Ever since the 3DS came out, we have been able to see what it is capable of doing. A perfect example of this is Resident Evil: Revelations. RE: Revelations is a game that has pushed the 3DS to new levels of gaming experience. In this review we will be looking at aspects of the game such as; Presentation, Graphics, Sound, Gameplay and Replay Value.
Presentation:To start things off, Resident Evil: Revelations mostly takes place in a cruise ship infested by a new type of infection called T-Abyss Virus which makes zombies look a lot like monsters from Silent hill, no expressions and awkward movement.
Story happens in between the events of Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5 and goes in which a city on the ocean was created but later on attacked by a terrorist group called Veltro. One year has passed and the Anti-terrorist group BSAA is sent to a rescue mission on the ocean. Later discovering it was a Hoax. The main character has to go around tight corners and with low ammo through the story to unravel the truth behind Veltro and the Anti-Terrorist group called FBC. The story even though it is different from other Resident Evil games, its still cheesy but attracting to Resident Evil fans because it still helps as a backstory to protagonist characters such as Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield and a backstory of how BSAA started off.
Score: 8/10 Graphics:We have already seen what the 3DS has been capable of with the appearance of Resident Evil: Mercenaries 3D. Capcom used the MT Framework Mobile engine to make these two games. This engine allows that Hardware performance doesn’t become that much of an obstacle to make smooth and good looking games. Thanks to this engine, graphics in this game can be compared to console alikes such as Resident Evil 5. This game has stunning graphics with 3D on, on CGI as in actual gameplay, which makes it look as its predecessors as it has dark tight corridors, spooky and lonely hallways or even well lighted, and full of detailed rooms which will catch the eye as soon as you see them.
There is the occasional flicking of the screen or frame drops as seen on the loading screens, hidden as opening doors. And not much detail on far away objects or enemies which could be a problem if the game wasn’t pretty much based on CQC with short corridors and small rooms.
Score: 9/10 Sound:Sound is an important part of a game, it is what puts ambiance to it and really makes a game be exciting, thrilling, scary; something that seems to lack a bit in Resident Evil: Revelations. Although the music is really good in the game and ambient sounds are exactly what has to be for a horror game, I found some flaws on sounds. The first one and most important, the volume is too low. Even with headphones on, the sound is too low and doesn’t really bring a person in the game due to the fact that it doesn’t really feel loud enough. And the second flaw is that the character you use sounds exactly like the zombies when walking. This can be annoying and confusing when you depend a lot on sound to know if you have enemies around.
Score: 7/10 Gameplay:Lately Resident Evil has been having a bit of a crisis in deciding what type of genre it wants to follow. It started out as a horror/survival game went to action packed as in Resident Evil 5 and now we are seeing it wants to move to an online multiplayer game. Resident Evil: Revelations is definitely is a hybrid of two genres. The horror/survival to keep the old Resident Evil fans which loved those moments of hopelessness of not having enough ammo and finding ways to evade enemies. And the action packed sequences with enough ammo and hordes of enemies for the new fans of Resident Evil. Revelations combines both of these genres in a pretty good way.
The game is divided in small chapters of about 15 minutes each which makes it pretty good for a portable game since handhelds normally aren’t used for so long, and every time you start the game up it gives a small summary of what has been going on. That way keeping story fresh and being able to play in small intervals at a time.
A new addition has been implemented in Revelations; it’s called Genesis. Genesis is basically a device that helps you find hidden objects throughout the game. Even though it can throw you out of the game and can become tedious to be using this, you will find yourself using it very often for searching ammo.
Last but not least, controls. Resident Evil: Revelations was also sold in bundle with the circle pad pro which allows the use of another circle pad and extra buttons. With the use of the Circle Pad Pro, players could play the game as in consoles, where the left pad is movement and the right is aiming which makes gameplay easier. The circle pad pro is not required and the game comes with a variety of control schemes for the player to use in case the default one is not suitable for their needs. I myself found that it wasn’t necessary and the game played really smooth with just one pad; playing similar to Resident Evil 4 for GameCube.
Score: 8.5/10 Replay Value:Resident Evil: Revelations, as most Shooters, has a short campaign. The campaign lasts about 5-10 hours depending on difficulty and how much you decide to explore, but containing a really interesting story behind it. The real Replay Value comes from a new feature added in Revelations called Raid Mode. Raid Mode is similar to the mercenaries mini game in RE4.
The objective of Raid Mode is that you have to defeat the enemies and reach the goal in the least time possible. Each level becoming more difficult but you have the ability to level up as in an RPG and buy new guns, accessories and items to make each level easier. The only down side of Raid Mode is that you have to progress through Story Mode to unlock it. But once you get Raid Mode you will find yourself racking lots of hours just by playing this game mode.
Score: 9/10 To sum things up, Resident Evil: Revelations is a must have in your games collection even if you’re not an RE fan. Revelations will be a game remembered as the first games that pushed the 3DS to its limits and showed games can look and feel nice on a handheld device. The story even though cheesy at times its still attractive due to the fact it fills in some holes there could have been from between RE4 and RE5. Graphics are stunning for a handheld, and you will find yourself playing Raid Mode for hours.
TOTAL: 8.3/10
