Pretty Face?

To say that Revelations? graphics are impressive is something of an understatement. This is easily the best-looking game on the 3DS, and it?s incredible to think that so early on in the system?s life cycle we?re seeing developers really squeeze a lot of juice out of it. The level of detail is especially intricate and the game sports some very large environments which are stuffed full of objects and advanced lighting. The 3D effect, at first sight, doesn?t appear to offer much, but that?s partly down to the default settings; a quick fiddle in the options menu to switch up the ?Enhanced 3D Depth Filtering? to ?Very Strong?, and the game practically becomes an entirely new experience. Aiming down the barrel of your gun is reminiscent of Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, allowing you to better judge the distance between you and an opponent.

Revelations suffers from the typical Capcom ailment of awkward controls. If you?re used to the system, you?ll have no trouble, although some enemies do move at a surprisingly fast pace. The tight corridors often result in you having to step back while firing, and because enemies will soak up a lot of bullets, this can prove frustrating if you?re not the best shot. Nevertheless, the quick 180 degree turn function and the ability to dodge incoming attacks do remedy this.

Revelations features a multiplayer mode, which, surprisingly, is not available until you?ve completed the single-player campaign. In fact, those who were hoping to work their way through the story mode with a friend will be disappointed to hear that the multiplayer is more of a score attack mode featuring tweaked areas from the single-player game. In this Raid mode, as it is known, taking down enemies with a friend is pleasing, and you?re scored on your performance, which in turn allows you to rake in a number of prizes and level up. If you?ve got a friend who you can play this with, then this is certainly one of the game?s most appealing modes.

The Final Verdict

On a technical level, Resident Evil: Revelations is a superb title, sporting superb visuals and excellent audio design. We?ve yet to see a title on 3DS which comes close to the same level of quality and polish that Revelations oozes, and it?s impressive that Capcom has seemingly mastered development on the system so quickly.

However, from a gameplay perspective, Revelations is far from perfect. The game suffers from something of an identity crisis, not only because the story jumps back and forth erratically, but also because it?s trying to be a third-person shooter and survival-horror game at the same time. It doesn?t blend together seamlessly and, as a result, the most enjoyable part of the game (the survival horror) is brought down by this.

If you?re a fan of the franchise, then it?s a no-brainer: you should buy this game. Those that are looking for a new experience on 3DS should be aware that the awkward controls and frequent shifts in gameplay/story may hinder you from working your way through the entire game. Nevertheless, if you can see past these flaws and are looking to invest in a title that gets the most out of your 3DS system, then Resident Evil: Revelations is a worthwhile investment.

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