Resident Evil Revelations was released this month for Nintendo’s 3DS. It’s the latest in the acclaimed survival horror series, and the second for the system following The Mercenaries 3d.
The game’s story features series stalwarts Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield, with a new partner apiece. Chris has gone off the radar, so Jill follows his last known movements to an abandoned cruise ship in the Mediterranean. At this point, the situation descends into the usual creepy and convoluted Resident Evil-flavoured mess.
The story mode is divided into chapters, with you switching between playable characters throughout. This is a great system for a handheld game, offering quick burst gameplay when you’re on the go. The flipside is that it results in a certain degree of interruption when you’re playing for longer sessions, but nothing that detracts from the experience too much. Changing scenarios in this way also caters for fans of both of Resident Evil’s distinct gameplay styles. Jill’s ship levels are very much in keeping with the atmosphere and gameplay of the original titles. Characters new to the franchise get their own segments, and these are much more akin to the trigger happy style of Resident Evil 4 and 5.
Chris Redfield returns... again. Nice hat.
My favourite new addition to the series is Raid Mode, a unique twist on popular Resident Evil extra The Mercenaries. It presents a bite-sized portion of a locale from the main game, and populates it with a range of nasties. Your objective is to reach the goal marker at the end, with a score and rank awarded depending on your performance. For high score chasers, it’s addictive stuff, particularly with the inclusion of subtle rpg elements. Your character, weapons and opponents all have levels denoting their strength. There is a lot of replay value in boosting your strength, collecting the best weapon set, and customising it with the many custom parts available.
Resident Evil Revelations is certainly an impressive title in many respects. Graphically, it’s probably the best yet seen on 3ds. It offers a reasonably lengthy story at ten hours or so, considerable replay value and an excellent bonus mode. Many fans of the franchise, myself included, rate Revelations as perhaps the best release the series has seen in years. It’s definitely one of the console’s recent top tier releases, and one I’d recommend without hesitation.
