Resident Evil: Revelations (Hands-On) (Nintendo 3DS) Preview

The first message thrown up is “This software is still in development,” followed by a note that informs the gamer to get comfortable, make sure the surroundings are apt and use headphones for the best aural experience. The scenario then begins, with players taking control of Jill Valentine. The game points out it is 9:13pm with the protagonist stranded somewhere in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea on a rickety old ship, complete with creaking and straining noises of the metal craft being pounded under the pressure of the surrounding water, along with the odd distance squeak of doors and other internal ship elements moving around. Playing behind the atmospheric sound effects is a faint, haunting tune with drips of piano mixed in, along with the odd unexpected piece of heavy bass to increase the ambience. Even before anything has happened, Capcom has managed to set an engrossing scene.

The clunky controls of earlier Resident Evil games have been long removed from the series, thankfully, and do not return here, as the camera follows Jill around smoothly. The Circle Pad is used for slow walking and turning, whilst holding B will make Jill trot along at a slightly faster pace, with her kit belt jostling and footsteps changing from gentle thuds to clangs as she enters a metal stairwell. Holding down R brings up the only fire arm in the demo, complete with laser sighting that can be moved around with the Circle Pad to help with accurate aiming, followed by a sharp jab of the Y button to unleash a round or two of bullets into any advancing creatures. The only other control option is one to move the camera around manually, which from the lower screen layout initially looks like it is limited to the on-screen circle at the bottom-right of the screen, but is in fact accessible using the entire touch-screen for moving the viewpoint around at will.

It should be noted that this is a timed demo, so spending too long soaking up the atmosphere means that players may find the whole thing is over in a flash. However, this actually encourages further replay to see exactly how the world is coming together. For instance, visually Resident Evil: Revelations looks stunning and shows exactly what Capcom can achieve with the mobile version of its MT Framework engine. The company has already excelled with its sterling port of Super Street Fighter IV 3D, and even Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D looks easily as good as PlayStation Portable releases. The audio side has already been touched upon in detail, but it has to be reiterated exactly how wonderful the setting really is, sucking players into the scene and lulling them into that false sense of security as nothing happens for a while as corridors are navigated before a sudden bump, crash occurs, or a window breaks with an enemy beginning to rapidly lurch in your direction, causing the player’s heart to swiftly jump into their throat.

The action starts with Miss Valentine wandering along the deserted ship corridors until a door with a flap is reached, which she can force open when the player holds the Y button for a short time, revealing a man with his back to the door, tied to a chair looking rather worse for wear, possibly even unconscious. Heading back a short distance, Jill must take an alternate route to attempt to locate the victim, and within seconds the first scare scene arises, setting the tone for things to come. Moving past a section where Jill notes the wiring has been ripped to shreds, through to the upper deck of the ship brings about a change in the resonance, with thunder suddenly booming through the speakers to great effect, before Jill is moved through sleeping quarters into the bathroom area where the first monster encounter happens.

Anyone worrying about dying in this demo need not be too concerned as there is no health bar as such. All that happens if a creepy-looking beast slashes at you with its claws is that blood splatters all over the screen until the Y button appears to trigger Jill into pushing the beast away. Put Jill in a situation where she is constantly being mauled, though, and the ‘You Are Dead’ screen does eventually rear its ugly head after too much blood has been splattered. There is also unlimited ammunition for the small gun she wields, though, to help balance matters, although there is a small time out as rounds are changed, which can prove fatal when being bombarded by deadly creatures. The turning character’s circle is tricky when under pressure as well, so there are some issues to iron out. Trying to get head shots in is still preferable, therefore, since otherwise the beasts take a fair few shots to go down and when backed into a corner this can result in Jill’s untimely demise.