Our favourite Zombie Slayers are back at it again…
Some key points that this game offers:
- New settings and locations
- New game mechanics
- New enemy types
- New characters
Gameplay & Controls:
Zombie Survival Horror got a makeover along with several new goodies in the latest instalment of Resident Evil. Another new set of enemies this time around. Ooze monsters, created with the T-Abyss Virus. Slow like regular Zombies, they will stop at nothing to eat you! They’re not the only ones that are slow though. Trying to bring back the survival horror atmosphere, Revelations has you move about at a slower pace this time around.
Ammo and resources are still just as scarce with the exception of the Genesis scanner. A scanner that allows you to scan the environment and enemies which often reveals hidden items that you desperately need. There are a variety of Ooze monsters, from the regular ones right through to ones that will insta kill you! Character handling though is pretty decent and smooth, which Is critical if the dodge system is to work well. That it does though, so when you choose flight instead of flight you have the powers of dodge at your side and they work rather well! The Inventory screen has been updated as well. You can carry more items this time around with certain items stacking up on each other, such as green herbs. The game does not have a store for the campaign mode like RE5, it does however have parts scattered around the game which you can collect and use to improve your selected weapons. These parts will increase damage, ammo capacity along with a few other features. You also have a co-op partner with you; however, their capabilities are rather lackluster this time around, a trade-off for not sharing your items I suppose.
Revelations takes place in several different locations over the course of different times, present and past. It is divided up into chapters with each chapter having a number of stages. As you finish one stage you often start the next in a different location entirely with new characters. Something new for sure, but not very welcoming. The fun or”” get to know” the character parts are not even close to match before the stage is over and you swap back to a different character again.
Graphics:
This is most probably the best 3DS game to date. They went above and beyond with the visuals for Revelations. Character models have been beautifully created, the same goes for the monsters and creatures that you go up against.
The environmental effects, the lighting and reflections come together to create marvelous visuals. As much as you cannot stop to take a breather, you can’t help but to admire the sheer beauty that is ever present in every level that you find yourself in. The attention to detail, the colour choices, the atmosphere. It’s some of the best work to date.
Sounds:
No game can be fantastic without an amazing soundtrack! The mixture of music and sound effects truly enhances every aspect of Revelations. One thing Capcom has perfected, it’s the means to play those tunes with so much finesse… You never know if the music is background filling or the haunting of the monstrosity that’s to come!
Those eerie shrieks and howls, doing their job perfectly of unsettling your nerves. Voice over artists did a great job with their characters and personalities. From corny chatter right through to the more serious stuff, they did a great job keeping us entertained.
Replayability:
Unlike RE5 there is no co-op in Revelations. We do have a Raid mode however, where two players can link up or play online together. Raid mode makes use of the campaign missions and settings. The difference though is that enemies are not the same in power and that the goal is to make it from A to B. Clearing the map rewards you with points which can be exchanged in the items store.
The campaign itself however can and should be replayed on the higher difficulty. Taking your earned weapons and gear from the previous playthrough with you to see if you can beat your previous score.
MGR Gaming’s Conclusions:
Spoilers Ahead:
Resident Evil has come a long way, that is a fact! RE4 took us by storm with the updated everything, so much has changed and there was so much that was new that it was all but inevitable that RE games will never be what they were. These changes however were not all bad. No game can stay the same time and again… Changes, improvements and updates have to be made; in short even games have to evolve to keep up with the changes and keep the gamers interested.
RE4 is a beautiful example of this; as much as it was different from what we had before, it still offered us an excellent RE sequel with new enemies, a new setting and a worlds worth of trouble. The only issue I had there was that the game was less survival horror than I would have liked. RE is a survival horror game, it cannot and shouldn’t be anything else. It defined the genre and it makes it stand out from other games… That uniqueness is something I do not want to see vanish. The 3DS does a fair job of creating and maintaining that fear factor, the limited ammo and resources do their part to add to it for sure. However, let us not forget these new abominations that we go up against. They are tough to kill and out for your blood.
Revelations does a fine of job pushing the standards of handheld games. They went the distance to deliver the full Resident Evil experience on a hand held device, and do not for one moment think they failed! They achieved this perfectly. The 3DS did a remarkable job of handling the entirety of the game. The only great issues I have with the game are the level designs. It’s a constant chop and change between characters and locations. You never know what’s actually going on and the game does very little to keep you updated in terms of the story.
It’s hard to get a feel for a character when you don’t get enough playtime with them, or before you get there, you are swapped again to an entirely different one. These pocket sized levels with a multitude of characters is not as entertaining as it should be. The greatest flaw though is the co-op partner. Changing them so that they no longer take and use items from the environment, they went and made them completely useless. They barely do any damage and only succeed in lessening the fear factor of the game.
The Official trailer for Resident Evil Revelations:
Additional Info:
Platforms: Nintendo 3DS
Genre: Action: Adventure: Atmospheric: Co-op: Female Protagonist: Gore: Great Soundtrack: Horror: Local Co-Op: Multiplayer: Online Co-Op: Sci-fi: Resident Evil: Shooter: Singleplayer: Story Rich: Survival: Survival Horror: Third Person: Third-Person Shooter: Zombies
Censor Rating: Blood & Gore: Intense Violence: Language
Age Rating: 17
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release Date: 26 January 2012
MGR Gaming Steam Curator:
https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32364038/
