Resident Evil: Revelations was originally released for the Nintendo 3DS back in 2012, but the PS3, PC, and XBox360 got to have their own versions the following year.
On the 3DS it was the first game to support the Circle Pad Pro outside of Japan. I spent a majority of my time with the game on the 3DS, and the CCP made it a million times easier to play, but I’m not reviewing the 3DS version or the CCP. I’m here to take a stab at the PC version.
Coming Full Circle
I’m not sure if Capcom was using this game as a fanservice or just trying to get another Resident Evil game out for fun. I say that because this is the first game in the series that has actually had Chris and Jill as the main characters since the original game.
Now, I never actually finished the campaign. This is because Jill’s half is so goddamned boring and repetitive that I had to put the game down.
I guess I should start from the beginning.
A year before the game’s story starts, there’s a bioterrorist attack on a futuristic island city called Terragrigia. Hunters roam the streets, slaughtering people. Other B.O.W.s run rampant, as well. The only way to stop it is to fire a laser from a satellite and destroy the entire place, civilians included. A year later, the games picks up on a beach head and carries on.
You start off as Jill, she’s on a shoreline with her new partner Parker, and they’re learning to use a new machine called the Genesis. The Genesis is used to detected strains of viruses and…well, I’m not really sure what else, that’s about it. You can use it to find hidden objects, like ammo or hand prints.
I’m not sure what it is. Maybe a potato.
While they’re checking out the beach, some of the creatures laying around on the beach decide it’s a good time to wake up and attack. After dealing with the monsters, Columbo informs Jill and Parker that Chris and his new partner Jessica have gone missing a ship called he Queen Zenobia.
The ship in question.
So, of course, Jill and Parker head out for the ship and the game begins proper from there.
It Was A Dark And Stormy Night
Capcom did a fantastic job going back to the series’ roots with this entry. Well, in the beginning of the game, anyway. The first few chapters for Jill definitely feel like they would’ve belonged in the old, more horror oriented games. Creepy lighting, weird noises, rain, lightning, atmosphere. It’s there.
Turning a corner to find this isn’t any fun, either.
The game looks good and makes sure to be spooktastic while doing it. This is all ruined by one thing, though.
It’s not the gameplay, I’ll get to that later. It’s not the graphics, I’m too busy praising them for that to be the case. It’s not the sound, that sound’s fine.
It’s the fact that the ship is so damn boring to explore and move through, that the game loses any sense of suspense. Everything looks the same after the game sheds its initial horror atmosphere and lets you roam freely. There must be some company out there that manufactures dull gray corridors, because if there is, they made serious bank on this one.
Forget brown being the new color everything needs to be, let’s use gray!
Now, I’ll grant you that you go between Jill’s scenario and Chris’, but it seems like Chris’ appearances are just too few and far between. On the bright side, Chris and his new partner Jessica aren’t on a dull gray ship. They’re stuck out in some snowy mountains!
Chris is still looking for the RE5 DLC.
The mountains you find Chris in aren’t exactly the pinnacle of variety, but they’re a hell of a lot better than that stupid ship. Yes, I guess you could say the ship is supposed to feel claustrophobic with its tight corridors, but even the original Resident Evil presented itself with some variety in color in the mansion.
I think part of what makes the ship sections so boring for me is that Jill’s entire purpose for being there is to find Chris.
Well, that was easy.
Actually, that’s just a dummy that’s made up to look like Chris, so Jill decides she needs to find out what’s going on on the ship after finding out that it’s just a mannequin. In addition to the dull, same-y corridors of the boat, you’ll find dull, same-y enemies.
You’ll be fighting a lot of these gray lumpy things.
All of the enemies in Jill’s side of the story look almost identical, with minor cosmetic changes to show a variant in mutation. Some shoot harpoons, some have giant claw-blade forearms to attack with. Most are just lumbering drunks that try to bite you. A few headshots will put any of them down without much fuss, though.
Over all, the Jill’s side of the story isn’t strong enough to stand on its own due to a boring environment. Chris does get a little more slack as he’s trying to hunt down Il Veltro and obtain any evidence he can to prove that they’re reemerging.
Of course, he finds a base of theirs.
So, there you have it, half the story is kind of interesting while the other half is bogged down by boring, repetitive environments.
Total Control
While I’ve praised RE4 HD, RE5, and RE6 for their controls, I feel that this entry has the perfect medium. Even by default, the aiming is steady, not too loose, not too tight.
