Resident Evil: Revelations (Nintendo 3DS) Review

Although Resident Evil: Revelations has no number attached, the production values alone elevate it to a status in the series as being more than just a side-story. Revelations takes place between Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5, and reintroduces Jill Valentine as the central character. In the time since the tragic events of Raccoon City, both Jill and Chris Redfield, the original survivors of Alpha Team in the first Resident Evil, have joined a newly established organisation that assesses and evaluates potential Bioweapon dangers. When Chris disappears while on a mission, Jill and her new partner, Parker, are sent to investigate the last place he was detected -- on a former cruise liner in the middle of the Mediterranean. Abandoned spooky structures are rarely good news in the Resident Evil universe, and from here the player, in the heels of Jill, has to explore the ship, fend off the creatures that slither around it, and unravel its mysteries. The storyline itself brings in a number of new characters to the franchise with many surprising twists in the events that happen, and the game helps set the stage for the events of Resident Evil 5.

Resident Evil: Revelations adopts the same style of play as its recent console brethren, and on the 3DS system’s top screen it is truly a sight to behold. The 3D effect is put to superb use and only adds to the immersion of the game. Gameplay is utilised from the third-person over-the-shoulder perspective, but an optional first-person view when aiming your weapon really gives the creatures of the ship that extra scare factor when they are edging their way towards you. The top screen is kept completely clutter-free, relegating essential data like ammunition and the ever-handy map onto the touch-screen as a highly useful reference. Blood splatter on the top screen’s border lets you know when your character is approaching mortal danger, and not actually having a value to go by, but just an image, ranks up the tension of staying alive immeasurably.

Capcom has provided four choices of control scheme for the game, with one of them supporting the newly released Circle Pad Pro accessory. The first and default scheme, Type A, mimics the layout of Resident Evil 4, with the analogue stick used to rotate and push forward your character and the R trigger aiming your sights to shoot with Y. Type B works similarly, but with using combinations of button and stick to move and shoot. Type C aims to mimic the setup of a Circle Pad Pro with using the face buttons like a second (but nowhere near as effective) analogue stick for aiming and movement. Type D is the option for Pro users, effectively making the game a joy to control with quick actions, the freedom to move whilst aiming, and a comfortable grip (if not an aesthetically pleasing one) to use. None of these types actually use the bottom screen as an aiming option, though it does provide quick touch keys to access weapon selections and the main menu, and having a map at all times is a sacrifice well made. All four options are fine to use with practice, but the increased manoeuvrability the Pro offers is a distinct advantage.

Resident Evil: Revelations tends to mimic the progression of the first game’s environments rather than the more recent editions, in that the main area of the game, the Cruise Ship, is self-contained so there will be a fair amount of retreading old ground instead of just moving from one location to the next. The game’s events are split into chapters to better adapt it to the pick-up-and-play aspect that handheld gaming specialises in, but many of these chapters reuse the same places in new situations. Thankfully this isn’t often a chore due to the developers putting in new obstacles or enemies at critical points to keep the player on their toes.

Speaking of foes, this time around a new virus strain is in the air, and the creatures you run into aren’t exactly zombies, more of a humanoid slime creature that waddles in for a snack whenever it sees you. Ammunition is frequently placed to fight them off, though aside from the harder boss-type enemies there isn’t a great deal of design variation in regular foes. Even the most basic of weapons in the game have a satisfying reload and firing animation, and let loose in spectacular fashion, especially so with the weapon upgrading feature that lets you customise parts of each firearm for more efficiency, done with packs you find in the field. Herbs, ever the choice of health restoration for a budding infection survivor, are more streamlined in Resident Evil: Revelations, forgoing the choice of different coloured plants and just sticking with the green; pick one up, press a button, and instant heal. This does highlight that there is no way to boost your character’s vitality in the game, a condition more apparent on higher difficulty settings, making survival much trickier.

Evening things up, however, is a new gadget seemingly swiped straight from the Metroid Prime games; the Genesis virus scanner. Switching to this with the D-pad or touch screen icon brings up a scanner view that can search out hidden items in your surroundings, and using it on the remains of enough enemies can net you extra herbs -- a helpful aid. The game is rarely reliant on the Genesis to carry events along; it is up to the player to decide whether to make use of it.

The overall presentation of Resident Evil: Revelations is easily one of its greatest assets, making it a 3DS highlight in visual power and sound quality. High quality cut-scenes, also rendered in 3D, encircle essential points of the game, and provide a useful episode synopsis for when you return to the game as a reminder of recent events. The Surround Sound speakers of the 3DS do a respectable job of producing those subtle creaks and groans of the ship and its inhabitants, but this is a game born for headphones and a room light switch. Resident Evil: Revelations also has full voice acting, which in its own way retains the cheesiness of the original but doesn’t produce as many memorable lines like ‘Jill Sandwich’ or ‘Master of Unlocking.’ This in no way detracts from the serious tone that the cut-scenes emit, but it is noticeable how deadpan the voices can be at times.

As you go through the main Campaign Mode, you will pass a certain point that unlocks Raid Mode, the part of the game that will most likely suck up most of your time. Like Mercenaries Mode before it, Raid Mode involves a selected area of the game and gives you objectives with which to complete it. Unlike Mercenaries, though, this isn’t merely an enemy bloodbath that you rank up scores on, but also incorporates a full run-through of that environment with a target marker at its end. A role-playing level mechanic is introduced here, with subsequent weapons and further stages being unlocked for play as you gain higher numbered levels. The selectable characters all have varying strengths and weaknesses, so you can experiment to see which suits you best, and the weapon selection, whilst limiting how much you can hold at one time, produces some impressive artillery. Sadly there are very few stages unique to this mode, as most have been ripped straight out of the campaign, but the other added aspect helps to ensure an enjoyable replay.

Raid Mode is where the Nintendo 3DS system’s online ability comes into full force, allowing players to team up with another player from anywhere in the world to play through stages together. You can either host a game for the level you have chosen and wait for a random to join (current online activity is quite high, so this does not take too long), or choose from a list of current hosts to join their game instead. Of course, you can also team up with a friend from your 3DS Friend List and take the fight to the creatures that way, or just go it alone. Online play can jitter at times depending on the strength of the connection, but rarely does it affect gameplay in a negative aspect. Wireless play is also supported for those who have a copy of the game card each.

Raid Mode’s levelling-up system and fun online aspect greatly boosts the hours players will get out of Resident Evil: Revelations, but if that isn’t enough, there is also the mission selection. These small tasks tie into the StreetPass feature that trades unlocked ones with other players, the completion of which opens up new rewards in both main modes. Even those you play with online send over new missions automatically, usually providing a new enemy to defeat in one of the Raid Mode stages, ensuring a healthy play life for Resident Evil: Revelations in what is an essential purchase for Resident Evil fans, and easily one of the best games on the Nintendo 3DS to date.