Modernizing the Resident Evil franchise is a delicate subject, but Resident Evil Revelations is exactly what should come of it.
Resident Evil Revelations follows Jill Valentine on her quest to find Chris Redfield. Taking place between Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5, Revelations pairs Jill up with a new character, Parker Luciani, and sends the duo aboard a deserted cruise ship. The Queen Zenobia is an extravagant ocean liner, which hits all the right nostalgia buttons. When Jill and Parker board the ship, they enter through the bilge, the lowest compartment of the ship. This means walking through creepy steel frames and past loud boilers while trying to keep your nerves straight. When they reach the main hall, however, the classic Resident Evil feel comes rushing back.
Revelations begins with scares more akin to Dead Space, as monsters just out of sight slither by gaps in scenery and amp up the tension; in several cases sudden banging made me snap my gun into the ready position, anxiously looking around for the source of the noise. This an example of the amazing course correction and change of pace from where the series was headed in Resident Evil 5. Revelations is less of an action game and more of the survival horror genre I miss and love. The best kind of scares are ones that linger, and that is what Revelations is all about.
Resident Evil Revelations or a scene from Ship Mates?
Before long, I was face to face with my first enemy, and the monster is finally something worth getting creeped out about. While I loved Resident Evil 4, as detailed in my Resident Evil 4 HD review, I did not care for the Ganado, and I cared even less for the wild and zany nonsense of Resident Evil 5. In the past seven years, the only enemies that the Resident Evil franchise has produced that I can genuinely call "creepy" are the Regenerators from Resident Evil 4. Thankfully, the enemies in Revelations look exactly like the Regenerators, and creep me the hell out just as much. There isn't much variety in the common enemy encounters in Revelations, but I didn't once grow tired of seeing these disturbing terrors lurking around. There were enough different variations of these monsters added to the game as I progressed to keep me busy, including the much deadlier blade-handed enemies and the long-distance ranged enemies. In addition, the bosses are actually frightening and awesome. There's no Ramon Salazar here. You'll be fighting crusty, crustacean-looking beasts up until the final boss, which is reminiscent of an old-school Tyrant fight.
The 3D is on and off. At times, I barely noticed it. At other times, it was incredibly noticeable and created a couple of stunning moments. The cutscenes, specifically, benefit the greatest from the 3D. It began to become an afterthought, however, and took the backseat to the gameplay. I wanted to play Revelations for what it was and not because of the 3D. After a while, I began turning it on just for cutscenes or during certain parts of the ship that looked particularly well done, which was just enough 3D for me.
"Chris? Is that you?"
The biggest reason Revelations works is its control scheme. What Capcom managed to do with the controls of Revelations has me hopeful for portable shooters and the future of Resident Evil. The default controls are a blend between what was right about The Mercenaries 3D and new ideas. The amazing dodging mechanic, reminiscent of Resident Evil 3, is not only a stellar addition, but implementing it into your play-style becomes a necessity, especially during boss battles. When I'm confined to a tight corridor, no herbs handy, with nothing but my knife, you better believe I'm positioning myself to slip by the next enemy with a dodge. Because Revelations is about conservation again, this is an amazing way to get by tedious enemies and save your precious ammo.
Running and walking is differentiated by how hard you're pushing on the touch pad, as with The Mercenaries 3D. I found myself naturally holding the B Button to run, and couldn't manage to shake this habit long after beating the game. It wasn't a problem, and the sensitivity-style is better, especially on the 3DS, but I just couldn't get pass my mental conditioning. A unique addition was having the sub-weapons mapped to the X Button, allowing for quick use of grenades or the knife. The rest of the controls mimic The Mercenaries 3D, with the A Button being a quick herb button and the Y Button being the action button.
The story won't keep you on the edge of your seat, but it does have some high points. The lowest of the low, however, is the segments playing as Quint and Keith. Codenamed Jackass and Grinder, respectively, these clowns almost ruin the game. I let out a sigh the size of which could tip the Queen Zenobia whenever they opened their mouths. Their on-screen appearance is even accompanied by upbeat music, which shatters some of the mood and ambiance. While I'm investigating the break out of a new virus, I don't want to laugh, and even if I did, these guys are insufferable. Comic relief is not needed in this game or franchise and I can only hope these characters never appear in the series again. Jackass's voice is still ringing in my ears.
How To Ruin a Game: Name Your Character Jackass.
After you finish the story, you'll want to dive into Raid mode. A mixture of a horde-mode style game and the classic Mercenaries mode of Resident Evil, Raid mode let's you battle stages of enemies while earning unique guns and special upgrades that you can then use in a second playthrough in story mode. You can play alone or connect with a friend through wi-fi. This mode has tons of replay value and you can unlock costumes, characters and awesome weapons.
Despite what Quint and Keith almost ruin, the game's story is exactly what I expect from Resident Evil. I expect to be mildly interested while playing the characters I love, conserving ammo and being scared, and Revelations delivers on all those fronts. While the story is a bit convoluted, it is the sort of convoluted, campiness I missed from previous entries in the series. The cliches are all there, including the double cross, the double double cross and the elusive triple double triple cross. In the end, Revelations reminded me of what Resident Evil was and still could be. With Resident Evil 6 on the horizon, Revelations has reassured me that Capcom knows what it is doing. Just check out the Resident Evil 6 Trailer WTF Moments. Perhaps Resident Evil 5 was just part of Capcom's own triple double triple cross? Unfortunately, we'll never know. In the meantime, pick up Resident Evil Revelations.