The ability to move while aiming is helps immensely as the enemies can creep up faster than expected, and in Raid Mode (more on that later), that can be the difference between success and failure. There is a bit of sway while you’re on the ship, but power ups and gun customization can help with that.
The only thing I really have an issue with in the control section is the awkward dodge mechanic. It seems to work when it feels like it. I couldn’t get it to happen with any frequency on the 3DS or PC version. If you can master it, it’s incredibly useful.
I really don’t have much to say about the controls this time, they’re solid, do their job, and respond very well, the dodge mechanic withstanding.
Below Deck, After Hours
The place I’ve enjoyed myself the most is Raid Mode, but there is a major drawback that I’ll get to later.
Raid Mode is sort of like Mercenaries Mode from other RE games. Sort of.
You’re given the option to choose a character, a stage, and then are tasked with making your way to the end while collecting power ups, points, and clearing house.
In the beginning you can choose Chris, Jill, or Parker.
As you clear stages, you’ll gain levels, Battle Points to buy gun upgrades, costumes, and characters.
You can also find weapon parts while playing.
As the picture says, you can find weapon cases laying around that give you more add-ons for your weapons. You might get one that increases damage, critical hit chance, or increased fire rate. The equipment isn’t limited to those three, though. There are quite a few different enhancements you can find and stick on your weapons.
Hell, one of mine automatically shoots when I aim it at an enemy, and if I aim away from them, it stops. It’s pretty insane.
Enemies also get some changes for Raid Mode.
You’ll also notice that enemies get their own enhancements for Raid Mode. Speed, strength, defense, or even size can change depending on how lucky, or unlucky, you might be.
Once you’ve braved the enemies and made it to the end, with arms full of upgrades, you’ll find a giant crest that needs breaking to actually complete the level.
It’s not a boulder, but it’ll do.
Also, I just wanted an excuse to use that screen shot because it shows off how pretty the game is.
After finishing a map, you’ll get a result screen showing how many of the extra requirements you managed to meet, miss, or forget about. You’ll get bonus experience for completing them, and even more if you manage to meet all of them.
The Holy Trinity
Like I mentioned before, it’s important to customize your weaponry to make your life easier while you’re trudging through these maps.
This was just laying around on the ship map.
You can also buy new weapons from the shop.
Pretty expensive upgrades, but they’re worth it.
Yea, I have a lot of Raid Mode screenies. I really, really liked Raid Mode and can see myself spending more time on it in the future. I like it a bit more than Mercenary Mode, to be honest. It gives you a clear goal and lets you see it through, if you can.
So, that drawback I mentioned earlier. You have to finish the campaign to unlock all the Raid Mode stages, which is understandable, but blargh, I don’t wanna!
To make it a bit easier, you can take a friend along in Raid Mode, too! Sorry, I really didn’t know where else to put this.
In short, Raid Mode is flat out awesome, but is it enough to warrant this game getting a passing grade?
The Real Revelation
Right now, RE: Revelations is on Steam and sits with a whopping $50 price tag. Holy. Shit. Now, I got the game on sale a year or so ago with all the DLC. Between the ham-handed story, bland environments, and pitiful enemy variety, I can’t recommend this for $50.
Raid Mode does make a good case for itself with “But I’m awesome, and you get me, too!” To which I reply: True, but I’d say you’re $20 at best, so hush up, Raid Mode.
While you can pick up the Complete Pack for $10 more and get all the DLC, I still don’t see it being worth it. Not on PC anyway. I’m sure you can find a cheap copy of it on consoles, or 3DS, for around $20. While you won’t get the DLC included that way, you’d probably still be spending less in the long run.
So, yes, I’d drop $20 just for the Raid Mode alone and treat the campaign as the add-on, but $50-60 for the game is just too much. When it goes on sale again with all the DLC included (let’s face it, it’s on Steam, this will happen again unless we’re invaded by aliens or Ragnarok comes early), I’d say upwards of $30-35 is easily worth it. Try catching it on sale on Steam if you can, because there’s definitely fun to be had and you might enjoy the campaign more than I did. There’s also a demo on Steam, which I’d definitely recommend checking out first if you’re curious at all.
I know I might’ve just rambled on there, but those of you that have followed me for a while know that I tend to be a bit tight on the wallet. Bargain bin or bust!
I think that just about wraps up this review, join me next time when I jump into Bastion! I’ve heard that it’s really good, so I guess we’ll see.
That’s all for now.
You folks have fun, take care, and I’ll see you next time.