Resident Evil Revelations

Resident Evil Revelations HD may be a home console 3DS port, but it’s the survival horror game fans of this franchise have been waiting for

Resident Evil: Revelations HD started off as a Nintendo 3DS title, during a time when hardly anyone who was a fan of this franchise had a reason to Invest in Nintendo’s  handheld console. More fool them; Resident Evil: Revelations is not only a fantastic title in its own right, it’s arguably the best Resident Evil game since Resident Evil 4.

Resident Evil Revelations HD: Features

We say ‘wisely’ because Resident Evil: Revelations HD is an absolute boon for fans of survival horror. Fans of this franchise will know that the last three entries in this series were incredibly disappointing, due to the fact that the Survival-Horror genre seems to be wobbling on its heels.

To keep up with Western sales, Resident Evil 5 was a twitchy Third-Person-Shooter (TPS), while Resident Evil 6 was a straight TPS run-and-gun affair. (The less said about RE: Operation Raccoon City, the better).

Resident Evil: Revelations takes the series right back to the franchise’s survival horror roots. Whether this is down to the developers having to navigate the confines of the 3DS console or whether it’ due to innate design choice is unclear.

What is clear, is that Resident Evil: Revelations: HD is arguably the entry in this series most faithful to its survival horror roots since Resident Evil 4. It’s nowhere near as good, mind, but in light of the franchise’s recent mis-steps, it’s still something to cherish.

Resident Evil Revelations HD: Plot

The plot revolves around two BSAA (that’s Bioterrorsim Security Assessment Alliance for those of you who care) operatives infiltrating a ship called the SS Queen Zenobia.

The basic premise is that they have to track down a pair of agents the BSAA has lost contact with, and once the player is aboard the vessel, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that the Zenobia isn’t going to present an easy time.

Resident Evil Revelations HD: Gameplay

It’s not just that a lot of the action is set in a set of darkened corridors on board an abandoned ship that gives Revelations its punch. It’s also down to the fact that players are forced to ration every useful item they come across – bullets, health boosts – that they’re likely to be on the back-foot for the lion’s share of their gaming experience. 

The graphics aren’t on a par with previous console entries in this series and the plot is pretty nonsensical, but in terms of the overall experience, Revelations delivers. This is a game that is both intriguing and exciting, while remaining nail-bitingly tense for the most part.

The lack of resources coupled with the crushing atmosphere translate to a gameplay experience the Resident Evil series has been missing for quite some time. If you remember what this series was capable of back in the day, Revelations is certainly worth picking up.

Resident Evil Revelations HD: Verdict

And that goes double for anyone who didn’t play this on the 3DS originally. As it stands currently, survival-horror is a genre in freefall. The last two Resident Evil games abandoned the genre quite convincingly and EA’s standard bearer, Dead Space, tossed it to ape Army Of Two.

Fans should get behind Revelations. It’s the best Resident Evil title since Shinji Mikami was in charge of the series and – unless this entry sells – it may be the last time the phrases ‘Resident Evil’ and ‘Survival Horror’ may be associated with each other.